Editing Elsevier (section)

== Market model ==

=== Products and services ===
Products and services include electronic and print versions of journals, textbooks and [[reference work]]s, and cover the [[healthcare science|health]], life, physical, and [[social science]]s.

The target markets are academic and government research institutions, corporate research labs, booksellers, librarians, scientific researchers, authors, editors, physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, medical and nursing students and schools, medical researchers, [[Pharmaceutical company|pharmaceutical companies]], hospitals, and research establishments. It publishes in 13 languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Japanese, Hindi, and Chinese.

Flagship products and services include VirtualE, [[ScienceDirect]], [[Scopus]], [[Scirus]], [[EMBASE]], Engineering Village, [[Compendex]], [[Cell (journal)|Cell]], Knovel, SciVal, Pure, and Analytical Services, The Consult series (FirstCONSULT, PathCONSULT, NursingCONSULT, MDConsult, StudentCONSULT), Virtual Clinical Excursions, and major reference works such as ''[[Gray's Anatomy]]'', ''Nelson Pediatrics'', ''[[Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary]]'', ''[[Frank H. Netter|Netter]]'s Atlas of Human Anatomy'', and online versions of many journals<ref>[https://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/ Health Advance] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220311143631/https://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/ |date=11 March 2022 }}. Elsevier.</ref> including ''[[The Lancet]]''.

ScienceDirect is Elsevier's platform for online electronic access to its journals and over 40,000 e-books, reference works, book series, and handbooks. The articles are grouped in four main sections: ''Physical Sciences and Engineering'', ''Life Sciences'', ''Health Sciences'', and ''Social Sciences and Humanities''. For most articles on the website, abstracts are freely available; access to the full text of the article (in PDF, and also HTML for newer publications) often requires a subscription or pay-per-view purchase.<ref name=":1" />

In 2019, Elsevier published 49,000 free [[open access]] articles and 370 full open access journals. Moreover, 1,900 of its journals sold [[Hybrid open-access journal|hybrid open access]] options.<ref name=":1" />

=== Pricing ===
The subscription rates charged by the company for its journals have been criticized; some very large journals (with more than 5,000 articles) charge subscription prices as high as £9,634, far above average,<ref>{{cite journal|last=Monbiot|first=George|date=29 August 2011|title=Academic publishers make Murdoch look like a socialist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist|journal=Guardian|access-date=11 December 2016|archive-date=7 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307174619/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/aug/29/academic-publishers-murdoch-socialist|url-status=live}}</ref> and many British universities pay more than a million pounds to Elsevier annually.<ref>{{cite web|date=24 April 2014|title=Elsevier journals — some facts|url=https://gowers.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/elsevier-journals-some-facts/|access-date=27 July 2014|work=Gowers's Weblog|archive-date=2 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140702112336/http://gowers.wordpress.com/2014/04/24/elsevier-journals-some-facts/|url-status=live}}</ref> The company has been criticized not only by advocates of a switch to the [[Open access (publishing)|open-access]] publication model, but also by universities whose library budgets make it difficult for them to afford current journal prices.

For example, in 2004, a resolution by [[Stanford University]]'s senate singled out Elsevier's journals as being "disproportionately expensive compared to their educational and research value", which librarians should consider dropping, and encouraged its faculty "not to contribute articles or editorial or review efforts to publishers and journals that engage in exploitive or exorbitant pricing".<ref>''[https://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004/february25/minutes-225.html Faculty Senate minutes February 19 meeting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315071807/http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2004/february25/minutes-225.html |date=15 March 2010 }}'' Stanford Report, 25 February 2004</ref> Similar guidelines and criticism of Elsevier's pricing policies have been passed by the [[University of California]], [[Harvard University]], and [[Duke University]].<ref>{{cite web|date=20 February 2004|title=Fac Sen addresses costly journals|url=https://archive.stanforddaily.com/?p=1013953|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105040316/https://archive.stanforddaily.com/?p=1013953|archive-date=5 November 2012|work=The Stanford Daily}}</ref>

