PLOS Biology Year in Review

“2020 has recently come to a close and what a year it has been for PLOS Biology — it has been difficult and exciting in equal measure. As we look back at what PLOS Biology has achieved in the midst of the pandemic maelstrom, we first and foremost would like to thank our authors, reviewers, and academic editors for another great year of open science, for entrusting their work to us, and for helping us assess its suitability for publication, all with patience and grace in the most difficult circumstances.

I joined PLOS Biology in March of this year, when we published our vision for the future of the journal as a catalyst of open science, emphasized our aim to serve all of the communities within the Life Sciences, and announced our intent to assess the research questions being asked rather than the nature of the results obtained in an effort to redress the bias against negative results. We also announced the launch of new article types — Pre-Registered Research Articles, Discovery Reports, and Update Articles — to better reflect the discovery process and our first Discovery Report; we look forward to seeing the new articles contribute to their fields and the opportunities they will bring to share research at different stages. We have spent time re-thinking our magazine section to ensure it stays relevant, dynamic, and thought-provoking, and will roll out a new layout in the new year. We also announced our aim to expand into communities that have been historically less well represented at the journal, and have started some of this work, which will continue into 2021 and include an expansion of the editorial board into new or underserved areas.

As we reflect on last year, which was so difficult for so many people, we again thank you for your contributions and look forward excitedly to the future. We wish you a safe and happy 2021 and look forward to working with you again in the new year.”