# How is ScholarIQ different from OpenAlex?

OpenAlex is an open catalog of works, authors, and institutions. ScholarIQ searches it.

Site: https://openalex.org

## Where they differ

OpenAlex is the catalog. Use it when you need the raw index, the API, or a bulk export.

OpenAlex does not write the answer or the include or exclude. ScholarIQ is the tool on top of that catalog.

| | ScholarIQ | OpenAlex |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Free tier. No department contract. | Free catalog. |
| Search | 470 million articles from OpenAlex, ORCID and PubMed. | The open scholarly catalog. |
| Answer | Plain language, each claim linked to a source. | None. |
| Screen | Named reviewer, time, rationale, source passage. | None. |

ScholarIQ is the better fit for A reader who wants an answer with sources from that catalog.

OpenAlex is the better fit for A data user who wants the catalog itself.

## How is ScholarIQ different from OpenAlex?

OpenAlex does not write the answer or the include or exclude. ScholarIQ is the tool on top of that catalog.

## What does OpenAlex do that ScholarIQ does not?

OpenAlex is the catalog. Use it when you need the raw index, the API, or a bulk export.

## Who should use which?

ScholarIQ is the better fit for A reader who wants an answer with sources from that catalog. OpenAlex is the better fit for A data user who wants the catalog itself.

## Can I use ScholarIQ and OpenAlex in the same review?

Yes. Keep OpenAlex for The open scholarly catalog. Put the include or exclude in ScholarIQ. The record shows the named reviewer, the time, the rationale, and the source passage.

## Do I name OpenAlex in the methods?

Yes, if you searched there. Also name ScholarIQ if the decision sits there. A reader must be able to open the same record.

## Can a student start without a university license?

ScholarIQ does not need a department contract. OpenAlex: Free catalog.

## What do I lose if I leave OpenAlex?

OpenAlex is the catalog. Use it when you need the raw index, the API, or a bulk export.

## Does either tool write the review?

No. OpenAlex returns None. ScholarIQ returns a cited answer. You write the sentence.

## Where is the decision record?

On the ScholarIQ record: named reviewer, timestamp, rationale, source passage. OpenAlex: None.

## Can I upload a file from OpenAlex?

Yes, if it is a citation file. You then see that file in the same queue as the OpenAlex results.

## Which tool do I open first?

Open OpenAlex if you already have a list. Open ScholarIQ if you have a question and no file.

## Is the answer a substitute for the paper?

No. Open the citation. The passage is on the record so a second person can check the claim.

## What can a supervisor check?

The question, the search, each include or exclude, and the passage. You see the queue, the conflicts, and the agreement while the stage is still open.