Book authors and book editors
Overview
We invite you to join a community of world-renowned thought leaders who have partnered with Elsevier.
Elsevier has a proud publishing history built on valued partnerships with authors to bring quality products to professionals and institutions throughout the world. Today, as an information analytics company on the forefront of digital innovation, Elsevier’s commitment to these content partnerships has not wavered.
Digital delivery
When you partner with Elsevier, you will work with a dedicated team of professionals to create content that is optimized for delivery in a variety of electronic formats, including potential publication on the leading full-text scientific database ScienceDirect(opens in new tab/window), which reaches more than 16 million users worldwide, or ClinicalKey, a medical search engine and database. When appropriate, books are also submitted to Scopus(opens in new tab/window), the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books, and conference proceedings.
Publish with ease
You may have the opportunity to leverage our authoring tool Elsa to streamline the content creation process. Elsa uses smart features such as automatic numbering and re-numbering of manuscript elements such as figures, tables, boxes, and references and the Publishing Assistant helps ensure that your manuscript meets submission requirements in real-time.
Elsa also centralizes communication so you can easily collaborate with all your publishing partners in one place.
As your book nears publication, our marketing and sales team steps in to bring it to market, while equipping you with guidance to promote it, too.
Content types
We offer a range of digital and print products to suit different subject areas, information types, and customer needs across two major areas:
Science & Technology
Health Sciences
In these areas, our offerings include but are not limited to: reference, textbooks, Major Reference Works, serials, laboratory and practical manuals, clinics, learning platforms, atlases, and research platforms.
Although this is not an exhaustive list, the following are the broad subject areas in which we publish content:
Science & Technology: Life Sciences, Physical Sciences & Engineering, Computing, Social Sciences & Humanities
Health Sciences: Nursing, health professions, and medical education; clinical and continuing education; and practitioner resources across subject areas.
Explore a full list of subject areas here(opens in new tab/window).
Submission process
Now that you have decided to partner with Elsevier, the next step is to create a proposal.
Science & Technology authors may download the proposal(opens in new tab/window) form and, when complete, send to our proposal mailbox (opens in new tab/window)with the following details in the subject line of the email:
Proposal in [subject area] / [author name: working title](example: Proposal in mechanical engineering / Smith: Advances in Applied Mechanics)
Health Sciences authors, please visit our Health Sciences Publishing Overview(opens in new tab/window) for additional information.
Thank you for considering Elsevier as your publishing partner.
Inclusion and diversity
Global Content Partners inclusion and diversity mission statement
Our Global Content Partners team values diversity in all its dimensions. We are passionately committed to increasing inclusion, diversity and equity in research, healthcare, and publishing, and in particular to increasing the representation of under-represented groups, including women, people of colour, and socially disadvantaged populations, among our editorial advisors, reviewers, authors, and contributors. Editors and editorial board members are encouraged to take into account the need for appropriate, inclusive, and diverse representation. Authors are encouraged to use inclusive language that acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Writing needs to be free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture, and cultural assumptions, while images and case studies should be representative of all populations. Our Global Content Partners team also has a responsibility to advocate, promote and facilitate inclusion, diversity, and equity among our colleagues across Elsevier and the communities we serve. There is a lot to do to address systemic inequalities, but we know that by working together we can support a stronger, more diverse and representative scholarly community of authors, editors, and contributors, and a more diverse and representative content offering.
Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equity. Use inclusive and respectful language without bias against any person, with special attention to avoiding language that negatively portrays or describes any person based on factors such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, neurodiversity, class, or health condition. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, slurs, reference to dominant culture, and cultural assumptions. We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes unless there is evidentiary-referenced scientific or clinical relevance. When appropriate, clarify how terms and definitions used in the referential evidence support the use of selected terms.
These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive. For more detailed information, please refer to any editing guidelines provided by your Elsevier contact.
Capitalization of racial and ethnic terms
Racial and ethnic groups are designated by proper nouns and are capitalized. Therefore capitalize “Black,” “White,” and “Brown” to align with the capitalization preference applied to other racial and ethnic categories. Use the capitalized term as an adjective in a racial or ethnic sense: Black people are disproportionately affected by COVID-19; diabetes disproportionately affects the Black population.
Reporting sex, gender identity, or both in research
The terms male and female should be used when describing the sex of human participants or other sex-related biological or physiological factors. Descriptions of differences between males and females should carefully refer to “sex differences” rather than “gender differences.” Gender comprises the social, environmental, cultural, and behavioral factors and choices that influence a person’s selfidentity and health. Gender includes gender identity (how individuals and groups perceive and present themselves), gender norms (unspoken rules in the family, workplace, institutional, or global culture that influence individual attitudes and behaviors), and gender relations (the power relations between individuals of different gender identities). Seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns (“clinicians, patients/clients”) as default/wherever possible to avoid using “he, she,” or “he/she.” Authors should consider appropriate use of the words sex and gender to avoid confusing both terms.
LGBTQ+ terminology
When referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning community, Elsevier’s suggested terminology is LGBTQ+. This guideline is meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate terminology but is by no means exhaustive or definitive.
Language around disability
When referring to disability, do not use stereotypical descriptors and outdated terminology (e.g., “mentally retarded,” “crippled”). Be mindful of current usage in the disability community (e.g., “intellectual disability,” “person with disability,” “uses a wheelchair”). Individuals may use selfdescriptive terminology; when these terms are used, they should have clear attribution, such as “Sara describes themself as “having hearing loss.” When referring to medical conditions, it is often preferable to use person-first (e.g., “patient with sickle cell disease” rather than “sickle cell patient”) as well as the most scientifically accurate terms around mental illness (e.g., “substance use disorder” rather than “substance abuse”).
Religion and politics
Religious and political beliefs, organizations, and practices must be described with due accuracy. Statements and claims about religion and politics should be factual and supported by an evidentiary reference.
Download inclusive language guidelines (PDF)(opens in new tab/window)