Elsevier enhances research integrity capabilities with Clear Skies acquisition

Elsevier today announced an increase in its research integrity capabilities, expanding the ability to identify a broader range of high-risk submissions earlier in the publishing process. As part of this expansion, Elsevier has acquired Clear Skies, a specialist provider of research misconduct detection services.

Research integrity is a growing challenge for publishers. This expansion reflects Elsevier's continued investment in research integrity, and its increased focus on the detection and prevention of malpractice and honest errors that need addressing. The acquisition of Clear Skies is one of several enablers of this work, and its Oversight tool will be integrated into Check Integrity.

Check Integrity combines Elsevier-developed capabilities, Clear Skies’ Oversight tool and other third-party tools within a single screening framework to remove problematic papers that do not comply with rigorous policies and standards in the pre-publication process. It now assesses submissions across a broader range of risk indicators, including manuscript text, citation patterns, author publication histories and collaboration networks. Expanded capabilities are already available to a number of journals, with plans to roll out to the complete portfolio over the coming months.

Laura Hassink, President of Journals at Elsevier, said: "Research integrity is central to the trust that authors, editors and readers place in the scholarly record. With rising submissions and increasingly sophisticated methods that are hard to detect by eye, it is vital that we have the tools to allow editors to focus on genuine, high value research. By expanding Check Integrity's capabilities and welcoming the expertise of the Clear Skies team, we can identify an extensive range of risks earlier and give our editors more time to focus on evaluating high-quality research."

Clear Skies provides research integrity services to publishers across the academic community, among others, and Elsevier is committed to ensuring that our joint customers can continue to benefit from that service. Clear Skies will continue to serve its existing customers, and Elsevier recognizes the important role it plays in helping those customers identify potential risks and protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Adam Day, Founder and CEO of Clear Skies, said: “Research integrity is a shared challenge that requires timely data, actionable insights and deep expertise. I’m delighted that Clear Skies is joining Elsevier and contributing to its continued efforts to strengthen research integrity and uphold the highest standards in publishing ethics.”

The acquisition builds on Elsevier’s extensive investment in safeguarding the quality, trust and integrity of scholarly publishing.

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 Foundationopens in new tab/window supports research and health partnerships around the world.

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