> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.openalex.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Work Types Overview

> All work type values in OpenAlex

Work types classify the form of a scholarly document. Each work has exactly one type.

## Values

| ID                        | Description                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `article`                 | Original, citable research usually in a journal, including full research papers, brief communications, technical notes, and full-paper case reports.                                               |
| `book`                    | A scholarly book published as a complete, standalone volume, such as a monograph or authored or edited volume.                                                                                     |
| `book-chapter`            | A single chapter or section within a book, such as a contributed chapter in an edited volume, sometimes presenting original research.                                                              |
| `book-review`             | An evaluation of one book and its significance, such as a book review or a review essay focused on a single book, usually published in a journal's book-review section.                            |
| `conference-abstract`     | A standalone abstract for a conference or symposium presentation, published without the accompanying full paper, such as a meeting abstract, poster abstract, or abstract-only proceedings record. |
| `conference-paper`        | A complete paper delivered at a conference, symposium, or meeting and usually appearing in the published proceedings, including proceedings papers and review talks given at a conference.         |
| `data-paper`              | A peer-reviewed paper written mainly to describe a dataset, such as a data descriptor or data article, rather than to analyze it.                                                                  |
| `dataset`                 | The deposited data artifact itself, such as a dataset, data collection, or database record, typically with its own DOI, not a paper about the data.                                                |
| `dissertation`            | A document submitted in completion of an academic degree or professional qualification, such as a PhD or master's thesis or dissertation.                                                          |
| `editorial`               | A piece expressing the views of an individual, group, or organization on a broad topic rather than on one specific work, such as an editorial, commentary, interview, or research highlight.       |
| `erratum`                 | A journal-issued fix for mistakes in a published article, such as an erratum, corrigendum, or publisher correction, referencing the article it corrects.                                           |
| `letter`                  | A short message sent by readers to a journal's editor responding to previously published material, such as a letter to the editor, reply, or reader comment.                                       |
| `libguides`               | A library research guide (LibGuides) curated by librarians to point users toward resources on a topic or course.                                                                                   |
| `other`                   | A catch-all for works that fit no other type, such as news items, obituaries, full journal issues, and non-scholarly repository media (photographs, video, audio).                                 |
| `paratext`                | Records that package or frame a publication rather than carry its content, such as covers, title pages, tables of contents, and author guidelines.                                                 |
| `peer-review`             | A peer review or report about a single other work, rather than a survey of many, such as an open peer review, referee report, or reviewer report.                                                  |
| `preprint`                | An article whose primary location is a preprint repository such as arXiv, bioRxiv, medRxiv, SSRN, or Research Square.                                                                              |
| `reference-entry`         | A self-contained entry within a reference work, such as an encyclopedia article, dictionary entry, or handbook entry.                                                                              |
| `report`                  | A technical report or working paper issued outside the journal system by an institution, agency, or company, such as a technical report, white paper, or government report.                        |
| `retraction`              | A notice that formally withdraws an earlier work and explains why, with a reference to the work being retracted.                                                                                   |
| `review`                  | A journal article that summarizes and evaluates the existing research on a topic without reporting new findings, such as a literature review, systematic review, or meta-analysis.                 |
| `software`                | A research software package or code released as a citable artifact, such as deposited code or a tagged software release with its own identifier, not a paper about it.                             |
| `software-paper`          | A peer-reviewed paper written mainly to describe research software, such as a software article or descriptor, rather than to report research results.                                              |
| `standard`                | A formal standard or technical specification from a Standards Development Organization (SDO) or consortium, such as an ISO, IEEE, or W3C standard.                                                 |
| `supplementary-materials` | Supporting materials accompanying a primary work, usually a journal article, such as supporting-information files, supplementary figures, tables, or appendices.                                   |

(The display name for each type is the same as its ID.)

Use these values with the `type` filter on works: `filter=type:article`

<Note>
  `book-review`, `conference-abstract`, `conference-paper`, `data-paper`, and `software-paper` are
  newly added to the vocabulary. They are being rolled out, so coverage is currently low or zero and
  they may not yet appear under [`works?group_by=type`](https://api.openalex.org/works?group_by=type).
</Note>

## How types are assigned

Every work gets exactly one `type`. OpenAlex assigns it by mapping the type reported by the work's source — Crossref's `type`, DataCite's `resourceType`, PubMed's publication type, etc. — onto the OpenAlex vocabulary above, then applying a set of internal heuristics (for example, titles like "Index", "Cover Picture", or a bare journal name are classified as `paratext`). Approved [curations](/api-reference/works) can override the assigned type for an individual work.

## Paratext

`paratext` covers material that is part of a publication but not the scholarly content itself — front matter, back matter, indexes, covers, mastheads, and advertisements. Filter for it with `filter=type:paratext`.

<Warning>
  The separate boolean field **`is_paratext` is deprecated**. It is now derived directly from `type` (it is `true` exactly when `type` is `paratext`) and carries no additional information. Use `filter=type:paratext` instead of `filter=is_paratext:true`. `is_paratext` remains available for backward compatibility but may be removed in a future release.
</Warning>