Introduction Following the release of a new version of OpenAlex called ‘Walden’ in November 2025, the community reported a decrease in affiliation metadata coverage.

Introduction References are an essential part of bibliometric research. For example, references are required to calculate bibliometric indicators such as the journal impact factor and the h-index. University rankings also rely on a proper recording of references, as the number of citations a institution receives is usually used as a criterion. The coverage of references within a bibliometric database therefore plays a significant role.