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The Public Library of Science (PLOS) is a nonprofit open-access publisher and research advocacy organization. Established to transform scholarly communication from subscription paywalls to universal access, PLOS publishes peer-reviewed research across biology, medicine, physical sciences, engineering, and social sciences under open licenses.
What It Is
The Public Library of Science (PLOS) is a pioneer in gold open-access publishing. All articles across the PLOS portfolio are freely available immediately upon publication without subscription paywalls. Authors retain copyright under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, allowing anyone to read, download, distribute, and reuse research findings with proper attribution.
Beyond article access, PLOS operates an open-science platform enforcing data sharing, direct preprint server integration (bioRxiv and medRxiv), optional published peer review history, and structured contributor roles through the PLOS CRediT adoption framework.
What Does PLOS Stand For?
PLOS stands for the Public Library of Science. Initiated in 2000 as an open letter advocacy campaign by scientists Harold Varmus, Patrick O. Brown, and Michael Eisen, it called for scientific publishers to place literature in public online archives like PubMed Central. In 2003, PLOS launched independent nonprofit publishing with PLOS Biology.
What Is PLOS?
PLOS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation headquartered in San Francisco, California, with European operations in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Revenue generated from author fees and institutional models is reinvested into publishing technology, journal operations, fee assistance, and open-science advocacy.
Who Runs It and What It Covers
PLOS is directed by an independent Board of Directors and executive leadership team. Scientific oversight for each journal is managed by academic editors and international editorial boards of working researchers who oversee peer review and editorial decisions.
Can You Provide a List of PLOS Journals?
PLOS publishes a diverse portfolio of open-access journals:
- Flagship Titles: PLOS Biology (foundational life sciences) and PLOS Medicine (clinical and translational medicine).
- Multidisciplinary Megajournal: PLOS ONE (all areas of science, engineering, and medicine).
- Specialized Community Journals: PLOS Computational Biology (official ISCB journal), PLOS Genetics, PLOS Pathogens, and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
- Mission and Environmental Titles: PLOS Digital Health, PLOS Climate, PLOS Global Public Health, PLOS Water, PLOS Mental Health, PLOS Complex Systems, PLOS Sustainability and Transformation, PLOS Ecosystems, and PLOS Aging and Health.
What Does PLOS ONE Publish?
PLOS ONE publishes original research across physical sciences, life sciences, engineering, medicine, and social sciences. Rather than evaluating submissions on perceived novelty, significance, or impact, PLOS ONE assesses papers solely on methodological rigor, technical soundness, and ethical standards. It publishes primary empirical research, replication studies, negative or null findings, systematic reviews, and reproducible lab protocols.
How to Search or Use It
Researchers interact with PLOS across both reading and publishing workflows through the following steps:
1. Discover and Read Open Research
Visit plos.org or individual journal domains (e.g., journals.plos.org/plosone). Search by keyword, author, DOI, or ORCID. All articles are free to read in full HTML or download as PDFs without registration. Content is indexed in Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and the Web of Science.
2. Select Target Journal and Review Guidelines
Match your study to the appropriate journal scope. Authors preparing manuscripts must follow the detailed PLOS ONE submission guidelines or specific journal instructions regarding manuscript formatting, ethical approvals, and structured abstracts.
3. Meet Data Availability Standards
PLOS enforces a mandatory Data Availability Policy. Authors must state where the minimal data required to replicate results are deposited (such as Dryad, Zenodo, Figshare, or disciplinary repositories). Stating that data are “available upon request” is not permitted without explicit legal or ethical justification approved by editors.
4. Link Preprints and Author Contributions
Authors can push manuscripts directly to bioRxiv or medRxiv during submission, or transfer existing preprints into PLOS. Submissions require explicit author contribution roles mapped through the PLOS ONE author contributions statement based on CRediT.
5. Peer Review and Editorial Evaluation
In the public library of science plos review process, staff editors perform technical checks before assigning manuscripts to an Academic Editor. The Academic Editor selects independent peer reviewers. Authors can opt for published peer review history, where reviewer reports and decision letters are published with the final paper.
6. Manage Publication Fees and Institutional Agreements
For PLOS ONE, the standard PLOS ONE publication fee is $2,477 USD for research articles. Authors check whether their institution has a Flat Fee agreement, Community Action Publishing (CAP) membership (covering PLOS Biology and PLOS Medicine), or Global Equity model. The Publication Fee Assistance (PFA) program offers automatic waivers for Research4Life Group A countries, discounts for Group B, and need-based assistance for unfunded authors. Fee status never influences editorial decisions.
