osf-api

name	osf-api
description	Manage open science projects and preprints via the OSF REST API
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"🔓","category":"literature","subcategory":"fulltext","keywords":["OSF","Open Science Framework","preprints","open data","reproducibility","preregistration"],"source":"https://osf.io/"}}

OSF (Open Science Framework) API

Overview

The Open Science Framework by the Center for Open Science provides infrastructure for the entire research lifecycle — project management, file storage, preprint hosting, and registrations. The API enables search, project creation, file management, and preprint discovery across OSF Preprints, PsyArXiv, SocArXiv, and 25+ community preprint servers. Free, no auth for read access.

Authentication

Public read access requires no authentication. For creating or modifying resources, generate a personal access token at https://osf.io/settings/tokens.

# Public access (no auth needed)
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/nodes/?filter[title]=reproducibility"

# Authenticated access for write operations
export OSF_TOKEN=$OSF_TOKEN
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer $OSF_TOKEN" \
  "https://api.osf.io/v2/users/me/"

API Endpoints

Base URL

https://api.osf.io/v2

Search

# Search across all OSF content
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/search/?q=replication+crisis&page[size]=20"

# Search preprints
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/preprints/?filter[q]=machine+learning&page[size]=20"

# Filter by preprint provider
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/preprints/?filter[provider]=psyarxiv&filter[q]=cognitive+bias"

# Search registrations (pre-registered studies)
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/registrations/?filter[q]=randomized+controlled+trial"

Projects

# Get public projects
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/nodes/?filter[public]=true&filter[q]=neuroimaging"

# Get project details
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/nodes/{node_id}/"

# Get project files
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/nodes/{node_id}/files/"

# Get project contributors
curl "https://api.osf.io/v2/nodes/{node_id}/contributors/"

Preprint Providers

Provider	Filter	Disciplines
OSF Preprints	osf	Multidisciplinary
PsyArXiv	psyarxiv	Psychology
SocArXiv	socarxiv	Social sciences
EarthArXiv	eartharxiv	Earth sciences
BioHackrXiv	biohackrxiv	Bioinformatics
engrXiv	engrxiv	Engineering
MedArXiv	medarxiv	Medical sciences
NutriXiv	nutrixiv	Nutrition

Query Parameters

Parameter	Description	Example
filter[q]	Text search	filter[q]=open+data
filter[provider]	Preprint server	filter[provider]=psyarxiv
filter[subjects]	Subject filter	Subject taxonomy ID
filter[date_created]	Date filter	filter[date_created][gte]=2024-01-01
page[size]	Results per page (max 100)	page[size]=50
page	Page number	page=2

Response Structure (Preprint)

{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "abc12",
      "type": "preprints",
      "attributes": {
        "title": "Replication of the Ego Depletion Effect",
        "description": "We attempted to replicate...",
        "date_created": "2024-06-15T10:00:00Z",
        "date_published": "2024-06-16T08:00:00Z",
        "doi": "10.31234/osf.io/abc12",
        "is_published": true,
        "subjects": [["Social and Behavioral Sciences", "Psychology"]],
        "tags": ["replication", "ego depletion"]
      },
      "relationships": {
        "contributors": {"links": {"related": {"href": "..."}}},
        "primary_file": {"links": {"related": {"href": "..."}}}
      }
    }
  ]
}

Python Usage

import requests

BASE_URL = "https://api.osf.io/v2"


def search_preprints(query: str, provider: str = None,
                     page_size: int = 20) -> list:
    """Search OSF preprints across providers."""
    params = {
        "filter[q]": query,
        "page[size]": page_size,
    }
    if provider:
        params["filter[provider]"] = provider

    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/preprints/", params=params)
    resp.raise_for_status()
    data = resp.json()

    results = []
    for item in data.get("data", []):
        attrs = item.get("attributes", {})
        results.append({
            "id": item.get("id"),
            "title": attrs.get("title"),
            "description": (attrs.get("description") or "")[:300],
            "doi": attrs.get("doi"),
            "date": attrs.get("date_published", "")[:10],
            "tags": attrs.get("tags", []),
            "url": f"https://osf.io/{item.get('id')}/",
        })
    return results


def search_registrations(query: str,
                         page_size: int = 20) -> list:
    """Search pre-registered studies on OSF."""
    params = {
        "filter[q]": query,
        "page[size]": page_size,
    }
    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/registrations/", params=params)
    resp.raise_for_status()
    data = resp.json()

    results = []
    for item in data.get("data", []):
        attrs = item.get("attributes", {})
        results.append({
            "id": item.get("id"),
            "title": attrs.get("title"),
            "description": (attrs.get("description") or "")[:300],
            "date_registered": attrs.get("date_registered", "")[:10],
            "registration_schema": attrs.get("registration_supplement"),
        })
    return results


def get_project_files(node_id: str) -> list:
    """List files in an OSF project."""
    resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/nodes/{node_id}/files/")
    resp.raise_for_status()
    data = resp.json()

    providers = []
    for item in data.get("data", []):
        attrs = item.get("attributes", {})
        providers.append({
            "provider": attrs.get("provider"),
            "name": attrs.get("name"),
        })
    return providers


# Example: search psychology preprints
preprints = search_preprints("cognitive load", provider="psyarxiv")
for p in preprints[:5]:
    print(f"[{p['date']}] {p['title']}")
    print(f"  DOI: {p['doi']}")

# Example: find pre-registered clinical trials
regs = search_registrations("randomized placebo")
for r in regs[:5]:
    print(f"[{r['date_registered']}] {r['title']}")

Common Research Patterns

• Preregistration Review: Search for preregistered studies in your field to understand how others formulate hypotheses, specify sample sizes, and plan analyses before data collection. Essential for meta-science and methodological research.
• Preprint Discovery: Use the preprints endpoint to find the latest unrefereed manuscripts across multiple community servers, getting access to cutting-edge findings before formal publication.
• Open Data Access: Retrieve datasets attached to OSF projects for replication attempts, secondary analyses, or meta-analyses. OSF projects often include raw data, analysis scripts, and materials.
• Collaboration Mapping: Explore contributors and linked projects to understand research collaboration networks in specific domains.
• Reproducibility Audits: Programmatically check whether published studies have associated preregistrations, open data, or open materials on OSF.

Rate Limits and Best Practices

• Rate limit: 100 requests per minute for unauthenticated, higher limits for authenticated requests
• Pagination: Use page and page[size] parameters; default page size is 10
• JSON:API format: Responses follow JSON:API specification; data is under the data key, relationships are linked
• Sparse fieldsets: Use fields[nodes]=title,date_created to request only needed fields
• Embedding: Use embed=contributors to include related resources in a single request
• Respect the service: Add delays between rapid sequential requests; use the links.next URL for pagination

References

• OSF
• OSF API Documentation
• OSF Preprints
• OSF Registrations (Preregistration)
• Center for Open Science