HasData Google Scholar vs Plos
A side-by-side look at the HasData Google Scholar and Plos MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose HasData Google Scholar for research work as a local process; choose Plos for research as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose HasData Google Scholar when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
HASDATA_API_KEY. - You want tools like
hasdata_google_scholar_case_law_getScholarCaseLawOpinion, hasdata_google_scholar_cite_getScholarCitationFormats, hasdata_google_scholar_scholar_getScholarSearchResults.
Choose Plos when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Research domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search, article, search_authored_by.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Research | Research |
| Quality signal | 63/100 · Good | 59/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | HASDATA_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 10 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 3 | 4 |
| Full listing | View HasData Google Scholar | View Plos |
Tools & capabilities
HasData Google Scholar tools 3
hasdata_google_scholar_case_law_getScholarCaseLawOpinionGet Scholar Case Law Opinion Looks up a Google Scholar Case Law opinion by its `caseId` (as returned in a google/scholar organic result's `caseId`, when searching with `asSdt` set to a case-law court scope, or in another case-law result's `citedCases`). Returns the case title, party names, court, procedural history, argued/decided dates, short citations, docket numbers, and every case cited within the opinion (grouped by cited case with a ready-to-call `hasdataLink`). Use to build legal-research and case-law-analysis workflows, or to walk a citation graph one cited case at a time.hasdata_google_scholar_cite_getScholarCitationFormatsGet Scholar Citation Formats Looks up citation formats and export links for a single Google Scholar organic search result, identified by its `resultId` (as returned in a google/scholar organic result). Returns formatted citation snippets (MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, Vancouver) and reference-manager export links (BibTeX, EndNote, RefMan, RefWorks). Use to build citation/bibliography features or complete a research workflow started with google/scholar.hasdata_google_scholar_scholar_getScholarSearchResultsGet Scholar Search Results Scrapes Google Scholar for a query with author:/source: search helpers, year range (asYlo/asYhi), cited-by and all-versions lookups (cites/cluster), review-article and citation-inclusion filters, language/language-restrict, start/num pagination, and asSdt to scope to case law (asSdt=2006 for all courts, 2003 for Federal courts only, or 4/6/3 plus comma-separated court codes for specific courts) or toggle patents. Returns each organic result with title, link, snippet, publication info (authors with profile links), cited-by count and link, related-articles link, and all-versions count and link; a case-law result links to a scholar_case?case= page and carries a ready-to-call caseHasdataLink. Use for academic research, literature review automation, citation tracking, grounding research agents with scholarly sources, and walking case law straight into google/scholar-case-law.
Plos tools 4
searchSolr-powered full-text search across all PLOS open-access journals; supports field-qualified queries (e.g. abstract:CRISPR AND title:gene), pagination, sorting, and custom field selection. Returns title, authors, journal, date, and abstract by default.articleFetch a single PLOS article record by DOI (e.g. 10.1371/journal.pone.0153207), returning title, authors, publication date, journal, and abstract.search_authored_byArticles by author name.recentMost recent publications across PLOS.
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.
HasData Google Scholar
{
"mcpServers": {
"hasdata-google-scholar": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@hasdata/google-scholar-mcp"
],
"env": {
"HASDATA_API_KEY": "YOUR_HASDATA_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Plos
{
"mcpServers": {
"plos": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-plos"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
HasData Google Scholar is categorized under Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Plos belongs to Research and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick HasData Google Scholar for research work and Plos 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.
HasData Google Scholar has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Plos has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. 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 hasdata-google-scholar and plos as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, HasData Google Scholar has a quality signal of 63/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 10 GitHub stars. Plos has 59/100 (Good) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.