Pure API Guide: Total Number of Citations per PersonPure API Guide: Total Number of Citations per Person

Requirements

This guide is intended for users with intermediate experience working with the Pure API. It assumes familiarity with API concepts such as pagination, UUIDs, and JSON response structures.

Prerequisites:

• An active API key with access to the endpoints. The API key must be linked to an appropriate access definition with sufficient data visibility.

• Knowledge of post-processing tools (e.g., Power BI, Excel, Python, etc.) to transform and sort output if needed.
• For instructions on configuring API keys and setting up access, refer to Pure API: Access definitions for content and field filtering 

API Endpoints Used

• GET /persons
• GET /persons/{uuid}/dependents
• GET /research-outputs/{uuid}/metrics/scopusCitationsTotal

Data Retrieval Process (via Pure API)

This process outlines how to retrieve relevant data and calculate the total number of citations per person, derived from research output metrics associated with each person.

1. Retrieve All Persons

• Endpoint: GET /persons?size=300&offset=...
• Use pagination to iterate through all persons.
• Extract each person's uuid and name (first and last name).

2. Identify Related Research Outputs

• Endpoint: GET /persons/{uuid}/dependents
• For each person, retrieve all dependent records.
• Filter the dependents where systemName = "ResearchOutput" to isolate research outputs associated with that person.

3. Retrieve Scopus Citation Metrics per Output

• Endpoint: GET /research-outputs/{uuid}/metrics/scopusCitationsTotal
• For each research output, request the associated Scopus citation metrics.
• Extract the values under metricValues → integerValue.

4. Aggregate by Person

• Sum all Scopus citation counts associated with a person’s research outputs.
• Count the total number of research outputs per person.
• Group the results by person.

Post-Processing Logic

While the Pure API delivers raw structured data, summary statistics such as totals and groupings are not directly available. These must be derived through additional processing, either programmatically or through tools like Excel or Power BI or Python. The following logic provides a reference approach:

Group Research Outputs by Person

• Loop through each person.
• Track the number of associated research outputs.
• Sum all Scopus citation values retrieved for each research output.

Sample Output Columns

Output Use

• The aggregated results can be displayed in a report or visualized using preferred tools.
• The structure aligns with common reporting needs such as benchmarking, institutional profiles, or individual performance summaries.

Data Validation

To confirm accuracy, compare aggregated values derived through the API with results shown in Pure Admin’s Reporting module or Workspace. Ensure:

• The same person definitions (active/inactive filters if any) are applied.
• The same research outputs (visibility and publication status) are considered.
• The Scopus citation counts are consistently retrieved using the correct metric endpoint.

This validation builds trust and confirms that API-driven insights mirror what internal users would see in Pure’s standard reporting.

Permissions and Data Access

Access to person records and their related outputs is subject to the access definition tied to your API key. If some records appear to be missing or incomplete, check that the API key has the appropriate permissions to view:

• All persons
• Their related dependents
• Metrics associated with each research output

Summary

By combining Pure API endpoints with post-processing, users can calculate the total number of citations per person based on research output metrics. This method empowers data analysts, integrators, and support teams to recreate key reporting insights outside of Pure’s internal Report workspace, while ensuring flexibility and transparency in how metrics are calculated.