Elsevier acquires Clear Skies to strengthen research integrity screening
Elsevier has acquired research misconduct detection specialist Clear Skies as part of an expansion of its research integrity capabilities, aimed at identifying potentially problematic manuscripts earlier in the publishing process.
The acquisition will see Clear Skies’ Oversight tool integrated into Elsevier’s Check Integrity screening framework, extending its ability to detect a broader range of risks before publication.
Check Integrity combines Elsevier-developed technology with third-party tools to screen submissions for potential breaches of publishing policies and standards. The expanded system assesses manuscripts against a range of indicators, including text, citation patterns, author publication histories and collaboration networks.
The enhanced capabilities are already available to a number of Elsevier journals, with a wider rollout across its portfolio planned over the coming months.
The move comes amid growing concerns across scholarly publishing about research misconduct, including paper mills, manipulated citations and increasingly sophisticated forms of publication fraud.
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, founded by Adam Day, provides research integrity detection services to academic publishers and other organisations. Its Oversight platform analyses patterns in scholarly publishing data to identify potential indicators of misconduct.
Elsevier said Clear Skies would continue to serve its existing customers following the acquisition, maintaining access to its research integrity services for publishers beyond Elsevier’s own portfolio.
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 forms part of Elsevier’s wider investment in research integrity technology, reflecting the increasing emphasis publishers are placing on automated screening and early intervention to protect the scholarly record.