New Elsevier Reference Modules in Life Sciences and Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology Now Available

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwired - November 02, 2016) - Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the availability of its two newest Reference Modules, Reference Module in Life Sciences and Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. Each provides researchers, clinicians, educators and students access to reference content updated as science progresses. The new Reference Modules are available now on ScienceDirect, Elsevier's full-text scientific database offering journal articles and book chapters from more than 2,500 peer-reviewed journals and 35,000 book titles.

Elsevier's Reference Modules combine thousands of related reference work articles into one source of trustworthy information that is continually updated by experts. The new Reference Modules include:

• Content from Elsevier's authoritative, peer-reviewed reference works
• Articles that are continuously reviewed, updated as needed and then date stamped with oversight by the expert editorial board
• 400 updated and 15 newly commissioned articles available immediately only in the Reference Module in Life Sciences, with 300 newly commissioned articles expected in the next few years
• 307 updated and 15 newly commissioned articles available immediately only in the Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology, with 250 newly commissioned articles anticipated in the next few years
• Intuitive subject hierarchies, designed by the editorial board, that make it easy to navigate the module and find essential information
• Full integration on ScienceDirect with no DRM restrictions and linking to relevant journal articles and book chapters for additional related information

"Biochemists, biologists, geneticists, biotechnologists, immunologists, neuroscientists and psychologists will benefit with access to the most up-to-date essential content that in the past was unavailable during the lengthy publishing process," said Theresa Hunt, Elsevier Vice President of Marketing. "Librarians, under increasing pressure to stretch budgets further and secure content that contributes to cutting-edge research and learning, find high value in the Reference Modules' continuous reviews and updates led by expert editorial boards."

The Reference Module in Life Sciences is designed to help researchers access the up-to-date content necessary to improve outcomes. Subjects in the new module include biochemistry and molecular biology; bioinformatics and biological science tools; biophysics; biotechnology; cell biology and genetics; developmental biology; evolution and ecology; comparative immunology; microbiology; mycology; plant biology and animal physiology and biology. It includes more than 2,500 articles, with content from 13 of Elsevier's comprehensive reference works.

The expert editorial board for the Reference Module in Life Sciences built the subject hierarchy, curated the content, oversaw the review of content, and continues to ensure the content is current and complete for biomedical researchers:

• Bernard Roitberg, Simon Fraser University, Department of Biological Sciences, North Vancouver, BC, Canada - Editor in Chief
• Ilio Vitale, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Department of Biology, Rome, Italy
• Shoba Ranganathan, Macquiare University, Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, Sydney, Australia
• Huan-Xiang Zhou, Florida State University, Department of Physics and Institute of Molecular Biophysics, Tallahassee, FL, USA
• Susan Sharfstein, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, Albany, NY 12203, USA
• Francesca Pentimalli, Oncology Research Center of Mercogliano (CROM), Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale" - IRCCS, Naples, Italy
• Antonio Giordano, Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Center for Biotechnology, College of Science and Technology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
• Deborah Yelon, UC San Diego, Division of Biological Sciences, Cell and Developmental Biology, La Jolla, California, CA, USA
• Brian Dixon, University of Waterloo, Department of Biology, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
• Paul Cotter, APC Microbiome Institute, Cork Institute of Technology, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland
• Oscar Zaragoza Hernandez, National Centre for Microbiology, The Institute of Health III, Madrid, Spain
• Sharman O'Neill, UC Davis, College of Biological Sciences, Department of Plant Biology, Davis, CA, USA
• Kenneth Wilson, University of Lancaster, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster, UK

"In our era science progresses so fast that, by the time a manuscript or a book comes out in print, it runs the risk of being already outdated," said Dr. Pentimalli, Reference Module subject editor for Cell Biology and Genetics. "The Reference Module tackles this flaw because it is conceived to provide continuously updated and authoritative content: authors have the chance to keep their article current by periodical addition of the latest information, whereas readers, on the other side, can rely on a trustworthy source of reference material covering a wide range of topics in an easily accessible way."

Dr. Giordano, Reference Module subject editor for Cell Biology and Genetics, explained, "Life sciences include many different but interconnected disciplines. To progress, research needs to consider the whole of things analyzing all their possible aspects through different technical tools. We, as scientists, tend to specialize more and more into narrow fields but the Reference Module in Life Science now gives us the chance to better view 'the big picture.' Thanks to this innovative publishing strategy, both specialists and non-specialists can access life sciences through different perspectives and easily find reliable sources of updated and authoritative material through well designed hierarchies of topics, which lead readers to both general overviews and detailed chapters satisfying all possible needs of information."

