Elsevier Launches LeapSpace: an AI-Assisted Workspace to Accelerate Research and Discovery

84% of researchers say they have used AI tools in their work[1] but only 22% trust existing tools[2]. Designed with thousands of researchers, LeapSpace builds on the success of ScienceDirect AI and Scopus AI, bringing together the broadest collection of peer-reviewed scientific content and responsible AI. It includes innovative Trust Cards, a foundational capability which provides context and transparency into every result, supporting critical thinking and helping researchers calibrate the strength of the evidence.

84% of researchers say they have used AI tools in their work^[1] but only 22% trust existing tools^[2]. Designed with thousands of researchers, LeapSpace builds on the success of ScienceDirect AI and Scopus AI, bringing together the broadest collection of peer-reviewed scientific content and responsible AI. It includes innovative Trust Cards, a foundational capability which provides context and transparency into every result, supporting critical thinking and helping researchers calibrate the strength of the evidence.

"LeapSpace enables researchers to move from curiosity to discovery without leaving trusted ground," said Judy Verses, President, Academic and Government, Elsevier. "By combining an unparalleled body of peer-reviewed research with responsible AI, we're supporting the research community to build on the strongest foundations of trusted knowledge to advance human progress."   

A trusted foundation for scientific progress

Unlike general-purpose AI tools that typically rely on unverified web data, LeapSpace draws only from the world's most trusted scientific content. It already includes the largest collection of research abstracts as well as millions of peer-reviewed full-text articles and books from Elsevier and other leading scientific publishers and societies, which will continually expand. Our vision is to enable researchers to build on the strongest foundations of trusted knowledge, harnessing the power of responsible AI, to advance progress.

A growing content set that already includes: 

An independent Advisory Board will oversee LeapSpace's transparency, ensuring its algorithms remain explainable and publisher-neutral.  

Purpose-Built for Researchers  

LeapSpace is designed specifically for researchers to help them carry out multiple tasks in one secure environment so they can achieve better outcomes, faster, with confidence. 

Key features include: 

Advanced AI, Grounded in Human Expertise  

LeapSpace combines agentic AI, generative AI, reasoning engines, and retrieval-augmented generation to support a wide range of research workflows — from literature analysis to hypothesis generation and data exploration.  Every feature reflects Elsevier's Responsible AI Principles, emphasizing transparency, explainability, and human oversight. Researchers have full visibility into how results are generated.  

Developed with the Research Community 

Thousands of researchers from 300+ institutions in 64 countries participated in the development and testing of LeapSpace. Early users report that it saves significant time, improves research design, uncovers missed insights and deepens analysis — becoming a daily starting point for key tasks across the researcher workflow. 

Cara O'Neill MD, FAAP, Chief Science Officer, Cure Sanfilippo Foundation, said: "Rare disease research is limited by the small number of experts focused on each disease, Sanfilippo syndrome being no exception. We rely on connections and learnings across multiple disciplines to bridge gaps in direct evidence. Synthesizing vast amounts of often disparate information is a challenge. In my early experience with LeapSpace, I've been impressed with how it's able to address these challenges while providing confidence in the accuracy and rigor of its outputs."

Availability 

LeapSpace is available today for institutions to preview – to learn more, visit here. Existing and new ScienceDirect AI customers will be automatically upgraded to LeapSpace when it becomes commercially available in Q1 2026. 

Notes to Editors

¹, ² The Researcher of the Future Report (2025): https://www.elsevier.com/insights/confidence-in-research/researcher-of-the-future.

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 do this by delivering mission-critical insights and innovative solutions that combine trusted, evidence-based scientific and medical content with cutting-edge AI technologies to help impact makers achieve better outcomes. We champion inclusion and sustainability by embedding these values into our products and culture, 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.  

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