Elsevier LeapSpace Sets a New Standard for Research-Grade AI with the World's Largest Foundation of Highly Cited Scientific Research

LeapSpace now draws on 23+ million full-text peer-reviewed articles and books, representing over half of recent global research citations, and 2.6 billion cited references from Scopus

LONDON, Sept. 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Elsevier today announced that LeapSpace™, its research-grade AI workspace that helps researchers carry out complex tasks across their complete workflow, now draws on the world's most comprehensive and trusted collection of up-to-date peer-reviewed science available to any AI research tool. In addition to the 2.6 billion cited references from Scopus abstracts, LeapSpace is now also powered by full-text content that accounts for 56% of all recent global research citations and 42% of all global research articles published since 2021.¹

Alongside this continued content expansion, LeapSpace has also established an independent Advisory Board to provide expert guidance on its algorithms, transparency, and publisher-neutral content standards.

Delivering better outcomes for researchers across their complete workflow

Built with research-grade AI, LeapSpace is already delivering faster, better outcomes for researchers around the world. Researchers report it helps them design study protocols, generate research data, write manuscripts and theses, and prepare work for submission. Nine out of ten LeapSpace users surveyed said it is either essential to completing literature reviews or substantially contributes to them.²

More leading publishers and societies join LeapSpace

The content expansion is driven by new content licensing partnerships with BMJ Group, JAMA Network, Rockefeller University Press, and American Society of Civil Engineers, along with agreements for selected full-text content from existing content licensing partners including Emerald Publishing, IOP Publishing, and Sage Publishing, and more than 1,500 additional scholarly publishers and societies. LeapSpace 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.

Judy Verses, President, Academic and Government at Elsevier, said: "Most AI tools give researchers answers. LeapSpace helps researchers achieve better outcomes across their whole workflow, while supporting their critical thinking, igniting their curiosity, and keeping them in control. LeapSpace is grounded in trusted science, transparent in how it works, and publisher-neutral by design. Breadth of content and rigor of governance, with independent assessment from leading experts at some of the world's top research institutions: that's what makes AI research-grade."

Independent Advisory Board brings an additional layer of expert human oversight

According to Elsevier's Researcher of the Future Report, 84% of researchers have used AI tools — but only 22% say they trust them. To address that gap directly, Elsevier has established the LeapSpace Advisory Board: a global panel of independent AI and academic publishing experts.

The board provides independent guidance on the algorithms that surface and evaluate content; ensures publisher-neutral content discovery and search ranking; advises on responsible AI use in academic and scientific research settings; and supports transparent, explainable AI outputs for researchers.

The founding board members are:

• Chancellor's Professor Emeritus Jörg-Rüdiger Sack (Chair), Professor of Computer Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.
• Professor Jodi Schneider, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States.
• Professor Holger Hoos, AI Centre RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and Leiden University, The Netherlands.
• Professor Fei Wu, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
• Dr. Mikiko Tanifuji, National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan.

Chancellor's Professor Emeritus Jörg-Rüdiger Sack, Chair of the LeapSpace Advisory Board and Professor of Computer Science at Carleton University, said: "Trust in AI depends on more than how powerful the technology is. Researchers need confidence that the underlying content is selected fairly, that algorithms operate transparently and that the same standards are applied consistently across publishers. The Advisory Board exists to provide independent oversight that helps ensure LeapSpace remains transparent, publisher-neutral, and grounded in trusted scientific evidence."

LeapSpace is the winner of Best Generative AI Solution at the 2026 CODiE Awards, the technology industry's long-running peer-reviewed awards program.

Availability

LeapSpace is available for purchase globally by institutions and corporations, with individual plans and free access for academics and students. For more information, visit www.elsevier.com/leapspace.

¹ Elsevier analysis using Scopus, June 2026. 

² LeapSpace user research, 2026.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a global leader in advanced information and decision support. For over a century, we have been helping advance science and healthcare to advance human progress. We support academic and corporate research communities, doctors, nurses, future healthcare professionals, and educators across 170 countries in their vital work. We help impact makers achieve better outcomes with research and clinical-grade solutions built on the world's leading evidence-based scientific and medical content, precision AI, and expert human assessment. We champion inclusion and sustainability, working with the communities that we serve. The Elsevier Foundation supports research and health partnerships around the world.

Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, visit www.elsevier.com and follow us on social media @elsevierconnect.