7. Track Acceptance and Metrics
The PLOS ONE acceptance rate ranges between 26% and 45%, with desk rejections accounting for 20% to 30% of submissions for formatting, scope, or ethical non-compliance. While PLOS adheres to DORA and prioritizes article-level metrics (views, downloads, citations), the PLOS ONE Impact Factor tracks between 2.8 and 3.7 in Clarivate JCR.
Strengths and Limits
Strengths
- Universal Open Access: Immediate CC BY 4.0 licensing ensures full text, figures, and data are unrestricted for global reuse.
- Rigor-Based Review: Eliminating novelty requirements reduces publication bias against null results and replications.
- Integrated Open Science: Mandatory data archiving, preprint integration, protocols, and open peer review options raise reporting transparency.
- Nonprofit Reinvestment: Operating surpluses support open-source publishing infrastructure and global equity waivers.
Limits
- Cost for Unfunded Authors: Standard APCs ($2,477 USD for PLOS ONE) remain a financial challenge where institutional coverage is absent.
- Variable Discipline Breadth: High publication volume requires readers to evaluate article methodology independently rather than relying on journal prestige.
- Review Turnaround: Large submission volumes can lead to extended peer-review turnaround during peak periods.
Alternatives
Researchers assessing open-access publishing platforms can compare PLOS against primary alternative publishers:
| Publisher / Platform | Ownership Model | Flagship Titles | Editorial Criteria | Data Sharing Policy | Pricing Structure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLOS | 501(c)(3) Nonprofit | PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine | Methodological soundness (PLOS ONE) and high selectivity (Flagships) | Mandatory public repository deposit | APCs, Flat Fee, Community Action Publishing (CAP) |
| BioMed Central (BMC) | Commercial (Springer Nature) | BMC Biology, BMC Medicine, BMC Series | Sound science and discipline-selective tracks | Mandatory data availability statement | Tiered APCs and transformative institutional agreements |
| Frontiers | Commercial | Frontiers in Immunology, Frontiers in Oncology | Interactive review focusing on technical validity | Mandatory data availability statement | Tiered APCs and institutional membership programs |
| MDPI | Commercial | IJMS, Molecules, Applied Sciences | Rapid peer review for technical correctness | Mandatory data availability statement | Individual APCs and institutional discounts |
| eLife | Nonprofit | eLife | Reviewed Preprints with public assessments | Mandatory open data and code availability | Fixed publication fee for reviewed preprints |
Frequently Asked Questions
Are PLOS journals reliable?
Yes. PLOS journals are reputable, fully peer-reviewed academic publications indexed in PubMed, PubMed Central, MEDLINE, Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science. They follow Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. For an evaluation of publishing practices and legitimacy, consult our evaluation of whether PLOS ONE is predatory.
Public library of science plos review: how does editorial review work?
Manuscripts pass administrative and ethical checks before assignment to an active Academic Editor in the field. The editor secures external peer reviewers who assess methodology, statistical design, ethical compliance, and reporting validity.
How does PLOS differ from commercial publishers?
PLOS operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization without commercial shareholders. Surplus revenue supports publishing systems, author assistance programs, and open-science initiatives rather than corporate dividends.
Can authors post PLOS submissions to preprint servers?
Yes. PLOS encourages preprint sharing and offers direct submission integration with bioRxiv and medRxiv, allowing simultaneous deposition and journal submission.
What copyright terms apply to articles published by PLOS?
All PLOS articles are published under CC BY 4.0. Authors retain copyright, granting anyone the right to read, download, redistribute, and adapt the work with proper attribution.
Sources
- Public Library of Science. About PLOS: Mission, History, and Organization. Official portal:
https://plos.org/about/. Verified November 2026. - Public Library of Science. Browse PLOS Journals and Disciplines. Official portal:
https://plos.org/publish/browse-journals/. Verified November 2026. - Public Library of Science. Publishing Fees, Institutional Models, and Fee Assistance. Official portal:
https://plos.org/publish/fees/. Verified November 2026. - PLOS ONE. Criteria for Publication and Editorial Policies. Official portal:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/s/criteria-for-publication. Verified November 2026. - PLOS Open Science. Open Data Policy and Reporting Guidelines. Official portal:
https://plos.org/open-science/. Verified November 2026.
