Elsevier for authors
How to publish in an Elsevier journal
Every year, we accept and publish more than 250,000 journal articles. Publishing in an Elsevier journal starts with finding the right journal for your paper. If you already know which journal, you can enter the title directly in the search box below. Alternatively, click on the 'Start matching' button to find a suitable journal based on the abstract of your article.
Check status
The status of your submitted paper or accepted article
Status of submitted papersYou can follow the status of your submitted paper in the Elsevier Editorial System (EES) using a reference number that you will receive by e-mail upon submission.
When your paper has reached the status between acceptance and publication you need to consider the following:
- Open accessIf you made the choice to publish open access, a number of different Creative Commons licenses will be available to select from. More is explained in your journal's Guide for Authors which you can find on the journal homepage.
- Journal Publishing AgreementYou will be asked to complete this during the time between your article's acceptance and its final printing.
- Proofreading
As soon as your article has been typeset, you will be sent a page proof in the form of a PDF file. Accurate proofreading and clear marking of corrections are essential for the production of a quality article. Mark any necessary corrections in a distinct manner. Elsevier will do everything it can to have your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. It is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Use the guide How to annotate PDFs to learn how to mark up changes in the PDF proof. - Articles in pressAccepted articles will be published online on ScienceDirect as an article in press and assigned an issue at a later date. You can track your article and citations throughout this process.
- OffprintsPDF e-offprints will be e-mailed within 24 hours of an article appearing online on ScienceDirect. If printed offprints are ordered instead of e-offprints, these will be dispatched within 6-8 weeks of issue publication. You can check the dispatch date using the track your article facility. Please note that delivery times depend on the destination.
Submit paper
Match your abstract to a journal
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or
How to submit a paper?
For submission of your article for peer review most Elsevier journals now use the online Elsevier Editorial System (EES). 
- Find the Submit Your Paper link on the journal's homepage. You will be prompted to log into EES.
- If you have never used EES before you can click the Register new account link to create an account before logging in.
- Once you are logged into EES, you will be guided stepwise through the submission process.
- EES automatically converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used in the peer-review process.
- Upon submission you will receive an e-mail with a reference number that you can use to check the status of your paper in EES.
There are many benefits to registering with EES, including increased review and publication speed, article tracking and receiving e-mail alerts.
For journals not using the Elsevier Editorial System (EES)For journals not yet using EES submission through e-mail or submission of a disk or printed copy will be accepted. Please see your journal's individual Guide for Authors on the journal homepage for further details.
After submitting a paper it will be peer-reviewed
Our primary research journals are peer-reviewed and independently edited by acknowledged experts in their fields. Reviewers are appointed by the journal editor.
Peer review has two key functions:
- To act as a filter and determine the validity, significance and originality of the work to ensure only good research is published.
- To improve the quality of research submitted for publication by giving reviewers the opportunity to suggest improvements.
Article Transfer Service
Several Elsevier journals operate a complimentary Article Transfer Service. The editor will offer this service to you if they feel your paper is of better fit in another Elsevier journal. Your submission will be transferred to another journal upon your approval. More on Article Transfer Service….
Researchers can choose to publish open access
- By submitting to one of our open access journals.
- We also have over 1600 established journals with open access options. After acceptance you can then choose to either publish under the subscription model or open access.
Elsevier has established agreements with funding bodies.This ensures authors can comply with funding body open access requirements and may also be reimbursed for their publication fees. Elsevier has established agreements with funding bodies including the NIH, Wellcome Trust and UK Research Councils.
Prepare your paper
Match your abstract to a journal
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or
Prepare your paper for submission
Each journal has its own requirements for publication which are specified in the journal's Guide for Authors. This guide can be found on the journal's homepage.
Before you beginRead the Guide for Authors. You need to consider topics in advance related to:
- Ethical requirements
- Open access options, copyright and funding body agreements relevant for that journal
Preparation of your paper
Consulting and following the instructions in the Guide for Authors is essential. It also contains information pertinent to the preparation of your paper such as:
- article structure
- abstract
- highlights
- keywords
- accepted formats for artwork, data sources and video
A number of content innovations available for your journal of choice also require preparation. Some of the content innovations we have been adding to our journals include article-based publishing, graphical abstracts, highlights and Google Maps
Further resources
Understand the Publishing process
More background information can be found in this comprehensive guide Understanding the publishing process. It covers topics such as using EES, Authors' Rights, Ethics & Plagiarism, the Impact Factor and other so-called bibliometric indicators
Training webcastsElsevier's Publishing Connect program of workshops and online resources offer support to early career researchers in scholarly publishing. The following topics are available in our series of "How to Get Published" webcasts: 
- Preparing your Manuscript
- Using Proper Manuscript Language
- Structuring an Article
useful tips and tricks to help you improve your research paper.
