What does it take to build a publisher-neutral AI tool?

We look at the ground-breaking publisher collaboration driving the growth in LeapSpace’s cross-publisher content.

Uniting with publishers around a shared mission

Not so long ago, LeapSpace^TM was still a series of post-it notes on an office whiteboard, filled with ideas and sketches. Not all those suggestions made the final cut, but one goal has remained constant since day one — to make LeapSpace publisher neutral.

Even as the prototype was being built, Elsevier was talking with fellow publishers in the industry, thinking about how we could make this work together. The response was really positive, and that’s not surprising; we share a mission with the research communities we serve — to advance human knowledge. And we knew that combining an extensive body of peer-reviewed research with responsible AI was a powerful way to help researchers do that.

As Elsevier’s Senior Vice President Academic & Government Solutions, Max Khan, points out, publishers collaborating is not new. Elsevier built Scopus 20 years ago as a publisher-neutral database. But given the research integrity dangers posed by today’s commercial AI tools, strengthening those bonds is now essential.

“83% of early career researchers use broad-access GenAI tools¹. But that comes with risks — to rigor, to reputation, to critical thinking,” he explains. “And I think publishers have a responsibility here to come together to put researchers in the driver’s seat, support critical thinking and promote the integrity of research. That's the ambition. And honestly? I can't think of a better way to navigate through this moment than together.”

A comprehensive and cross-disciplinary content base

Content from our prestigious journals in The Lancet Group, Cell Press, and leading societies such as the American College of Cardiology, the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the International Brain Organization, and many more, is indexed into LeapSpace. Licensing agreements have also been signed with several publishers to index their full-text content to the LeapSpace index: American Society of Civil Engineersopens in new tab/window, BMJ Group,opens in new tab/window Emerald Publishingopens in new tab/window, IOP Publishingopens in new tab/window, JAMA Networkopens in new tab/window, NEJM Groupopens in new tab/window, Rockefeller University Pressopens in new tab/window, and Sage Publishingopens in new tab/window, plus more than 1,500 additional scholarly publishers and societies. LeapSpace also includes Elsevier’s full-text peer-reviewed articles and books, plus 100+ million scientific records from Scopus covering content from 7,000+ publishers. Together, these provide researchers with a cross-publisher content foundation that spans the leading journals and societies across science.

And we expect more content licensing partners to join us in the coming months.

What makes this blend of coverage so powerful is the breadth and depth it offers — abstracts offer a valuable insight into a research project and its findings, while full text helps users dig deeper. The full-text journal content is a mix of subscription and open access articles drawn from journals around the globe that together span more than 330 disciplines. And to ensure publisher neutrality in responses, LeapSpace selects sources based on relevancy, with only a slight boost for recency.

The Scopus seal of approval

The full-text journal articles that LeapSpace uses are drawn exclusively from titles indexed in Scopus. One of the great things about Scopus is that the content is not only peer reviewed, but also rigorously vetted and selected for inclusion in Scopus by the independent Scopus Content Selection and Advisory Board. The board also regularly reevaluates that content, discontinuing titles that don’t comply with its robust guidelines.

Creating a forum where collaboration can flourish

What was also apparent from the early days of LeapSpace is that we didn’t just want other publishers to share content with LeapSpace. We wanted to create a forum for ongoing dialogue with them about the platform, AI and the wider research landscape. The answer? The LeapSpace Ecosystem Board, a place where Elsevier and content partners can talk about LeapSpace, AI and the wider research landscape. July marked the first meeting, which Elsevier’s Senior Partner Success Manager Erin Hill-Parks describes as “engaged, positive — and honest”.

Representatives from seven partner publishers attended with “trust” as a major theme; confidence in how content is ranked and surfaced and in the outputs that AI generates. Members also emphasized the need for researchers to have verifiable trust signals like LeapSpace’s Trust Cards and Claim Radar. And there was a strong appetite to expand the board to include librarians, researchers and funders, so members can hear perspectives from beyond the publishing sector.

Erin, who coordinates the board, says its remit is deliberately both broad and ecosystem-first. “Together, we're focused on the questions that matter most to research: attribution, trust, representation and the role of AI.” But that doesn’t mean the board’s members won’t be consulted on the more practical aspects of LeapSpace’s development, including how their content is displayed and linked to. And Elsevier will share insights from ongoing user testing and innovations. Erin says: “While Elsevier leads the convening of this conversation, our role is to think alongside our partners, not to steer them or gather input on a product roadmap. We’re committed to building what comes next collaboratively.”

Max Khan adds: "We wanted to create this forum where publishers could come together and work towards helping the research community get to better outcomes, faster across key tasks across their workflow, while empowering them to think critically. It has been exciting to work with publishers, listen to their perspective and feedback. It's already shaping how we collectively create the best experience for researchers."

While the board plans to meet formally on an annual basis, they will stay in close contact in between meetings, with Elsevier sharing content usage statistics and updates on product development. As Erin notes: “The board is a structure, but the relationship is ongoing."

Interested in becoming a content partner for LeapSpace? Find out more.