n8n-nodes-google-scholar-api

An n8n community node that searches Google Scholar and returns structured academic papers: title, publication info, snippet, and link. It is backed by the Google Scholar API on Apify and bills per result, so there are no subscriptions and no minimums.

Installation · Credentials · Operations · Output · Example workflows · Pricing · Resources

What it does

Give the node a query, and it returns one item per paper with the title, publication info, snippet, link, and result identifier. It also works as an AI Agent tool, so an agent can run literature searches on demand.

• Search scholarly papers by query
• Filter by publication year range
• Page through results and control how many to return
• Choose how much data to return per paper: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields

Installation

Follow the n8n community nodes installation guide:

1. In n8n, open Settings > Community Nodes.
2. Select Install.
3. Enter n8n-nodes-google-scholar-api as the npm package name.
4. Agree to the risks of using community nodes, then select Install.

After it installs, the Google Scholar node appears in the nodes panel.

n8n Cloud only allows verified community nodes. Until this node is verified, install it on a self-hosted n8n instance.

Credentials

You need a free Apify account and an API token.

1. Sign in to the Apify Console.
2. Open Settings > Integrations and copy your Personal API token.
3. In n8n, create a new Apify API credential and paste the token.
4. Use the credential's Test button to confirm it works.

The node also supports Apify OAuth2 if you prefer to connect that way.

Operations

Paper > Search returns scholarly papers that match a query.

| Parameter | Description | | --- | --- | | Search Query | The query to search papers for. Required. | | Language Code | Two-letter language code for the results. Defaults to en. | | Year From / Year To | Restrict by publication year. 0 for no limit. | | Number of Results | Results per page. 0 for the Actor default. | | Maximum Pages | How many result pages to fetch. | | Output | How much data to return: Simplified, Raw, or Selected Fields. |

Output

Each paper is returned as its own n8n item. The Output parameter lets you choose how much to return:

• Simplified (default): a compact object with title, link, snippet, publicationInfo, resultId, and position. This mode is also used automatically when the node runs as an AI Agent tool, to keep responses small.
• Raw: every field the API returns for each paper, using the original field names below.
• Selected Fields: pick exactly which fields to include.

Fields (Raw and Selected Fields)

| Field | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | position | integer | Rank in the results | | result_id | string | Google Scholar result identifier | | paper_title | string | Paper title | | link | string | Link to the paper | | snippet | string | Snippet from the paper | | publication_info | object | Authors, venue, and year | | resources | array | PDF and other resource links | | inline_links | object | Cited-by, versions, and related links |

Example workflows

1. Literature review into a sheet

1. Manual Trigger.
2. Google Scholar: Search Query your topic, Year From a recent year, Output Simplified.
3. Google Sheets: append each paper's title, publicationInfo, and link.

2. Track new papers on a topic

1. Schedule Trigger: run weekly.
2. Google Scholar: your topic, Year From the current year.
3. Remove Duplicates then Slack: alert on new papers.

3. Let an AI Agent do literature search

1. AI Agent node.
2. Attach Google Scholar as a tool.
3. Ask "Find recent papers on retrieval-augmented generation." The agent calls the node (in Simplified mode) and answers with matching papers.

Pricing

This node calls the Google Scholar API on Apify, which is billed pay-per-result, with no subscription and no minimums. Apify also includes a free monthly usage tier that covers typical volumes. See the Actor page for current rates.

Resources

• Google Scholar API on Apify
• npm package
• n8n community nodes documentation
• Apify n8n integration guide

License

MIT