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European Association for the Study of the Liver logo

EASL Publication Guide

The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) is the leading European medical society for hepatology, founded in 1966 and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It publishes two peer-reviewed journals in partnership with Elsevier: the flagship Journal of Hepatology (est. 1985) and the fully open-access JHEP Reports (est. 2019).

Journals published: 2 - Journal of Hepatology (hybrid) and JHEP Reports (fully OA)
Open access options: Gold OA via JHEP Reports; hybrid OA option in Journal of Hepatology; Green self-archiving
APC range: ~$3,000 - $4,500 per article (JHEP Reports lists ~$4,110; check the current fee page)
Publishing partner: Elsevier (Journal of Hepatology since 2001)
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Founded: 1966, in Marburg, Germany - ~7,000 members from 112 countries today
Indexing: MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Science Citation Index Expanded
Website: easl.eu
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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 findingJournal 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 visibilityJHEP 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 resultsJHEP Reports - broader acceptance scope than the flagship while staying rigorously peer reviewed.
Want a free publication routeJournal 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

RouteWhat it costsNotes
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 HepatologyAPC set by Elsevier's per-journal price list (roughly 3,0003,000-4,500 tier; check before submitting)Makes your individual article OA in a subscription journal
Subscription route - Journal of HepatologyFreeNo APC; readers need a subscription
Green OA (self-archiving)FreeAccepted 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Format your references in Vancouver style. SciSpace templates for EASL journals handle this automatically.
  4. Submit via Editorial Manager. Both journals use Elsevier's Editorial Manager system.
  5. 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.

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PUBLISHER COMPARISON

How European Association for the Study of the Liver compares

How EASL's small, high-impact hepatology portfolio compares on open-access routes, APCs, and editorial speed.

European Association for the Study of the Liver
European Association for the Study of the Liver logo
How EASL's small, high-impact hepatology portfolio compares on open-access routes, APCs, and editorial speed.
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD)
European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) logo
How EASD's publishing program compares on breadth, open-access routes, APCs, waivers and turnaround.
European Society of Cardiology
European Society of Cardiology logo
How the European Society of Cardiology journal family compares on breadth, open-access routes, APCs, waivers and turnaround.
American Gastroenterological Association
American Gastroenterological Association logo
How the AGA journal portfolio compares on breadth, open-access routes, APCs, waivers and turnaround.
Core Features
Best for
High-impact clinical and translational hepatology research
Diabetes, metabolism and endocrinology research - basic, translational and clinical
Clinical and basic cardiovascular research; ESC guideline-linked papers
High-impact clinical, translational, and basic GI & hepatology research
Typical APC (OA)
~$3,000 - $4,500 (JHEP Reports lists ~$4,110)
~$4,990 (Diabetologia Open Choice, 2026)
~$3,000 - $5,000 (EHJ Open ~$3,625)
~$2,060 - $3,800
LMIC fee waivers
Handled under Elsevier's waiver program (Research4Life countries) - confirm per journal
Via Springer Nature's standard APC waiver and discount program for Diabetologia
Yes - partial or full APC waivers via OUP's developing-countries policy
Elsevier waiver policy applies; Gastro Hep Advances runs an APC waiver program
Read & Publish deals coverage
Covered by many Elsevier transformative agreements - check your library
Broad - Diabetologia is included in Springer Nature agreements in dozens of countries
Broad - covered by OUP's growing Read & Publish agreement portfolio
Covered via Elsevier's transformative agreements - check your library
Free / subscription (non-OA option)
Yes - Journal of Hepatology accepts subscription-route articles at no charge
Yes - Diabetologia is hybrid; no submission fees or page charges for the subscription route
Yes - standard licence at no charge on hybrid titles (e.g., EHJ, Cardiovascular Research)
Yes - Gastroenterology and CGH remain subscription journals with hybrid OA
Breadth of titles
2 journals - deliberately focused on liver disease
2 journals - flagship Diabetologia plus fully-OA Metabologia
18 journals, all cardiovascular medicine and science
5 journals - one flagship, one clinical, one basic-science, one endoscopy, one broad OA
Cheapest realistic OA route
JHEP Reports (Gold OA); Green self-archiving is free
Institutional read-and-publish coverage of Diabetologia (fee fully covered); otherwise Metabologia - check its current fee page
EHJ Open ~$3,625, minus 20% ESC-member discount
Gastro Hep Advances - fully OA at ~$2,200
Speed to first decision
Varies by article type; editorial triage is typically fast - see journal metrics pages
Not published; Diabetologia triages many papers editorially within weeks - check current author guidance
Varies by title; EHJ is highly selective - check each journal's stats page
Varies by title; Gastroenterology triages a large share editorially - see each journal's author page
KEY BRANDS

EASL Journal Family

EASL publishes two peer-reviewed hepatology journals with Elsevier; the flagship Journal of Hepatology is linked to its SciSpace journal page below.

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Faqs

European Association for the Study of the Liver FAQs

EASL, the European Association for the Study of the Liver, is Europe's leading medical society for hepatology. Founded in 1966 in Marburg, Germany, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, it has roughly 7,000 members from 112 countries, runs the annual EASL Congress, and publishes two journals with Elsevier.