In July 2015, the [[Association of Universities in the Netherlands]] <!-- (VSNU) --> threatened to boycott Elsevier, which refused to negotiate on any [[open access]] policy for Dutch universities.<ref>Kingsley, Danny. [https://unlockingresearch.blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=192 "Dutch boycott of Elsevier – a game changer?"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831040458/https://unlockingresearch.blog.lib.cam.ac.uk/?p=192 |date=31 August 2017 }}, University of Cambridge Office of Scholarly Communication</ref> After a year of negotiation, Elsevier pledged to make 30% of research published by Dutch researchers in Elsevier journals open access by 2018.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 December 2015|author=John Bohannon|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/unique-deal-elsevier-agrees-make-some-papers-dutch-authors-free|title=In unique deal, Elsevier agrees to make some papers by Dutch authors free|website=science.org|access-date=25 February 2024}}</ref>

In October 2018, a complaint against Elsevier was filed with the European Commission, alleging anticompetitive practices stemming from Elsevier's confidential subscription agreements and market dominance. The European Commission decided not to investigate.<ref name="competition_plaint">{{cite news|last1=Kelly|first1=Éanna|date=2 November 2018|title=Researchers complain to Brussels over 'dominant position' of RELX Group in scientific publishing|work=sciencebusiness.net|url=https://sciencebusiness.net/framework-programmes/news/researchers-complain-brussels-over-dominant-position-relx-group|access-date=16 January 2019|archive-date=16 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190116100143/https://sciencebusiness.net/framework-programmes/news/researchers-complain-brussels-over-dominant-position-relx-group|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Price|first=Gary|date=30 October 2018|title=Full Text: Complaint Filed with EU Competition Authority Regarding "Anti-Competitive Practices" of RELX/Elsevier and the Wider Scholarly Publishing Market|url=https://www.infodocket.com/2018/10/30/full-text-complaint-filed-with-eu-competition-authority-regarding-relx-and-the-wider-scholarly-publishing-market/|access-date=2 February 2021|website=LJ infoDOCKET|archive-date=7 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307062104/https://www.infodocket.com/2018/10/30/full-text-complaint-filed-with-eu-competition-authority-regarding-relx-and-the-wider-scholarly-publishing-market/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The elevated pricing of field journals in economics, most of which are published by Elsevier, was one of the motivations that moved the [[American Economic Association]] to launch the ''[[American Economic Journal]]'' in 2009.<ref>Glenn, David (25 January 2008). [https://chronicle.com/article/American-Economic-Association/440 Chronicle.com "American Economic Association Plans 4 New Journals".] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628193734/https://www.chronicle.com/article/American-Economic-Association/440 |date=28 June 2022 }} ''The Chronicle of Higher Education''.</ref>

=== Mergers and acquisitions ===
RELX Group has been [[RELX Group#Significant acquisitions|active]] in [[mergers and acquisitions]]. Elsevier has incorporated other businesses that were either complementing or competing in the field of research and publishing and that reinforce its [[market power]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170804/05454537924/elsevier-continues-to-build-monopoly-solution-all-aspects-scholarly-communication.shtml|title=Elsevier Continues To Build Its Monopoly Solution For All Aspects Of Scholarly Communication|date=4 August 2017|work=Techdirt|access-date=17 October 2018|author=Glyn Moody|author-link=Glyn Moody|archive-date=17 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017164405/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170804/05454537924/elsevier-continues-to-build-monopoly-solution-all-aspects-scholarly-communication.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> such as [[Mendeley]] (after the closure of [[2collab]]), [[SSRN]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160517/13513134465/disappointing-elsevier-buys-open-access-academic-pre-publisher-ssrn.shtml|title=Disappointing: Elsevier Buys Open Access Academic Pre-Publisher SSRN|date=17 May 2016|work=Techdirt|access-date=17 October 2018|author=Mike Masnick|author-link=Mike Masnick|archive-date=17 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017164519/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160517/13513134465/disappointing-elsevier-buys-open-access-academic-pre-publisher-ssrn.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> [[bepress]]/[[Digital Commons (Elsevier)|Digital Commons]], [[PlumX]], Hivebench, Newsflo, Science-Metrix,<ref name=Herb2019>{{cite conference |conference=23rd Congress of the European Society of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition |last1=Herb|first1=Ulrich|date=2019|title=Steering science through Output Indicators & Data Capitalism|doi=10.5281/zenodo.3333395|doi-access=free}}</ref> and [[Interfolio]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tucker |first=David |date=7 June 2022 |title=Elsevier closes Interfolio acquisition |url=https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/corporate/elsevier-closes-interfolio-acquisition |access-date=18 October 2022 |archive-date=17 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221017085704/https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/corporate/elsevier-closes-interfolio-acquisition |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Conferences ===
Elsevier also conducts conferences, exhibitions, and workshops around the world, with over 50 conferences a year covering life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, social sciences, and health sciences.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences|title=Conferences|work=elsevier.com|access-date=12 November 2019|archive-date=12 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191112020100/https://www.elsevier.com/events/conferences|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Shill review offer ===
According to the [[BBC]], in 2009, the firm [Elsevier] offered a £17.25 Amazon voucher to academics who contributed to the textbook ''Clinical Psychology'' if they would go on [[Amazon.com]] and [[Barnes & Noble]] (a large US books retailer) and give it five stars. Elsevier responded by stating "Encouraging interested parties to post book reviews isn't outside the norm in scholarly publishing, nor is it wrong to offer to nominally compensate people for their time. But in all instances the request should be unbiased, with no incentives for a positive review, and that's where this particular e-mail went too far", and that it was a mistake by a marketing employee.<ref>Finlo Rohrer, "[https://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8118577.stm The perils of five-star reviews]", ''BBC News Magazine'', 25 June 2009.</ref>

