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The autocomplete endpoint provides fast typeahead search for building user interfaces. Queries return in ~200ms. 
https://api.openalex.org/autocomplete/institutions?q=flori
See it in action at explore.openalex.org.

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Request format

/autocomplete/<entity_type>?q=<query>
ParameterRequiredDescription
entity_typeOptionalworks, authors, sources, institutions, concepts, publishers, or funders
qYesThe search string

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Response format

{
  "meta": {
    "count": 183,
    "db_response_time_ms": 5,
    "page": 1,
    "per_page": 10
  },
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "https://openalex.org/I33213144",
      "display_name": "University of Florida",
      "hint": "Gainesville, USA",
      "cited_by_count": 17190001,
      "entity_type": "institution",
      "external_id": "https://ror.org/02y3ad647"
    }
  ]
}

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Result properties

PropertyDescription
idOpenAlex ID
external_idCanonical external ID (DOI, ORCID, ROR, etc.)
display_nameEntity name
entity_typework, author, source, institution, concept, publisher, funder
cited_by_countCitation count (for works) or sum of citations for linked works
works_countNumber of associated works (null for works)
hintAdditional context to help identify the result

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The hint property

Hints help users distinguish between similar results:
EntityHint content
WorkAuthors’ names (e.g., “R. Alexander Pyron, John J. Wiens”)
AuthorLast known institution (e.g., “University of North Carolina, USA”)
SourceHost organization (e.g., “Oxford University Press”)
InstitutionLocation (e.g., “Gainesville, USA”)
ConceptDescription (e.g., “the study of plant species and genera”)

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ID lookups

Autocomplete detects IDs and matches them directly: 
# Find author by ORCID
https://api.openalex.org/autocomplete?q=https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7436-3176

# Find source by OpenAlex ID
https://api.openalex.org/autocomplete/sources?q=S49861241

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Filtering autocomplete

Combine with any filter or search: 
# Works from 2010 about frogs, autocomplete on "greenhou"
https://api.openalex.org/autocomplete/works?filter=publication_year:2010&search=frogs&q=greenhou