"The Reference Module is the perfect way for beginning graduate students and practicing scientists alike to keep abreast of basic knowledge in our time of rapid expansion of new knowledge and cross-fertilization between disciplines," asserted Dr. Zhou, Reference Module subject editor for Biophysics. "Biophysics epitomizes these current trends. The areas in which biophysicists are working are so diverse, no single person can be familiar with all of them. The articles in the Reference Module, written by experts at an introductory level and updated regularly, will be an invaluable resource."

According to Dr. Oscar Zaragoza Hernandez, Reference Module subject editor for Mycology, "Research changes our knowledge every day, so we need new ways to communicate scientific advances. Furthermore, regular scientific articles are often difficult to understand for non-specialized readers. Elsevier Reference Modules offer a unique framework where current and relevant topics in Life Sciences are reviewed and periodically updated by experts in the field, with the aim that general public can learn them most relevant concepts in Biology."

The Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology provides access to interdisciplinary subjects including behavioral neuroscience; mental health; the human brain; clinical psychology; psychotherapy; applied psychology; infant and early childhood development; movement disorders; and sleep. It includes more than 3,200 articles with content from 19 Elsevier reference works.

The expert editorial board for the Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology built the subject hierarchy, curated the content, oversaw the review of content, and continues to ensure the content is updated and complete for neuroscience and biobehavioral researchers:

• John Stein, University of Oxford, UK - Editor in Chief
• Robin Dunbar, University of Oxford, UK
• Clive Coen, King's College London, UK
• John Morris, University of Oxford, UK
• Guy Goodwin, University of Oxford, UK
• Edward Mann, University of Oxford, UK
• Masud Hussein, University of Oxford, UK
• John Stein, University of Oxford, UK
• Edmund T. Rolls, Oxford Centre for Computational Neuroscience, UK
• Jeremy Taylor, University of Oxford, UK
• Vincent Walsh, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, UCL, UK

"I am honoured to be assisting Elsevier by helping to edit their exciting new initiative, a Reference Module in Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Psychology," declared Dr. Stein. "It will be taking full advantage of the latest developments in information technology -- a 'virtual' encyclopaedia', or 'Neuropaedia', consisting of over 3000 articles. These will provide an authoritative but highly flexible online source of information on Neuroscience which will be cross referenced and regularly updated by experts. Unlike conventional encyclopaedias, dictionaries or text books the articles will not be published in print form, but will be comprehensively searchable on line, either using key words or from a hierarchical table of contents. Each article will be regularly updated, in order to respond to the very latest advances, quality assured by experts in the field. Although divided into Sections, it will be easy to link to relevant articles in other sections e.g., from genetic lineage in 'Evolution' to genetic analysis in 'Techniques.'"

"In the contemporary world, where we are deluged with journal papers, it is all but impossible to keep up with crucial developments in closely related areas of science -- something that I find increasingly essential to my research as science becomes ever more interdisciplinary," said Dr. Dunbar, Reference Module subject editor for Evolution of the Human Brain. "The value of this volume is precisely that it provides short, authoritative summaries that are regularly updated."

Dr. Morris, Reference Module subject editor for Neuroanatomy, noted, "The human brain is arguably one of the most complex biological structures in existence. Whereas in the past our lack of knowledge was characterised by naming parts 'silent' or 'association' areas, it is gradually beginning to yield up its secrets thanks to the application of numerous different investigative techniques. However, the plethora of new information requires both constant updating and also organising into a readily searchable database. That ambitious aim is exactly what the Reference Module in Neuroscience seeks to achieve."

"The new Reference Module for Neuroscience is of particular significance for clinical psychiatry and psychology," added Dr. Goodwin, Reference Module subject editor for Psychiatry. "Mental illness remains poorly understood, badly treated and the butt for continuing stigma. The solutions lie in harnessing neuroscience to the service of clinical psychiatry. Only science can give us reliable knowledge and only neuroscientists can bring that knowledge to bear on clinical problems. While our patients and their families can only wait and hope, the Reference Module makes the right digital connections for synergies to be discovered and developed now."

Other Elsevier Reference Modules available to researchers, educators and students are Chemistry, Molecular Sciences and Chemical Engineering; Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences; Biomedical Sciences; Food Science; and Materials Science and Materials Engineering.

About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of information solutions that enhance the performance of science, health, and technology professionals, empowering them to make better decisions, deliver better care, and sometimes make groundbreaking discoveries that advance the boundaries of knowledge and human progress. Elsevier provides web-based, digital solutions -- among them ScienceDirect, Scopus, Research Intelligence and ClinicalKey -- and publishes over 2,500 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and more than 35,000 book titles, including a number of iconic reference works. Elsevier is part of RELX Group, a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.elsevier.com

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