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When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.

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Why do researchers choose PLOS Biology?

A leading journal in the field and a leader in Open Access, we empower authors to publish the full arc of their research without compromising quality. We continue to create new offerings that reflect the process of scientific inquiry and enable researchers to more fully and accurately represent their science.

So what’s new?

Explore our latest updates and offerings

We’re redefining quality based on the research question, not just results

Discovery begins with interesting questions, and at PLOS Biology, we believe scientific publication should reflect this. We’ve shifted the focus of our initial editorial assessment from the importance of the final results and increased the emphasis on the research question, the methodological approach, and the quality of the execution. We hope this helps to ensure that PLOS Biology published the most impactful, rigorous research—even in cases where the results are negative.

We offer scooping protection that preserves the impact of your work

At PLOS Biology, we offer a six-month policy for complementary or "scooped" studies. The policy protects any primary research study from being considered scooped by closely related studies publishes in other journals, or from posted preprints, after the date of submission. This policy also applies retroactively for up to six months prior to the date of submission to the journal.

We’ve added new article types that contextualize the research process

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With linked publications, PLOS Biology offers the opportunity to evaluate and share work in a way that more closely mirrors the real-world research process.

How it Works:

Together, the Discovery Report and successive Update Articles create a comprehensive research story. 

  1. Linked publication begins with a Discovery Report, a brief, early research output reporting the promising results of early experiments.
  2. As investigation progresses, authors and other research groups can augment the Discovery Report with Update Articles*, further clarifying the study and adding mechanistic detail or other new insight.

Best for: Authors looking to share earlier and publish findings as their work progresses.


*Update Articles are now offered for all primary research, including Research Articles, Short Reports, Discovery Reports, Methods & Resources Articles, Meta-Research Articles, and Pre-Registered Research Articles.

Preregistration is an optional first step toward publishing a research article in PLOS Biology and is offered across the full scope of the journal.

How it Works:

A single research article written and peer-reviewed in two stages:

  1. Authors submit a Stage 1 protocol including the hypothesis, methodology materials, and methods sections. Approved protocols are accepted in-principle on the condition the study is executed as approved.
  2. Once the study is complete, the authors add the results and discussion to their approved Stage 1 protocol to create a single, integrated Preregistered Research Article.

Best for: Authors looking to increase the credibility and reproducibility of their work.

 

Questions or comments? Email us at plosbiology@plos.org

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