Avoiding grammar and artwork mistakes
Elsevier has created a language editing checklist to help authors avoid some of the more common errors and grammatical mistakes found in papers. We also provide basic author artwork and multimedia instructions.
Elsevier Author WebShop services offer
- language editing and quality services which ensure that your manuscript is free of grammatical and spelling errors within five business days
illustration services offer you world-class artistic support for your professional research and images. You can easily upload your drafted illustrations, sketches, or just an idea, and we will send you a free time and cost proposal within 24 business hours. Following acceptance and payment, the illustration will be delivered within a couple of days. Illustrations are offered in four categories: Medical, Technical, Scientific, and Graphs, Charts and Tables.
Find a journal
Match your abstract to a journal
Search for a journal by name
or
Finding the right journal
Elsevier publishes around 2,200 journals in Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences and Social Sciences. Each journal has a homepage on Elsevier.com with its aims including a journal specific Guide for Authors. Find a journal match for your abstract by clicking on the blue 'Start matching' button above.
Browse all journals
View Elsevier journals alphabetically, by editor or by subject.
Search journals by keywords
Type a journal name or keywords into the site search (at the top of this page) and use the 'product type' filter to narrow the results to only journals. Subsequent filtering on subject area will narrow down the number of results even more.
Search through articles
Go to ScienceDirect and enter a few keywords that describe your paper. This way you can identify the Elsevier journals that publish papers on your topic.
Tips to select the right journal
- Learn about the aims and scope of the journal by visiting the journal homepage on Elsevier.com
- Read the Guide for Authors which will help you understand the type of articles accepted. It also includes editorial team contact information, graphics specification, acceptable language and article length.
- Look at journal performance
- Find out if the journal is invitation-only as some journals will only accept invited articles
- Check to see if you want or need to publish your article as open access. Most Elsevier journals have open access options which can be found on their homepage and in the journal's Guide for Authors
- Submit to only one journal at a time
Publishing process
Match your abstract to a journal
Search for a journal by name
or
The Elsevier publishing process step by step
1. Find the right journal
The first step is finding the right journal for your paper. Among the thousands of journals and books published by Elsevier are some of the world's most prominent and respected medical, scientific and technological
publications. These include The Lancet, Cell, Tetrahedron Letters and a host of others. Find a journal match for your abstract by clicking on the blue 'Start matching' button above.
2. Prepare your paper
Each journal has its own aims & scope as well as requirements for publication so it is important you select a journal and download the Guide for Authors for that journal to prepare your paper.
3. Submit your paper
Nearly all of Elsevier's journals use the Elsevier Editorial System (EES) for managing the submission and peer-review process. This allows you to submit your paper online, reviewers to referee and editors to manage the
peer-review process online.
4. Check StatusOnce your paper has been submitted, you can check the status throughout the peer-review process and journal production process.
More background information can be found in this comprehensive guide Understanding the publishing process. It covers topics such as using EES, Authors' Rights, Ethics & Plagiarism, the Impact Factor and other so-called bibliometric indicators.
Benefits for authors
Author rights & services
At Elsevier, we're dedicated to protecting your rights as an author, and ensuring that any and all legal information and copyright regulations are addressed. As a journal
author, you retain rights for a large range of author uses of your article, including use by your employing institute or company. We also provide many author services, such as free PDFs for most journals, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications
and much more.
Open Access
Access to quality research is vital to the scientific community and beyond. We support sustainable access and work hard to provide a range of open access options alongside our Accessibility initiatives to ensure everyone can read, use and trust
the latest research. Researchers can choose to publish open access in over 30 open access journals or alternatively in 1,500 established journals via our open access article option. For more information about Elsevier's open access program, visit our open access
section.
Content innovation
Elsevier is continuously working on publishing innovations that help authors enrich their articles and researchers gain deeper insights and draw conclusions more quickly.
Some of the content innovations we have been adding to our journals include article-based publishing,
graphical abstracts
, highlights and Google Maps. Read more about content innovation and the Elsevier Article of the Future.
Learn about your open access publishing options
Make your research count, publish ethically: Toolkits and help from experts
Sign up for news to help you publish research and develop your career
A guide for early career researchers (PDF)
Tips and tricks: how to prepare a paper, publish, review and get your paper noticed
Serving authors with language editing, translation and illustrations services & more
