 | |
| Discipline | Biomedicine,life sciences |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Edited by | Tim Behrens[1] |
| Publication details | |
| History | 2012–present |
| Publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd[2] |
| Frequency | Continuous |
| Yes | |
| License | CC BY 3.0,CC BY 4.0, andCC0 |
| N/A (2024) | |
| Standard abbreviations ISO 4 (alt) · Bluebook (alt) NLM (alt) · MathSciNet (alt  ) | |
| ISO 4 | eLife |
| Indexing CODEN (alt) · JSTOR (alt) · LCCN (alt) MIAR · NLM (alt) · Scopus · W&L | |
| CODEN | ELIFA8 |
| ISSN | 2050-084X |
| OCLC no. | 813236730 |
| Links | |
eLife is a not-for-profit,peer-reviewed,open access,science publisher for thebiomedical andlife sciences. It was established at the end of 2012 by theHoward Hughes Medical Institute,Max Planck Society, andWellcome Trust, following a workshop held in 2010 at theJanelia Farm Research Campus. Together, these organizations provided the initial funding to support the business and publishing operations.[3] In 2016, the organizations committed US$26 million to continue publication of the journal.[4]
Editorial decisions are made largely by senior editors and members of the board of reviewing editors, all of whom are active scientists working in fields ranging fromhuman genetics andneuroscience tobiophysics,epidemiology, andecology.[5]
In October 2023,eLife controversially fired chief editorMichael Eisen for retweeingThe Onion piece satirizing Gazans and Hamas.[6]
eLife is anon-profit organisation, but for long-term sustainability of the service, the journal asks for anarticle processing charge of US$3,000 for papers accepted for publication.[7] This charge was reduced to US$2,000 in 2022 after the adoption of a new model without accept or reject decisions.[8] Authors with insufficient funding are eligible for a fee waiver.
The journal is abstracted and indexed inMedline,BIOSIS Previews,[9]Chemical Abstracts Service,[10]Science Citation Index Expanded,[9] andScopus.[11]According to theJournal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2023impact factor of 6.4.[12] The journal opposes the over-reliance on the impact factor by the scientific community.[13] In October 2024,Web of Science has put its indexation ofeLife in Science Citation Index Expanded on hold, citing the journal's recently-adopted publishing model as a reason for the suspension.[14]
In a 2015 interview, Howard Hughes Medical Institute then-PresidentRobert Tjian reflected oneLife and noted, "The other big thing is, we want to kill the journal impact factor. We tried to prevent people who do the impact factors from giving us one. They gave us one anyway a year earlier than they should have. Don't ask me what it is because I truly don't want to know and don't care."[15]
TheeLife Podcast is produced by BBC Radio presenter andUniversity of Cambridge consultant virologistChris Smith ofThe Naked Scientists.
Most research articles published in the journal include an "eLife digest", a non-technical summary of the research findings designed for a general audience. Since December 2014, the journal has been sharing a selection of the digests on the blog publishing platformMedium.[16] eLife also publishes commentary articles called "Insights", which are also written in plainer terms than the research article, but focus more on the context of the research.
Randy Schekman (the first editor-in-chief[17]) criticizedNature,Science andCell as "luxury journals" in 2013, comparing their low acceptance levels and high impact factors with high-end "fashion designers" who deliberately inflated demand for their brand due to scarcity. During the peer review process,eLife encourages the reviewers to discuss a manuscript and agree on a common recommendation.[18] At the time, the acceptance rate ofeLife was 15.4% (2015).[18]
In June 2018,eLife announced that it would try an innovative peer review model (for some 300 submissions) where the editorial decision to send a manuscript out for review is tantamount to offering publication to that manuscript, thereby putting the authors in control of publication after editorial screening has been passed.[19]
In December 2020,eLife announced a new "publish, then review" model of publishing; from July 2021 the journal will only review manuscripts already available aspreprints.[20]
On October 20, 2022,eLife announced, "From next year,eLife is eliminating accept/reject decisions after peer review, instead focusing on public reviews and assessments of preprints."[21][22] All papers invited for peer-review will be published on theeLife website as Reviewed Preprints, accompanied by aneLife assessment and public reviews.[21]
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TheBen Barres Spotlight Awards, established by eLife, embody a prestigious recognition that lauds exceptional scientific accomplishments within the fields ofbiology andmedicine, particularly highlighting contributions from historically marginalized spheres. This distinguished award not only spotlights researchers operating within resource-limited domains but also extends its scope to encompass neurodivergent trailblazers, signifying a pioneering stride towards all-encompassing inclusivity.[23] Honoring the legacy of the visionary AmericanneurobiologistBen Barres, atransgender scientist and impassioned advocate for scientific parity, these awards carry profound significance. Barres, a revered member of eLife's Board of Reviewing Editors, left an enduring imprint that continues to resonate.
The Ben Barres Spotlight Awards have been given each year since 2019. To qualify, applicants must be active researchers engaged in the life orbiomedical sciences at a university or another non-commercial research institute. Scientists at all career stages are invited to partake in this esteemed acknowledgment. Since the establishment of the prize, award recipients have astutely harnessed the provided resources to transcend scientific barriers, seize novel research avenues, and catalyze transformative trajectories in their scientific ventures, thus etching an indelible mark on the scientific tapestry.
Following the Oct 20, 2022 announcement of the new reviewing model, some editors (including former editor-in-chiefRandy Schekman) complained that the transition to the new model was too fast, and asked for compromise, threatening to resign if their concerns were not met.[24] Other editors expressed support for the new model, and suggested that the complaints came from a small minority.[25]
Michael Eisen (University of California, Berkeley) was theeditor-in-chief,[26][27] but was fired in October 2023 after tweeting a story byThe Onion with the headline: "Dying Gazans Criticized For Not Using Last Words To Condemn Hamas." Eisen said "The Onion speaks with more courage, insight and moral clarity than the leaders of every academic institution put together. I wish there were a @TheOnion university".[6] At least five ofeLife's editors resigned and other scientists said they would stop participating ineLife events in solidarity with Eisen. A petition letter was organised to protest against Eisen's firing. The petition, which was signed by over 2,000 scientists, academics and researchers, saideLife 's action is having a "chilling effect" on freedom of expression in academia.[28]
Deputy EditorsDetlef Weigel andTim Behrens were invited by the eLife Board of Directors to serve as co-Editors-in-Chief until the end of 2024.[29] Behrens is now the chief editor.[1]
In April 2017,eLife was one of the founding partners in theInitiative for Open Citations.[30]
