Elsevier and our partners in the scientific and health communities have a shared interest in encouraging wide access to authoritative, peer-reviewed scientific, technical and medical (STM) information. Disseminating scholarly information is fundamental to our contribution to advancing scientific and medical knowledge, and enabling its use and application. 

Elsevier-published research is disseminated globally to an ever-growing range of users by subscription, as well as through a variety of initiatives, to provide access for non-subscribers – including patients, the public, and libraries and institutions in the developing world.

Subscription-based dissemination

For more than 125 years, subscription journals have been highly effective in balancing the needs of authors and researchers. With the transition from print to electronic distribution, Elsevier believes that the subscription model will continue to be the most effective way of sustaining the peer review system that ensures the quality and integrity of science and preserving the scientific record for future generations.

Over the past decade, the transition from print to electronic distribution has enabled Elsevier to dramatically increase access, improve the productivity of researchers, and deliver greater value to purchasers while at the same time moderating prices.

As a result:

• Over 75% of researchers globally indicate access to scientific journals has become easier compared to five years ago, with the majority indicating that they have “good to excellent” access. For many researchers access to journal articles is not a significant issue, ranking twelfth on their list of obstacles to improving productivity, and we estimate over 90% of scientific and medical researchers globally have access to the STM journals that they need.

• Compared to just six years ago, scientists now read 25% more articles per year from almost twice as many journals, and they do so using up a smaller percentage of their time. In fact, science is the only information sector where the time spent gathering information has actually declined relative to the time spent analyzing.

• The cost per article downloaded on ScienceDirect has declined fivefold since 1999. Over the same period countries have reported a decline in cost per subscribed title of 20% These reductions have been possible because of flexible purchasing options, including institutional subscriptions options, site licenses, national licenses, consortia buying and pay-per-view options, have helped libraries budget and manage costs.

Access for non-subscribers

Through a variety of initiatives, Elsevier provides access to non-subscribers including patients, the public and the developing world. Some initiatives have been cited as “Open Access” approaches, a widely used term that covers a range of different approaches to electronic publishing, such as article sponsorship, where authors can sponsor non-subscriber access to articles on ScienceDirect, or author archiving, where authors can archive their final manuscripts to their institution’s repository or website. These and other approaches illustrate how Elsevier continually explores and tests new approaches to meet the needs of the research communities we serve. As we test these approaches we look to balance the needs of both authors and researchers and allow for cost recovery and sustained investment in peer review, quality, global dissemination, and preservation. We, therefore, implement new initiatives based on facts and the following considerations:

• Where are there gaps in the ability to access information, and how can they be most efficiently closed?

• How can we ensure that new models are sustainable and that the continuity of the scientific record be preserved?

• Could a new model potentially compromise the quality of the research we publish?

• How do you tailor the approach for the communities we serve? Does the approach support how information is used within a specific discipline?

Elsevier is committed to carefully assessing the new models based on these considerations, and exploring their potential benefits.