MCPInstall

journal-meta

Use when the user wants full metadata for a paper — from a DOI, PMID, arXiv id, OpenAlex id, or title. Returns title, author list, first author, corresponding author(s), publication date, journal name + ISO-4 abbreviation, impact factor, volume/issue/pages, DOI/PMID, citation count, and abstract in one record. Triggers on "paper metadata", "who is the corresponding author", "first author of", "what journal / impact factor for this DOI/PMID", "cite this paper", "文献元数据", "通讯作者", "第一作者", "影响因子". PROACTIVELY USE when the user pastes a DOI/PMID/arXiv id or paper title and asks about its authors, venue, or impact.

Installs
268
Last 24h
—
Trending rank
—
Security
Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/agents365-ai/365-skills --skill journal-meta
  1. 01

    Install

    Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.

  2. 02

    Describe the task

    Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads journal-meta automatically when relevant.

  3. 03

    Review the result

    The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.

SKILL.md

The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.

Paper Metadata Lookup

Resolve one paper identifier into a full metadata record. Primary source is OpenAlex (free, no API key); Crossref is a fallback for DOIs OpenAlex hasn't indexed. The journal name is enriched by delegating to two sibling skills when installed:

  • journal-abbrev → ISO-4 / MEDLINE journal abbreviation (JabRef cache, ~25K journals)
  • journal-if → curated JCR impact factor

If those skills aren't found, it falls back to AbbrevISO (abbreviation) and OpenAlex 2yr_mean_citedness (approximate IF) automatically.

Critical rule: Always use journal_meta.py. Never fabricate authors, corresponding authors, dates, or impact factors — resolve them.

Quick Reference

User wants...Command
Metadata from a DOIpython3 journal_meta.py "10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2"
Metadata from a PMIDpython3 journal_meta.py 32939066
Metadata from an arXiv idpython3 journal_meta.py 1706.03762
Metadata from a titlepython3 journal_meta.py "Attention is all you need"
Process a listpython3 journal_meta.py batch papers.txt
Skip impact-factor lookuppython3 journal_meta.py <id> --no-if
Skip abbreviation lookuppython3 journal_meta.py <id> --no-abbrev
Machine-readable contractpython3 journal_meta.py schema

The subcommand lookup is optional — a bare identifier works. Identifier type (DOI / PMID / arXiv / OpenAlex id / title) is auto-detected.

Output format

Stdout is a stable JSON envelope when piped/captured, and a human key-value view on a TTY. Force it with --format json|human|auto (--json = --format json).

Envelope: { "ok": true, "data": {...}, "meta": { "schema_version", "cli_version", "sources", "latency_ms" } }. meta.sources records where each field came from (e.g. journal-abbrev (JabRef), journal-if (local cache), or a fallback), so you can tell curated data from approximations.

Data fields (data)

title, authors (list), author_count, first_author, corresponding_authors (list; empty if OpenAlex has no corresponding flag for the record), publication_date, year, journal, journal_abbrev, impact_factor, impact_factor_source, impact_factor_year, volume, issue, pages, doi, pmid, openalex, issn, type, is_oa, cited_by_count, abstract.

Exit codes

CodeMeaning
0success
1runtime / upstream error (retryable)
2validation / bad input (missing file, empty query)
3not found (no paper matched)

Workflow

  1. Identify the input. A DOI (10.x/...), PMID (digits), arXiv id (NNNN.NNNNN), OpenAlex id (W...), or a title string — all auto-detected. Prefer a DOI or PMID: title search returns OpenAlex's single top match, which for very common titles can be a preprint or re-indexed copy rather than the version of record. Confirm the returned DOI/year if the user gave a title.
  2. Run python3 journal_meta.py <id>.
  3. Present the fields the user asked for. For a full citation, use first_author, journal_abbrev, year, volume, issue, pages, doi. State the impact_factor_source when reporting IF — a curated JCR number and an OpenAlex approximation are not the same thing.

