FAQs

GetFTR (Get Full Text Research) is a freely available API for discovery tools which provides real-time, DOI-level entitlement checks conducted by participating publishers. GetFTR helps discovery tools streamline the user experience when discovering and accessing scholarly content. 

When a researcher’s institution subscribes, or content is open, participating publishers provide a smart link with direct access to the full text, or via researcher’s institution sign-in screen where necessary.

Additionally, the API provides links to millions of open access DOIs, even where the publisher doesn’t participate. It also provides retraction and errata information sourced from Crossref and Retraction Watch so that discovery tools can keep their users informed about the status of the document.

Discovery tools can improve their user experience by integrating with GetFTR, displaying GetFTR indicators to inform researchers where full text is available to them, and adding smart links to streamline access to the full text. GetFTR also offers solutions for syndicators. 

Services that integrate with GetFTR can add retraction and update buttons and links to document status pages, ensuring researchers have the information they need at the point of discovery. 

GetFTR can be used by any tool that displays a DOI, such as discovery services, search engines, databases, reference management tools and scholarly collaboration networks. Publishers can also integrate GetFTR into article references – click here for current list of integrators.

We recommend that librarians and researchers download the free GetFTR Browser Extension to benefit from GetFTR indicators and smart links to full text on sites that haven’t integrated directly with GetFTR, including Google Scholar, PubMed, LinkedIn, X, news sites, search engines, and any website which uses DOIs. The extension also flags where documents have been retracted or updated.

Any publisher that uses DOIs can partner with GetFTR to provide real time entitlement checks. Where a publisher uses a platform that provides GetFTR capability, such as Atypon, Silverchair or KGL PubFactory, it’s even simpler to come onboard – click here for current list of publishers and platforms.

GetFTR checks entitlements against the publisher’s records to ensure up-to-date, granular and accurate information. GetFTR however does not authenticate users – but works with existing authentication methods provided by publishers and institutions, such as IP or federated authentication.

Unlike other solutions, GetFTR checks entitlements directly with the participating publisher at the DOI level, ensuring subscription content and often hard to access open content in hybrid journals is easily accessible.

Researchers, and libraries, do not need to take any action to use GetFTR, beyond clicking the GetFTR link in discovery services and collaboration networks that have integrated with GetFTR.

We recommend that service providers use GetFTR alongside KBART or Subscriber Links to increase the number of links available through real-time, DOI level checks.

GetFTR receives DOIs, end user IP addresses and information that uniquely identifies the user’s institution. GetFTR uses this information to pass requests to publishers for entitlement checks. No other personal information is passed to GetFTR, and no information about the user’s search terms is revealed.

GetFTR does not, and will not, track individual users or analyze data at the individual user level, and does not and will not make user-level data available to any third party. In addition, it requires participating publishers to commit to not track users with IP address information received from GetFTR either alone, or in combination with any other data. 

GetFTR has no visibility on what links a user clicks in a discovery service; when clicking on GetFTR links, the user is directed to the publisher’s website and may be redirected to the user’s home institution for authentication. GetFTR is not involved in the authentication or article retrieval process.

Documentation is provided so that discovery tools can integrate, and publishers can respond to entitlement requests.

If you integrate with GetFTR, you will have access to your self service portal, enabling you to securely access your credentials for GetFTR, personalised dashboards to monitor the service, technical FAQs to support your implementation, conduct integration tests, and options to test the GetFTR API, its responses, and error codes.

You will have access to the GetFTR demo website, a lightweight discovery service, where you can explore the GetFTR UX.

We can set you up on Slack so that our technical team can answer any integration questions you might have.

If you’ve got questions on any of these options our team is on hand to help at support@getfulltextresearch.com.

GetFTR smart links provide direct access to full-text content, with format (PDF, HTML and/or ePub) determined by the publisher.

The smart links enable users to gain direct access to content provided by their institutions without having to navigate the publisher’s sign-in or Where Are Your From (WAYF) pages.

Yes – GetFTR indicators will appear for Open Access and free to view content on participating websites for all users, regardless of their institution.

There should be no impact on the response times of content records. However, the GetFTR indicator button can take up to 1 second to load so we recommend adding links after the search result or article page has been displayed. For search results and references we recommend only sending entitlement requests to GetFTR for content on view.

No, as an integrator you can use Deferred Authentication (where the publisher authenticates at the point of access) rather than SeamlessAccess or Federated Authentication. You will need to implement an institutional lookup and selection widget, enabling users to select their institution as GetFTR requires an institution identifier (SAML EntityId), when making calls to the GetFTR service. Alternatively, you can send the user’s IP address; in both cases the publisher will authenticate the user when they access the content.

We have an active advisory board who meet every other month and provide valuable feedback from across the research community, helping shape the development of GetFTR from announcement to pilot to full launch and beyond. Contact us if you would like to be involved. 

GetFTR can be integrated free of charge into discovery tools, scholarly platforms and library management systems. There is no cost for libraries, institutions, researchers or integrating platforms. GetFTR is sustained through financial contributions from participating publishers on a tiered structure.

Our tiered structure is designed to align price with the value that publishers receive from GetFTR. Details can be found on our price list.