PLOS Medicine

PLOS Medicine
Public Library of Science · CC BY 2.5 · source
Title	PLOS Medicine
Discipline	Medicine
Abbreviation	PLoS Med
Editor	Larry Peiperl
Publisher	Public Library of Science
Country	United States
History	2004–present
Frequency	Continuous
Issn	1549-1277

PLOS Medicine is a peer-reviewed, open-access medical journal published by the Public Library of Science. It emphasizes high-impact research, global health, and policy-relevant studies that address clinical practice, public health, and health systems. The journal has played a role in debates involving evidence-based medicine, global health equity, and research transparency.

History

The journal was launched in 2004 by the Public Library of Science as part of a broader shift exemplified by initiatives such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative, the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, and the Wellcome Trust's advocacy for open science. Early editorial leadership drew on experience from leading biomedical publications including The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, BMJ (journal), and JAMA. Milestones in the journal's development coincided with events such as the expansion of the Human Genome Project's data release policies, debates around the Declaration of Helsinki, and the implementation of clinical trial registration requirements championed by organizations like the World Health Organization and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The journal's evolution reflects pressures from funders including the Gates Foundation, policy shifts at the National Institutes of Health, and legal and ethical controversies seen in cases like the Vioxx controversy and discussions around the H5N1 research pause. Institutional collaborations and controversies also connected the journal to actors such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scope and Editorial Policy

The journal's scope encompasses clinical trials, epidemiology, health policy, and global health, engaging with institutions such as World Bank, United Nations, and specialty organizations like the World Health Organization. It publishes studies relevant to practitioners and policymakers working at places including Johns Hopkins Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and academic centers such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, Stanford University, and Karolinska Institute. Editorial policy addresses ethical frameworks associated with the Declaration of Helsinki, data-sharing expectations influenced by the AllTrials campaign, and standards promoted by the Committee on Publication Ethics and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The journal interacts with guideline-setting bodies like the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force when publishing practice-changing evidence.

Publication Model and Open Access Policies

The publisher, Public Library of Science, follows an article processing charge model comparable to other open-access publishers such as BioMed Central and interfaces with repositories like PubMed Central and indexing services including MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Open-access commitments align with mandates from funders such as the Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the European Research Council. Licensing typically uses Creative Commons frameworks, echoing principles advanced in the Budapest Open Access Initiative and implemented by funders like the National Institutes of Health. The journal's policies intersect with institutional policies at universities such as Yale University, University of California, University of Toronto, and University College London, and they have been cited in policy discussions at bodies like the European Commission.

Editorial Board and Peer Review Process

The editorial board comprises clinicians, epidemiologists, and health policy experts affiliated with institutions including Imperial College London, Columbia University, Karolinska Institute, University of Cape Town, and Peking University. Peer review is single-blind or open in specific cases and follows standards advocated by organizations like the Committee on Publication Ethics and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The process has been compared with review practices at Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, Annals of Internal Medicine, and The BMJ. Editorial decisions have engaged with methodological frameworks such as CONSORT and PRISMA and with statisticians from centers like the Cochrane Collaboration and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

Impact, Indexing, and Reception

The journal is indexed in major databases including MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded, Scopus, and Embase. Its impact metrics have been discussed in relation to rankings used by Journal Citation Reports and bibliometric analyses by groups such as Altmetric and CrossRef. Reception among practitioners and policy makers has linked the journal's outputs to guideline updates from agencies like the World Health Organization, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the European Medicines Agency. Debates about reproducibility and research integrity involving the journal connect to high-profile cases and movements such as the Reproducibility Project and critiques leveled in venues like Retraction Watch.

Notable Articles and Contributions

The journal has published influential randomized trials, systematic reviews, and policy analyses that informed responses to outbreaks like Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa (2013–2016), the Zika virus epidemic, and pandemics such as COVID-19 pandemic. Contributions have intersected with landmark studies from cohorts like the Framingham Heart Study and have influenced policy discussions involving the Global Fund. Notable methodological and data-transparency pieces have paralleled work by groups such as the Cochrane Collaboration and the AllTrials campaign. The journal's articles have been cited in policy documents by the World Health Organization, clinical guidelines from the American Heart Association, and health technology assessments by bodies like NICE.

Category:Medical journals Category:Open access journals Category:Public Library of Science journals