Notes & caveats

  • Corresponding author comes from OpenAlex's is_corresponding flag, which is only populated when the publisher supplied it. An empty list means "not marked in the metadata," not "there is none" — say so rather than guessing.
  • Impact factor from journal-if is curated JCR; the fallback is OpenAlex's 2-year mean citedness, which differs from the official JCR IF. Cite formally only the curated value, and flag approximations.
  • arXiv ids resolve via the arXiv DataCite DOI (10.48550/arXiv.<id>); if a preprint isn't indexed there, it falls back to a title search.

Environment variables

VariableEffect
JOURNAL_META_MAILTO / OPENALEX_MAILTOEmail for OpenAlex's polite pool (faster, recommended).
JOURNAL_ABBREV_CLIExplicit path to journal-abbrev's jabbrv.py (skips auto-discovery).
JOURNAL_IF_CLIExplicit path to journal-if's journal_if.py.

If the sibling skills live in a non-standard location, set these so enrichment uses their curated data instead of the built-in fallbacks.

Troubleshooting

IssueSolution
IF shows "OpenAlex ... (approx)" not JCRjournal-if not found — install it or set JOURNAL_IF_CLI.
Abbreviation looks wrong / same as full nameSingle-word titles (Nature, Cell, Science) are not abbreviated per ISO 4. For others, journal-abbrev gives the ISO-4 form.
Title search returned the wrong paperUse the DOI or PMID instead — title search takes OpenAlex's top hit only.
not_found on a brand-new DOIOpenAlex indexing lags; the Crossref fallback covers most, but the newest DOIs may need a day.
corresponding_authors is emptyThe publisher didn't mark it in the metadata; don't infer one.

FAQ

What does the journal-meta skill do?

Use when the user wants full metadata for a paper — from a DOI, PMID, arXiv id, OpenAlex id, or title. Returns title, author list, first author, corresponding author(s), publication date, journal name + ISO-4 abbreviation, impact factor, volume/issue/pages, DOI/PMID, citation count, and abstract in one record. Triggers on "paper metadata", "who is the corresponding author", "first author of", "what journal / impact factor for this DOI/PMID", "cite this paper", "文献元数据", "通讯作者", "第一作者", "影响因子". PROACTIVELY USE when the user pastes a DOI/PMID/arXiv id or paper title and asks about its authors, venue, or impact.

How do I install journal-meta?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/agents365-ai/365-skills --skill journal-meta in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/journal-meta/ (personal) or .claude/skills/journal-meta/ (project).

Which AI agents can use journal-meta?

Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.

Is journal-meta safe to install?

No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.

Who maintains journal-meta?

It is published by agents365-ai in agents365-ai/365-skills. It has 268 recorded installs.

More from agents365-ai/365-skills

View all →

drawio-skill

agents365-ai/365-skills

Create, edit, synchronize, inspect, test, and publish editable draw.io diagrams. Use when the user explicitly requests draw.io/diagrams.net, needs a polished architecture, ERD, UML, sequence, C4, SysML, BPMN, network, swimlane, ML, or infrastructure diagram, wants code/IaC/SQL/OpenAPI/AsyncAPI/Protobuf converted into a diagram, or wants an existing diagram queried, reviewed, diffed, restyled, kept in sync, or made interactive. Prefer Mermaid/PlantUML elsewhere when the requested artifact is diagrams-as-code rather than an editable draw.io file.

Docs & Writing9K installs

excalidraw

agents365-ai/365-skills

Use when user requests diagrams, flowcharts, architecture charts, or visualizations. Also use proactively when explaining systems with 3+ components, complex data flows, or relationships that benefit from visual representation. Generates .excalidraw files and exports to PNG/SVG via Kroki API or locally using excalidraw-brute-export-cli.

