Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the availability of Elsevier Reference Modules on ScienceDirect, which allow researchers to access updated reference content as science progresses.

Note to Editors: To join our media demonstration of Reference Modules on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. ET, send your name, title, publication and email address to bookpublicity@elsevier.com. You may also request one-on-one interviews and demonstrations.

Reference Modules combine thousands of related reference work articles into one source of trustworthy information that is continuously updated by experts. The first modules available to researchers are Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering, and Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences.

Researchers benefit by gaining access to the most current foundational content that was previously locked up during the lengthy publishing process. In the past, updated reference work content would have been unavailable to researchers until the publishing cycle was complete, typically a five to seven year process.

Reference Modules include the following:

  • Content from Elsevier's authoritative, peer-reviewed reference works
  • Articles that are continuously reviewed, updated as needed and then time stamped by an expert editorial board
  • Intuitive subject hierarchies designed by each module's editorial board that make the articles easy to navigate and find essential information
  • Linking to relevant journal articles and book chapters on ScienceDirect for additional information

In addition to providing authoritative foundational content, Reference Modules will help researchers access increasingly interdisciplinary content. With interdisciplinary subject hierarchies, Reference Modules can be used at any stage of the research process and offer a better starting point than the web for exploring a new topic and staying current.

"I am being asked to stretch myself further and wider into fields that are not my immediate expertise," said Kate Lajtha, Reference Modules Subject Editor and Director of the Environmental Sciences Program, Oregon State University. "This is why Elsevier Reference Modules on ScienceDirect are such a lifeline. I can read a general overview of a new area, and then follow trails into more and more specific chapters as my research demands."

"Reference Modules deliver on Elsevier's commitment to provide innovations that address the needs of researchers and content that drives better research outcomes," said Suzanne BeDell, Managing Director of Science and Technology Books, Elsevier. "This launch assures that researchers can start exploring scientific topics with authoritative, current content and quickly discover relevant information in related fields."

Both new Reference Modules are available on ScienceDirect, a full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and more than 11,000 books. Elsevier will launch additional Reference Modules in 2014.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.

A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group PLC, a world leading provider of professional information solutions in the Science, Medical, Legal and Risk and Business sectors, which is jointly owned by Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. The ticker symbols are REN (Euronext Amsterdam), REL (London Stock Exchange), RUK and ENL (New York Stock Exchange).

Elsevier
Michelle McMahon, +1 781-663-2268
Publicity Manager, Science & Technology Books
m.mcmahon.1@elsevier.com