Overview of Elsevier APIs (Embase, Engineering Village, PharmaPendium, Reaxys, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SciVal)
Last updated on October 13, 2026
APIs (Application Programming Interface) are tools that allow for computer-to-computer interaction. Elsevier's suite of APIs allows users to programmatically search and retrieve data in XML and/or JSON format from research databases as well as full-text files (file format dependent on solution). Available data includes:
- Abstract metadata from virtually all relevant scholarly journals included in Scopus
- Content from journals and books published by Elsevier and included in ScienceDirect (full-text articles)
- Research metrics available from SciVal
- Biomedical literature records indexed with the "Emtree" vocabulary from Embase
- Chemical reactions and conditions, chemical structures, and bioactivities data from Reaxys
- Engineering literature resources from Engineering Villageopens in new tab/window
- Safety data, efficacy data, pharmacokinetic, metabolizing enzymes and transporter data from PharmaPendium, Elsevier's fully-searchable database containing data extracted from FDA and EMA drug approval documents, as well as FAERs, to inform drug development decisions
An API key identifies your application but does not by itself grant access to API resources. Available access depends on the relevant product entitlements, permissions, and applicable terms. Contact Elsevier to confirm the access requirements for your use case.
Corporate users require an active Data as a Service license/subscription (separate from the relevant .com solution) to get access to the APIs.
FAQs
Elsevier APIs are commonly used in the corporate environment to support research which broadly falls into three use-case categories: Search, Discovery and Prediction.
- Search: e.g. semantically enrich content to improve the identification of relevant facts within literature.
- Discovery: e.g. generate novel insights from literature by creating a knowledge graph from utilizing Elsevier data.
- Prediction: e.g. create an algorithm using Elsevier data to predict facts that are not observed within the source literature.
In the academic environment, APIs can be used for populating an IR/CRIS, reporting needs, federated search, and bibliometrics as well as business intelligence applications.
First, obtain an API Keyopens in new tab/window. If you do not already have an Elsevier user ID, you will have to register prior to obtaining an API Key. Once you have the API Key, you can start using the APIs. Our step-by-step technical guidesopens in new tab/window are available, and please feel free to write to us with any onboarding or troubleshooting questions.
Please note that corporate customers require an active API subscription before they can gain access to the Elsevier APIs. Please reach out to your Elsevier Account Manager for more information.
API Technical documentation grouped by product is available here. In addition, please review our step-by-step technical guidesopens in new tab/window. Each guide walks you through the typical technical approach for a given use case, explaining which API calls need to be made at what point in your application's logic and for what purpose. These steps may need to be adapted for your particular situation.
For information about default API settings, quota, and throttling rate limits, please refer to our Default API Key Settingsopens in new tab/window documentation.
The Data for Research and Discovery Support team is available to assist with general set-up, troubleshooting, documentation, and data interpretation questions. This team does not provide customer analysis of Elsevier data structures, recommendations on whether data is sufficient to meet project outcomes, or scoping of effort/estimates on data clean up and integration steps.
The Professional Services team is available for add-on services such as data integration with customer/third party data, custom workflows and dashboards, and custom reports. Please contact your Elsevier Account Manager or Customer Consultant for more information about add-on services.
Getting Started With Research Products APIs webinar:
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