Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
Last updated
Scopus AI is Elsevier’s generative-AI search tool inside Scopus. You type a research question in natural language and it returns a referenced summary drawn from Scopus content. It is part of the paid Scopus license, so access normally comes through an institution. This page lists what each panel does, what is and is not in scope, and how the tool’s own documentation says to use its output. Facts below were read from Elsevier’s pages on 2026-11-07.
What Scopus AI is
Elsevier describes Scopus AI as a generative AI tool that answers natural-language questions using peer-reviewed content in Scopus. Each query returns a Topic summary and an Expanded summary, with references and a relevance confidence indication (Elsevier, Scopus AI product page). Elsevier’s own wording is that it is “designed to be a guide, not an absolute source of truth.”
Behind the interface, a copilot query tool decides whether to run a vector search, a keyword search or both, and shows its steps on screen. If no relevant papers are found, the tool is meant to say so rather than answer anyway. Elsevier also offers Scopus AI Deep Research, an agentic mode that builds a research plan, searches Scopus and delivers findings in a downloadable report.
Who runs it and what it covers
Scopus and Scopus AI are Elsevier products. The product page says the tool draws on Scopus metadata, abstracts and author profiles.
| Scope item | What Elsevier states |
|---|---|
| Document types used in summaries | Articles, books, book chapters, conference papers, reports, reviews, short surveys, data papers. Conference Reviews and Errata are excluded. |
| Years and publishers | Summaries focus on documents from 2003 onward; 7,000+ publishers. |
| Retracted work | Steps are taken to exclude retracted articles. |
| Language | Queries can be in any language; the copilot translates non-English queries to English and corrects spelling. Responses are in English. |
| Emerging themes | Built from documents of the last two years (Elsevier Scopus library guide). |
| Result cap | The product-page description gives summaries of up to 10 and expanded summaries of up to 20 results; the library guide says results are capped at 30 documents. Treat the cap as something Elsevier changes. |
Access: the product page refers to “the paid Scopus license” and routes institutions to a “Contact us” form. Neither page lists a price or free tier, so a free personal version is not documented there.
How to find and use it
The Elsevier library guide to Scopus AI (elsevier.libguides.com/Scopus/ScopusAI) gives these steps:
- On the Scopus homepage, select the Scopus AI tab. This is also where to find the sign-in; there is no separate address to look for.
- Type a natural-language query, in any language.
- Press Enter or click the arrow icon.
- Read the Summary, then open the Expanded summary for more.
- Use Go deeper (three suggested follow-up questions) or type a conversational follow-up.
- Check the references behind each statement and open the underlying papers.
What each panel does
- Concept map: built from abstract keywords, to explore the topic’s structure.
- Foundational documents: high-impact papers cited by the papers used in the summaries.
- Meet the experts: active authors drawn from Scopus author profiles.
- Emerging themes: themes labelled established, rising or novel, with mini-summaries, references and suggested hypotheses.
- Conversation history: conversations can be renamed or deleted, and a temporary conversation mode exists. A mobile version syncs with desktop.
Scopus AI is separate from the programmatic interface; for data pipelines see using the Scopus API.
Strengths and limits
Strengths documented by Elsevier
- Every summary carries references, so claims can be traced to Scopus records.
- Foundational documents and the concept map help orient someone new to a field.
- The steps taken by the query tool are displayed rather than hidden.
Limits documented by Elsevier
- It is a guide, not a source of truth; human oversight is required.
- It does not currently support versioning, so the same question can produce different summaries over time. Record the date of any query you rely on.
- Cite the underlying papers, not the AI summary. Generative AI cannot be listed or cited as an author.
- Coverage is bounded by the scope table above (2003 onward, listed document types).
Data handling
Elsevier states that standard-mode conversation history is kept until the contract ends or deletion is requested, that Temporary Mode keeps conversations for up to 30 days, and that the tool uses OpenAI ChatGPT hosted on Microsoft Azure with queries not stored or used for training. Check your institution’s policy before entering unpublished or sensitive material.
Alternatives and related tools
Scopus AI is one of several discovery layers over a bibliographic index. For an open-data alternative to a licensed index, see what OpenAlex is used for in research assessment and discovery. Compare any tool on the same terms used above: which index it searches, which years and document types it includes, what it records about its own method, and whether access requires a license.
FAQ
What is Scopus AI?
A generative-AI search feature in Scopus, run by Elsevier, that returns referenced summaries of Scopus content in answer to natural-language questions.
Is Scopus AI free?
Elsevier’s product page refers to the paid Scopus license and directs institutions to contact Elsevier. It lists no free tier. Ask your library whether your institution subscribes.
Where do I sign in to Scopus AI?
Through the Scopus AI tab on the Scopus homepage, with your institutional or Scopus credentials.
Is there a Scopus AI app?
The Elsevier library guide states that a mobile version syncs with the desktop version.
What is Scopus AI Deep Research?
An agentic mode that builds a research plan, searches Scopus and returns findings as a downloadable report.
Can I cite Scopus AI output?
Elsevier advises citing the underlying papers rather than the summary, and states that generative AI cannot be listed as an author.
