Elsevier Video Abstract Requirements

Elsevier treats author videos as part of its media workflow for articles. In the official author guidance, video can be included in the article body or submitted as supplementary multimedia, provided it is properly labeled and referenced in the manuscript.

Elsevier's media specifications list MP4 with H.264 + AAC as the preferred video format. The guidance gives a 5-minute maximum duration, a minimum frame rate of 15 FPS, and a recommended upper size limit of 150 MB for easier download. Elsevier also asks authors to supply a representative still image for each video file.

Elsevier's official pages do not define one universal subtitle rule in the same way some publishers do, but adding captions remains a sensible best practice for accessibility and reviewer comprehension.

Elsevier's official guidance is to refer to the multimedia in the manuscript text and upload it as article media or supplementary content, depending on the journal's workflow. Because individual journals can add local instructions on top of Elsevier's general media policy, always confirm the journal-specific author guide before you submit.

Elsevier's official author-facing content on abstract-style visuals says these summaries increase utility and readership, help readers decide whether to read the full study, and can ensure more usage by opening the work up to new audiences. Elsevier's own author tools page goes one step further for graphical abstracts specifically, stating that the average annual use of an article is doubled when compared with articles without a visual abstract. Because that figure is published for graphical abstracts rather than video abstracts, it should be treated as adjacent evidence for abstract-style visuals, not as a guaranteed video-abstract uplift.

SciReel generates an MP4 video abstract plus transcript and subtitle assets, which gives you a strong starting point for Elsevier's media workflow. The output is already organized around the article's core claims, so it is easier to adapt it into a concise publisher-facing summary before final submission.