Elsevier

Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.

Modern company

Founded in Rotterdam in 1880, the modern company took its name (in modernised form) from the historic House of Elzevir. Leading products include journals such as The Lancet, Cell and Tetrahedron Letters, books like Gray's Anatomy and the ScienceDirect collection of electronic journals. Others include the Trends series, and the Current Opinion series.

Related Topics:
Rotterdam - 1880 - The Lancet - Cell - Gray's Anatomy - ScienceDirect - Trends - Current Opinion

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In recent years the company has posted impressive profits but has come under fire for charging high subscription rates for its publications. Some scientific journals cost as much as $5,000 per year, which far exceeds the typical rates charged by non-profit learned societies. As a result, Elsevier's has become a target of criticism from advocates of a switch to the so-called open-access publication model.

Related Topics:
Subscription - Learned societies - Open-access

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