Publication Guide
The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) is Europe's leading medical society for liver disease, founded in 1966 in Marburg, Germany, and now headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, with roughly 7,000 members from 112 countries. Unlike large commercial publishers, EASL runs a deliberately small portfolio: two peer-reviewed journals, both published in partnership with Elsevier. The flagship Journal of Hepatology (established 1985) is one of the highest-impact venues in gastroenterology and hepatology, and JHEP Reports (launched 2019) is its fully open-access sister title. If your research concerns the liver - from viral hepatitis and MASLD to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and transplantation - these two journals are among the most visible places in the world to publish it.
Which EASL journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this route |
|---|---|
| Have a high-impact clinical trial, large cohort study, or major translational finding | Journal of Hepatology - the flagship, with a 2024 Journal Impact Factor of about 33. Very selective; hybrid, so you can publish via subscription at no cost or pay for open access. |
| Need Gold open access (funder mandate) with strong hepatology visibility | JHEP Reports - fully open access under CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND, with a listed APC of about $4,110 (check the current fee page). |
| Have solid but narrower work - single-centre studies, methods, negative results | JHEP Reports - broader acceptance scope than the flagship while staying rigorously peer reviewed. |
| Want a free publication route | Journal of Hepatology (subscription route) - no page or submission charges; you can also self-archive your accepted manuscript (Green OA). |
What EASL publishes
- Journal of Hepatology - EASL's flagship, published monthly in English since 1985 and by Elsevier since 2001. It covers the full spectrum of hepatology: viral hepatitis, steatotic liver disease, autoimmune and cholestatic disease, cirrhosis and portal hypertension, hepatocellular carcinoma, and transplantation. It also carries the influential EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines. Indexed in MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Science Citation Index Expanded; the 2024 Journal Impact Factor is about 33.
- JHEP Reports - launched in 2019 as EASL's fully open-access journal, publishing original research, reviews, and case-based content across clinical and basic hepatology. Articles appear under CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND licenses.
EASL itself is best known beyond publishing for the annual EASL Congress (the International Liver Congress), which draws more than 9,000 delegates.
Open access and APCs
| Route | What it costs | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Gold OA - JHEP Reports | ~$4,110 APC (listed in DOAJ; confirm on the journal's fee page) | CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND license |
| Hybrid OA - Journal of Hepatology | APC set by Elsevier's per-journal price list (roughly 4,500 tier; check before submitting) | Makes your individual article OA in a subscription journal |
| Subscription route - Journal of Hepatology | Free | No APC; readers need a subscription |
| Green OA (self-archiving) | Free | Accepted manuscripts can be self-archived under Elsevier's sharing policy, with a per-title embargo |
Because both journals are published on Elsevier's platform, authors at institutions with an Elsevier transformative (read-and-publish) agreement may have OA fees covered - check your library or the ESAC registry. Waiver requests for authors in low- and middle-income countries follow Elsevier's Research4Life-based program; confirm eligibility with the journal office.
Peer review
Both journals use single-anonymized peer review: reviewers know the authors' identities, but not vice versa. The Journal of Hepatology is highly selective, with editorial triage before external review, so unsuitable manuscripts are returned quickly. JHEP Reports applies the same standards with a somewhat broader scope. Both journals follow ICMJE recommendations and COPE guidance on publication ethics.
How to submit
- Pick the journal. Flagship-level clinical or translational impact goes to the Journal of Hepatology; funder-mandated Gold OA or broader-scope work goes to JHEP Reports.
- Read the Guide for Authors. Each journal has its own author guide on the Elsevier journal pages, covering article types, word limits, and figure specifications.
- Format your references in Vancouver style. SciSpace templates for EASL journals handle this automatically.
- Submit via Editorial Manager. Both journals use Elsevier's Editorial Manager system.
- After acceptance, choose your access route (subscription or OA in the flagship; OA license choice in JHEP Reports) and complete the rights forms.
Ethics and integrity
EASL's journals operate under COPE-aligned publication-ethics policies through Elsevier, follow ICMJE authorship and disclosure standards, and require registration of clinical trials. Conflicts of interest must be declared for all authors, and EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines carry their own strict disclosure rules.
Why publish with EASL?
A society publisher with only two titles offers something the mega-publishers cannot: every paper sits in front of exactly the right audience. The Journal of Hepatology is where EASL's Clinical Practice Guidelines live, and publication there places your work directly in the reference stream of European and global hepatology practice. Surplus from EASL activities is reinvested into fellowships, schools, and the International Liver Congress rather than distributed to shareholders.