Backend & APIs4.6K installs

creating-mermaid-diagrams

agents365-ai/365-skills

Generate Mermaid diagrams (.mmd) and export to PNG/SVG/PDF using mmdc CLI or Kroki API. USE THIS SKILL when user mentions diagram, flowchart, sequence diagram, class diagram, ER diagram, state machine, architecture, visualize, git graph, 画图, 架构图, 流程图, 时序图. PROACTIVELY USE when explaining ANY system with 3+ components, API flows, authentication sequences, class hierarchies, database schemas, or state machines. Supports 11+ diagram types with fully automatic layout.

Docs & Writing4.2K installs

plantuml-skill

agents365-ai/365-skills

Use when user requests diagrams, flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, component diagrams, ER diagrams, architecture charts, or visualizations — including generating a diagram from existing source code, or rendering/extracting PlantUML embedded in a Markdown file to images (e.g. preparing docs for Confluence/Notion). Also use proactively when explaining systems with 3+ components, APIs, data flows, or class hierarchies. Generates .puml files and exports to PNG/SVG via Kroki API (no local install required).

Docs & Writing4.1K installs

tldraw-skill

agents365-ai/365-skills

Use when user requests diagrams, flowcharts, architecture charts, or visualizations. Also use proactively when explaining systems with 3+ components, complex data flows, or relationships that benefit from visual representation. Generates .tldr JSON files and exports to PNG/SVG locally using @kitschpatrol/tldraw-cli.

paper-fetch

agents365-ai/365-skills

Use whenever the user wants to obtain, download, or fetch a paper's PDF — given a DOI, an arXiv id, a paper title, a citation, or a list of DOIs. Trigger on phrases like "download this paper", "find the PDF for [DOI]", "grab me the [Nature/bioRxiv/arXiv] paper on X", "get the open-access version", "I need this article", or any bulk/batch paper download request, even when the user doesn't explicitly say "PDF" or "DOI". Resolves via Unpaywall → Semantic Scholar → arXiv → PubMed Central → bioRxiv/medRxiv → publisher direct (institutional opt-in) → Sci-Hub mirrors as last-resort fallback.

Education & Science3.4K installs

Popular education & science skills

View category →

teach

mattpocock/skills

Teach the user a new skill or concept, within this workspace.

Education & Science874K installs

scaffold-exercises

mattpocock/skills

Create exercise directory structures with sections, problems, solutions, and explainers that pass linting. Use when user wants to scaffold exercises, create exercise stubs, or set up a new course section.

Education & Science488.2K installs

paper-context-resolver

lllllllama/rigorpilot-skills

Rigor Paper Context helper for README-first deep learning repo reproduction. Use only when the README and repository files leave a narrow reproduction-critical gap and the task is to resolve a specific paper detail such as dataset split, preprocessing, evaluation protocol, checkpoint mapping, or runtime assumption from primary paper sources while recording conflicts. Do not use for general paper summary, repo scanning, environment setup, command execution, title-only paper lookup, or replacing README guidance by default.

Education & Science478.3K installs

caveman-learn

juliusbrussee/caveman

Act on a Caveman learn report - review the ranked token sinks, apply cost-lowering fixes with per-edit consent, and report what those fixes returned. Use when asked to lower an agent's token cost, what caveman has saved, to trim a heavy CLAUDE.md, or to offload re-pasted context into cavemem.

Education & Science107.9K installs

gsap-plugins

greensock/gsap-skills

Official GSAP skill for GSAP plugins — registration, ScrollToPlugin, ScrollSmoother, Flip, Draggable, Inertia, Observer, SplitText, ScrambleText, SVG and physics plugins, CustomEase, EasePack, CustomWiggle, CustomBounce, GSDevTools. Use when the user asks about a GSAP plugin, scroll-to, flip animations, draggable, SVG drawing, or plugin registration.

Education & Science67.9K installs

teach-impeccable

pbakaus/impeccable

DEPRECATED: Use /impeccable teach instead. This command has been folded into the impeccable skill.