What makes PLOS different from other publishers?
PLOS is a nonprofit and a leading Open Access publisher dedicated to empowering researchers to transform scientific communication and increase trust in science. Since our founding in 2001, PLOS journals have helped break boundaries in research communication to provide more opportunities, choice, and context for researchers and readers. Here’s how.
We simplify submission and publication
With PLOS, you can spend less time preparing for submission and more time doing science. At our community journals you can skip the formatting requirements until your manuscript is close to acceptance.
Our highly selective journals, PLOS Medicine and PLOS Biology take easy submission a step further, with format-free initial submission and a simplified submission form. Just upload your manuscript and cover letter to receive an initial editorial assessment within about a week.* Provide additional submission information only if your manuscript is selected for peer review, and format your manuscript only after minor revision.
All PLOS journals offer “scooping” protection under our Complementary Research policy. We understand that it’s not uncommon for two research groups working in parallel to achieve similar advances at around the same time.
And we see the value in reinforcing findings and increasing confidence through independent complementary results. Research will not be rejected for novelty if it is submitted within 6 months of the publication of a complementary article or preprint.
We also know that an efficient, high-quality publication process is important to you, so we’re constantly honing our internal processes to improve timings. On average, PLOS ONE takes just 12 days from submission to initial decision to reject or review, while time to first decision is 44 days, 6.3% faster than the year before, and 10% faster than 2018. Meanwhile on PLOS Biology, our median time to initial editorial decision was just 4 days in 2020, down from 6.5 days the year before.
*60% of research submissions receive an initial decision within 5 days, 80% within a week
We help maximize your impact
When you publish Open Access, your potential reach increases―and so does your citation potential. Broad visibility helps researchers, funders, policymakers and the general public discover your research. Our dedicated media team further amplifies your work. We collaborate with authors, institutions, science media centers and journalists to communicate your research to fellow scientists and society.
We put Open Science in your hands
When you choose to publish with PLOS, you’re choosing to open your research to anyone, anywhere in the world to read, cite, share and build upon. No embargos, no reader fees, no limits on accessibility.
Beyond that, you can choose to take advantage of Open Science options like facilitated preprint posting, signed and published peer review, preregistered research, or published protocols. Publish each advance as it occurs with linked Discovery Reports and Update Articles on PLOS Biology. Open your software and code with PLOS Computational Biology.
Or not. With PLOS, you decide how and when to communicate your science most effectively.
Your research fits in here
With a range of journals and editorial models, your research can find the perfect home at PLOS.
Broad scope Highly selective Impactful
Professional staff editors work collaboratively with editorial board members who are leaders in their fields to peer review and publish research reporting significant new advances as well as insightful frontmatter.
Community led Specialized
A deeply integrated community of experienced researchers peer review and publish research and editorial content that interest and inspire fellow scientists as well as policy experts and industry leaders in their particular disciplines.
Broad scope Quality driven
Editorial board members and peer reviewers ensure research from multi-disciplinary perspectives meets the highest ethical and methodological standards to provide access to a broad base of trusted knowledge for understanding and acting upon global challenges.
Inclusive Fast peer review Quality driven
Powered by an editorial board 10,000 strong, with expertise in more than 200 subject areas spanning the life sciences, medicine, engineering and the related social sciences and humanities. PLOS ONE’s peer review process focuses on scientific rigor with the goal of publishing all high-quality research, including negative and null results, and published protocols and methodologies.
All of our journals are Open Access, making them free to everyone to read, remix and reuse with attribution. Article Processing Charges (APCs) are fair and transparent, and fee assistance is available.
Because we’re aware that even a reasonable APC can still be a blocker to publication, we’re breaking new ground to ensure that Open Access is truly open to all with institutional partner programs and Community Action Publishing.