Overview
Where PLOS stands on CRediT
PLOS mandates structured CRediT contributor statements on every submission. The publisher has been a CRediT pioneer and reference implementer since 2016, with role matrices fully integrated into the Editorial Manager flow and the published article.
Scope: Mandatory across all PLOS journals
Implementation details
How CRediT is captured and produced
| Submission system | Aries Editorial Manager |
| JATS implementation | Production-grade JATS <role vocab="credit"> output as a reference implementation of CRediT; per-author per-role capture; deposited to Crossref and DataCite. |
| Production workflow | PLOS uses the CRediT matrix as part of every articles structured contribution section, with JATS XML and Crossref deposit treating the role assignments as first-class metadata. The PLOS approach is widely cited as a model for other publishers. |
For authors
Author guidance — submitting to a PLOS journal
When submitting to a PLOS journal, the CRediT role matrix is a mandatory part of the submission. Each author must have at least one CRediT role; the corresponding author must have an ORCID iD. The matrix is reviewed at acceptance.
For general CRediT submission guidance across publishers, see CRediT for authors.
Sample journals
Representative PLOS titles with CRediT capture
- PLOS ONE
- PLOS Biology
- PLOS Medicine
- PLOS Computational Biology
- PLOS Pathogens
- PLOS Genetics
Adoption history
Notable milestones
PLOS was among the very first publishers to make CRediT mandatory across an entire portfolio (2016) and has remained a leading voice for structured contribution reporting in scholarly publishing.
Notes
Caveats and context
PLOS pairs CRediT with mandatory data-availability statements and an open-publication-by-default model (CC BY) across all titles.
Frequently asked
Common questions about PLOS and CRediT
- Does PLOS require CRediT contributor statements?
- Yes. PLOS captures structured CRediT statements as part of its standard submission flow. PLOS mandates structured CRediT contributor statements on every submission. The publisher has been a CRediT pioneer and reference implementer since 2016, with role matrices fully integrated into the Editorial Manager flow and the published article.
- Which PLOS journals support CRediT?
- Representative PLOS titles known to support structured CRediT capture include PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine. Scope: Mandatory across all PLOS journals. Check the individual journals author instructions to confirm the current contributor-roles policy.
- How do I add CRediT to my PLOS submission?
- When submitting to a PLOS journal, the CRediT role matrix is a mandatory part of the submission. Each author must have at least one CRediT role; the corresponding author must have an ORCID iD. The matrix is reviewed at acceptance.
- What submission system does PLOS use for CRediT capture?
- PLOS uses Aries Editorial Manager. Production-grade JATS <role vocab="credit"> output as a reference implementation of CRediT; per-author per-role capture; deposited to Crossref and DataCite.
- When did PLOS adopt CRediT?
- PLOS adopted CRediT around 2016. PLOS was among the very first publishers to make CRediT mandatory across an entire portfolio (2016) and has remained a leading voice for structured contribution reporting in scholarly publishing.
References
Sources
- PLOS authorship and contributorship policy
- Brand et al. (2015) — Beyond authorship, Learned Publishing
