What is the Recommendations service?
Last updated on March 02, 2026
The Recommendations service finds research on ScienceDirect that is directly related to the content you've recently viewed on the platform while signed in. These suggestions are then emailed to you on a weekly basis, or you can view a list of recommended articles on ScienceDirect. Often, these recommendations are for research you may not have previously considered, opening the door to new paths of inquiry and collaboration.
Recommendations is powered by an adaptive algorithm that uses your signed-in activity on ScienceDirect to understand your research interests. It then searches the ScienceDirect database to find related content. The most relevant 3-5 pieces of research are emailed to you on a weekly basis. You can also visit your ScienceDirect profile at any time to view a longer version of that list, which is refreshed each time you visit.
Select one of the topics below to learn more:
If you don't have a personal Elsevier account, creating an account will automatically sign you up to the Recommendations service.
If you do have a personal Elsevier account, follow these steps to sign up for Recommendations:
- Sign in to ScienceDirect.
- Select your username at the top of the navigation bar.
- Select 'My recommendations'.
- On the My recommendations page, select 'Preferences'.
- Set the On/Off switch to 'On'.
Note: It's important that you always sign in when using ScienceDirect so that we can understand your interests and ensure the recommendations you receive are tailored to your needs.
Recommendations will be emailed to you weekly.
Note: We will only email you if we have relevant recommendations for you based on your recent ScienceDirect activity.
The recommendations we send you could include newly-published content that you have yet to discover. They also offer the opportunity to expand the scope of your current research by uncovering relevant content in neighboring fields, introducing you to new authors (and potent collaborators), and sparking new lines of inquiry.
When you receive a Recommendations email:
- Review the list of articles, including the journal/book and author information.
- Select an article link to retrieve the full-text or abstract content in ScienceDirect for your review or download.
Note: If your ScienceDirect access is linked to the IP address of your institution, use the remote access feature when you are outside your institution’s IP range.
To review the recommendations waiting for you on ScienceDirect
- Select your username in the top navigation bar.
- Select ‘My recommendations’.
- On the My recommendations page, select 'Full list'.
- Select an article link to review or download the full-text or abstract content in ScienceDirect.
To download your recommendations in .CSV format, select ‘Download recommendations as .CSV’ at the top of the page.
Stay signed in to ScienceDirect! We create your personalized recommendations based on your recent signed-in ScienceDirect research activity.
If you no longer want to receive emails from Recommendations, you can unsubscribe at any time. There are two options.
How
Email:
An 'unsubscribe' link is available in the Recommendations email you receive. Select that link and follow the instructions.
OR
Online:
- Sign in to ScienceDirect.
- Select your username in the top navigation bar.
- Select 'My recommendations'.
- On the My recommendations page, select 'Preferences'.
- Set the On/Off switch to 'Off'.
Note: You can re-subscribe to personalized recommendations at any time by setting the On/Off switch to ‘On’.
At Elsevier, we recognize that the proper handling of personal data is very important. We also know that usage data can be leveraged to deliver tremendous value to our users. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy or check our Privacy Center.
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