=== Blocking text mining research ===
Elsevier seeks to regulate [[text and data mining]] with private licenses,<ref name=nature527413f/> claiming that reading requires extra permission if automated and that the publisher holds copyright on [[threshold of originality|output of automated processes]]. The conflict on research and copyright policy has often resulted in researchers being blocked from their work.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Richard|last1=Van Noorden|title=Elsevier opens its papers to text-mining|journal=Nature|date=3 February 2014|issn=0028-0836|pages=17|volume=506|issue=7486|doi=10.1038/506017a|pmid=24499898|doi-access=free|quote="It was a legitimate criticism, that people sent text-mining requests in to publishers and they bounced around for a time without any response", admits Chris Shillum, vice-president of product management for platform and content at Elsevier.|bibcode=2014Natur.506...17V}}</ref> In November 2015, Elsevier blocked a scientist from performing [[text mining]] research at scale on Elsevier papers, even though his institution already pays for access to Elsevier journal content.<ref name="nature527413f">{{cite journal|last1=Bloudoff-Indelicato|first1=Mollie|title=Text-mining block prompts online response|journal=Nature|date=20 November 2015|volume=527|issue=7579|pages=413|doi=10.1038/527413f|bibcode=2015Natur.527..413B|s2cid=4457698|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Moody|first1=Glyn|title=Elsevier Says Downloading And Content-Mining Licensed Copies Of Research Papers 'Could Be Considered' Stealing|url=https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151117/09383132839/elsevier-says-downloading-content-mining-licensed-copies-research-papers-could-be-considered-stealing.shtml|website=TechDirt|date=18 November 2015|access-date=21 November 2015|archive-date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121235758/https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20151117/09383132839/elsevier-says-downloading-content-mining-licensed-copies-research-papers-could-be-considered-stealing.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> The data was collected using the [[R (programming language)|R]] package "statcheck".<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Nuijten|first1=Michèle B.|last2=Hartgerink|first2=Chris H. J.|last3=van Assen|first3=Marcel A. L. M.|last4=Epskamp|first4=Sacha|last5=Wicherts|first5=Jelte M.|title=The prevalence of statistical reporting errors in psychology (1985–2013)|journal=Behavior Research Methods|date=23 October 2015|volume=48|issue=4|pages=1205–1226|doi=10.3758/s13428-015-0664-2|pmid=26497820|pmc=5101263}}</ref>

=== Fossil fuel company consulting and advocacy ===
Elsevier is one of the most prolific publishers of books aimed at expanding the production of [[fossil fuels]]. Since at least 2010 the company has worked with the fossil fuel industry to optimise fossil fuel extraction. It commissions authors, journal advisory board members and editors who are employees of the largest oil firms. In addition it markets data services and research portals directly to the fossil fuel industry to help "increase the odds of exploration success".<ref>{{cite web|date=24 February 2022|title=Revealed: leading climate research publisher helps fuel oil and gas drilling|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/elsevier-publishing-climate-science-fossil-fuels|access-date=24 February 2022|website=The Guardian|archive-date=24 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224082545/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/24/elsevier-publishing-climate-science-fossil-fuels|url-status=live}}</ref>