Import from API

API Integration Basics

Making Basic API Requests

Connect to external APIs and fetch data:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for basic requests

Handling API Response Formats

Process different response types (JSON, XML, etc.):

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for response handling

Error Handling and Retries

Manage API errors, timeouts, and retry logic:

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# Add your Python/API code here for error handling

API Authentication

API Key Authentication

Use API keys for authenticated requests:

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# Add your Python/API code here for API key auth

OAuth 2.0 Integration

Implement OAuth flows for secure access:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for OAuth

Token Management

Handle token refresh and expiration:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for token management

Handling Paginated Responses

Offset-Based Pagination

Navigate through pages using offset and limit:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for offset pagination

Cursor-Based Pagination

Use cursors for efficient data fetching:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for cursor pagination

Link Header Pagination

Follow pagination links in response headers:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for link header pagination

Rate Limiting and Throttling

Respecting API Rate Limits

Monitor and comply with API rate limits:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for rate limit handling

Implementing Backoff Strategies

Use exponential backoff for failed requests:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for backoff

Request Queuing

Queue requests to stay within rate limits:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for request queuing

Transforming API Data

Mapping API Responses to Nodes

Convert API data structures to graph nodes:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for node mapping

Creating Relationships from API Data

Extract and create edges from API responses:

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# Add your Python/API code here for relationship extraction

Data Enrichment

Enhance imported data with additional API calls:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for data enrichment

Common API Sources for Research

Academic Databases

Import from scholarly APIs like PubMed, arXiv, Semantic Scholar:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for academic APIs

Citation Networks

Fetch citation data from CrossRef, OpenCitations:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for citation APIs

Institutional Repositories

Connect to university and institutional data sources:

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# Add your Python/API code here for institutional APIs

Incremental Data Import

Tracking Import State

Maintain state to fetch only new or updated records:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for state tracking

Delta Synchronization

Sync only changes since last import:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for delta sync

Webhooks for Real-Time Updates

Receive and process webhook notifications:

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# Add your Python/API code here for webhooks

Scheduled and Automated Imports

Setting Up Cron Jobs

Schedule regular API imports using cron:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for cron jobs

Task Queue Integration

Use task queues for background API imports:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for task queues

Monitoring Import Jobs

Track and monitor scheduled import tasks:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for monitoring

Caching and Performance

Response Caching

Cache API responses to reduce requests:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for caching

Conditional Requests

Use ETags and Last-Modified headers:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for conditional requests

Parallel API Requests

Make concurrent requests for faster imports:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for parallel requests

Validating API Data

Schema Validation

Validate API responses against expected schemas:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for schema validation

Data Quality Checks

Verify completeness and accuracy of imported data:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for quality checks

Handling Malformed Data

Manage unexpected or invalid API responses:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for malformed data

Best Practices

• Store API credentials securely using environment variables
• Implement comprehensive error handling and retries
• Respect API rate limits and terms of service
• Cache responses to minimize redundant API calls
• Use pagination to handle large datasets efficiently
• Log all API interactions for debugging and audit trails
• Implement timeouts to prevent hanging requests
• Validate API data before inserting into database
• Monitor API usage and costs if applicable
• Keep API client libraries and dependencies updated

Common API Import Scenarios

Importing Papers from Semantic Scholar

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# Fetch and import academic papers from Semantic Scholar API

Building Citation Networks from CrossRef

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# Import citation relationships from CrossRef API

Fetching Author Profiles from ORCID

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# Import researcher profiles and publications

Troubleshooting API Imports

Common API Errors

• 401 Unauthorized: Check API credentials and authentication
• 403 Forbidden: Verify API permissions and access rights
• 429 Too Many Requests: Implement rate limiting and backoff
• 500 Server Error: Retry with exponential backoff
• Timeout errors: Increase timeout duration or optimize queries

Debugging API Requests

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# Add logging and debugging for API calls

Security Considerations

Credential Management

Securely store and manage API credentials:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for credential management

Data Privacy

Ensure compliance with data protection regulations:

• Review API terms of service and data usage policies
• Anonymize or pseudonymize sensitive data
• Implement data retention policies
• Ensure secure transmission (HTTPS only)

Input Sanitization

Sanitize API data before database insertion:

# Code example placeholder
# Add your Python/API code here for sanitization

Popular Research APIs

Next Steps

Explore other data import methods and analysis tools: