Book policies

Publishing ethics

Scholarly books published across science, technology, and medicine serve as important and authoritative collections or curations of established doctrines and accepted scientific theories; they primarily serve as authoritative general references or academic course materials and the content is generally used for long-term reference ¹.

Although books and book chapters serve as important historical markers, they are distinct from scientific journal articles which disseminate novel research findings and serve as “a permanent, historic record of the transactions of scholarship” (see Elsevier Journal Policy: https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies-and-standards/article-withdrawal). While published journal articles “shall remain extant, exact and unaltered as far as is possible,” in order to preserve the ‘blockchain’ of historical scholarship, published books and book chapters do not always follow suit.  Occasionally, circumstances may arise where a book chapter is published that must later be removed. Such actions are not undertaken lightly and occur only under the exceptional circumstances outlined below.

Distinct from the roles and responsibilities of editors of learned journals, editors and authors of scholarly (STM) books do not commonly bear the sole or independent responsibility for deciding which chapters submitted as part of a larger book manuscript shall be published. Responsibility is most commonly shared between book Editor/Author and Publisher, as laid out in common (industry standard) language in Editor or Author contracts. Publishers rely on the scientific expertise of Editors and Authors to guide decision-making regarding the scientific or scholarly quality, clarity, and currency of information in the text, data, illustrations, and bibliography. However, Editors, Authors and Publishers commonly make collective decisions when ethical concerns arise. In this collective decision-making process, book Editors, Authors and Publishers are guided by general ethical policies set by the AAP, COPE, the individual Publisher, and constrained by legal requirements in force regarding libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism (as laid out in book contracts).  As standards evolve and change, we will revisit this issue and welcome the input of scholarly and library communities.

Authorship of the Book, Book Chapter or Commissioned Content

Definition of Authorship

Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the study, conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the Work. Only those who have made substantial contributions should be listed as co-authors. Authors take collective responsibility for the Work. Each individual author is accountable for ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the Work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the Work (e.g. language editing, reference gathering, data analysis, or content review), they should be recognized in the acknowledgements section [1].

Contributed works

The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the Work, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the Work and have agreed to its submission for publication.

Authorship in revised works

If content from the previous edition, written by an author no longer participating in the Work has been substantially retained, please include an acknowledgement of the original author. Authors are expected to consult with their Elsevier contact for specific guidance as to what form of acknowledgement would be appropriate. Best practice includes identifying original authors and authors from relevant prior editions in either a footnote, acknowledgement, or in the byline itself depending on the extent of the retained contribution.

Changes to authorship

Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their Work and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Only in exceptional circumstances will Elsevier consider (at its discretion) author requests for the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors after the Work has been submitted. The corresponding author must clearly flag any such request to Elsevier, and all authors must agree with any such addition, removal or rearrangement in writing. To request such a change, Elsevier must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal, or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.

Elsevier reserves the right to make changes in authorship at its sole discretion if it determines that there has been a breach of an author's ethical duties. Credit and any payment will be given to authors in an order and manner which, in Elsevier's sole judgment, fairly reflects their relative contributions to the work.

[1] Language editing done by a human can be acknowledged. Regarding ‘language editing’ performed by Generative AI, please see Elsevier’s policy on the Use of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in Writing for Elsevier

Policy for book or book chapter removal

Books published on ScienceDirect

In a limited number of cases, it may be necessary to remove a chapter from the online database. This may occur when the chapter infringes on professional ethical codes, in cases such as multiple submission, bogus claims of authorship, plagiarism, fraudulent use of data or the like. This may also occur where the chapter is clearly defamatory, or infringes others’ legal rights, or where the chapter is, or Elsevier has good reason to expect it will be, the subject of a court order, or where the chapter, if acted on, might pose a serious health risk. A request for the removal of a single book chapter or an entire book may be initiated by the chapter authors, the book Author or Editor, or the Publisher (in its role as co-arbiter of publishing ethics for books).

In these circumstances, while the metadata (Title and Authors) will be retained, the text will be replaced with a screen indicating the chapter has been removed and explaining the reason for the removal.

• A Removal note titled “Removed: [Chapter Title]” replaces the Removed content in the electronic platform version.

• The HTML and PDF versions of the chapter are replaced with the Removal notice.

Generative AI Policies

Elsevier’s Generative AI policies aim to provide greater transparency and guidance to authors, readers, editors and reviewers in relation to generative AI and AI-assisted technologies. Elsevier will monitor ongoing developments in this area closely and will adjust or refine these policies as appropriate. Please see below for more details on Generative AI use in writing, editing, or reviewing of books and commissioned content:

Authors: The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in writing for Elsevier

Editors: The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the editing process for Elsevier

Reviewers: The use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the review process for Elsevier