Is elsevier.com legit?

85
/ 100
Trusted
Industry: Education

Elsevier.com is a trusted and well-established website, demonstrating strong online security and a long operational history. While it has a high number of external scripts and a missing legal page, these are minor concerns for an otherwise robust platform.

Education average: 81/100 · based on 35 sites

Checked: April 18, 2026 at 8:04 AM UTC · Refresh

Is elsevier.com a scam? Here's what we found.

Security 85/100

The site benefits from a valid SSL certificate issued by Amazon, uses modern TLS 1.2, enforces HTTPS via HSTS, and has a Content Security Policy. Google Web Risk confirms no threats. The only concern is the high number of external scripts, which can increase vulnerability.

Identity 95/100

With a domain aged over 32 years, Elsevier.com projects a strong, established identity. The WHOIS information is public and consistent with a legitimate, long-standing organization.

Reputation 90/100

Elsevier.com holds a high Tranco Rank, indicating significant and recognized web traffic. It is clean on DNS blacklists and has robust branding, signifying a reputable and well-maintained online presence.

Transparency 85/100

The site provides clear contact information and links to multiple social media platforms, indicating a willingness to engage publicly. The complete branding also contributes to a transparent and professional appearance.

Compliance 80/100

The primary compliance gap is the partial legal pages, specifically the absence of either a privacy policy or terms of service. For a site of this stature, having all legal documentation readily available is expected.

Infrastructure 90/100

The infrastructure is well-configured with proper DNS resolution, email authentication via SPF and DMARC, and a responsive web server hosted on Cloudflare. The presence of a robots.txt file and fast page load times contribute to a robust technical foundation.

Signals Detected

[+]
Tranco Rank: Rank #1445

This is a well-known, high-traffic website

[+]
Structured Data: Found

Site uses structured data identifying itself as: WebSite

[?]
Trustpilot: No Trustpilot profile

This business has no Trustpilot presence — not unusual for smaller or newer companies

[+]
Domain Age: 32 years, 3 months

Domain created 1993-07-02T04:00:00Z (32 years, 3 months ago)

[?]
Registrar: SafeNames Ltd.

Registered through SafeNames Ltd.

[+]
Domain Expiry: 2031-07-01T04:00:00Z

Expires in 1899 days

[+]
DNSSEC: unsigned

DNSSEC status from WHOIS

[~]
External Scripts: 17 scripts

Excessive number of external scripts — may indicate malicious injection

[+]
robots.txt: Present

robots.txt has 17 directives and references a sitemap

[+]
SSL Certificate: Valid

Valid certificate, expires in 299 days

[?]
Certificate Issuer: Amazon

Certificate issued by Amazon

[+]
TLS Version: TLS 1.2

Connection uses TLS 1.2

[+]
HSTS Header: Present

Site enforces HTTPS via HSTS

[+]
Content Security Policy: Present

Site has Content Security Policy configured

[?]
Server: cloudflare

Web server: cloudflare

[+]
Google Web Risk: Clean

No threats detected by Google Web Risk

[+]
Branding: Complete

Site has custom branding and social media metadata

[+]
DNS Blacklists: Clean

Not found on any DNS blacklists

[?]
Sitemap: Not found

No sitemap found — common for smaller sites

[+]
DNS Resolution: 3 IP(s)

Resolves to: 52.212.180.87, 54.195.96.253, 34.243.46.252

[+]
Email (MX Records): 1 record(s)

Mail servers: elsevier-com.mail.protection.outlook.com.

[+]
SPF Record: Present

Domain has SPF email authentication configured

[+]
DMARC Record: Present

Domain has DMARC email authentication configured

[?]
Name Servers: 3 server(s)

DNS providers: ns3.reedelsevier.com., ns1.reedelsevier.com., ns2.reedelsevier.com.

[+]
Website Status: Online

Website is live and responding

[+]
Contact Info: Found

Website appears to have contact information

[~]
Legal Pages: Partial

Website is missing either privacy policy or terms of service

[+]
Social Media Presence: 5 platforms

Website links to multiple social media platforms

[?]
Web Archive: Unable to check

Could not query Wayback Machine

[?]
Certificate Transparency: Unable to check

Could not query certificate transparency logs

[+]
Page Load Time: 221ms

Fast page load

Embed This Badge

Own this site? Show visitors your trust score.

Trust badge for elsevier.com
<a href="https://verified.fyi/review/elsevier.com"><img src="https://verified.fyi/badge/elsevier.com?size=medium&style=full&theme=dark" alt="elsevier.com trust score — verified.fyi" /></a>
[![elsevier.com trust score](https://verified.fyi/badge/elsevier.com?size=medium&style=full&theme=dark)](https://verified.fyi/review/elsevier.com)

Stay Safe Online

Good habits to protect yourself, no matter the scan result.

Use a password manager

Never reuse passwords across sites.

Enable two-factor authentication

Add a second layer of security to your accounts.

Check before you buy

Always verify unfamiliar stores before entering payment info.

Elsevier.com is a staple in the academic and scientific publishing world. When evaluating its trustworthiness, it's crucial to look beyond just surface-level appearances and delve into the technical signals that speak to its operational integrity. For a leading research publisher, a long operational history is paramount, and Elsevier.com delivers with over 32 years online. This age is a strong indicator of stability and a well-established presence, far surpassing what one might see from newer, less reliable ventures in the educational sector. A key aspect for any academic resource is the security of user data and the content itself. Elsevier.com scores well here, implementing modern protocols like TLS 1.2 and HSTS, and crucially, it's flagged as 'clean' by Google Web Risk. This is vital for a site dealing with sensitive research and personal academic information. However, users should note the relatively high number of external scripts, which, while not inherently malicious, could increase the potential attack surface. What should someone specifically watch for with a site of this type? Beyond the technical data, ensure that direct interactions, such as journal submissions or payment processes, align with expected professional standards for academic institutions. The site's clear contact information and social media presence are positive, but the partial legal pages (missing either a privacy policy or terms of service) are a notable gap for an organization of this scale. A legitimate educational publisher would typically have these policies readily accessible to build maximum user trust and comply with global regulations.