Crossref vs Research Papers MCP
A side-by-side look at the Crossref and Research Papers MCP MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
R
Research Papers MCPResearchResearch papers for AI agents: PubMed, arXiv, Crossref; citations, references, open access texts39FairAuth: no auth requiredVerdict: choose Crossref for research work as a local process; choose Research Papers MCP for research. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Crossref when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_works, get_work, get_journal.
RChoose Research Papers MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | R Research Papers MCP | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 59/100 · Good | 39/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | Not declared | No auth required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | — |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Crossref | View Research Papers MCP |
Tools & capabilities
Crossref tools 3
search_worksSearch academic papers, books, and datasets via Crossref. For "search works titled X" / finding a SPECIFIC paper by its title, pass `title` (title-scoped — ranks the exact paper first). Beyond keyword search you can SORT by citation count or publication date and FILTER by date range, work type, author, and JOURNAL (`journal` = a journal name like "Progress in Materials Science" or an ISSN; results are restricted to that journal only) — e.g. "most-cited papers on transformers" (sort=citations), "papers on LLMs since 2024" (from_date=2024-01-01), "recent journal articles by an author". Returns titles, authors, journal, DOIs, citation counts, and dates.get_workGet full metadata for a publication by DOI (e.g., "10.1038/nature12373"). Returns title, authors, abstract, journal, publisher, citations, and subjects.get_journalGet the 5 most recent works from a journal by ISSN (e.g., "2041-1723"). Returns titles, authors, DOIs, and publication dates.
Research Papers MCP tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Crossref
{
"mcpServers": {
"crossref-2": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-crossref"
]
}
}
}
Research Papers MCP
No confirmed install command for Research Papers MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
Crossref is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Research Papers MCP belongs to Research and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick Crossref for research work and Research Papers MCP for research.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. Research Papers MCP has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Crossref has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Research Papers MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Auth: no auth required. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add crossref-2 and research-papers-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Crossref has a quality signal of 59/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Research Papers MCP has 39/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.