Public Library of Science

Public Library of Science
Name	Public Library of Science
Formation	2000
Type	Nonprofit publisher
Headquarters	San Francisco, California
Region served	International
Leader title	CEO

Public Library of Science is an international nonprofit publisher and advocacy organization focused on open access scholarly communication and scientific publishing reform. Founded around 2000 by scientists and advocates, it operates a portfolio of peer‑reviewed journals and campaigns to change copyright and licensing norms in biomedical research, life sciences, and related fields. The organization has influenced policies at institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, Harvard University, and University of California.

History

The organization emerged in the context of debates triggered by events like the Human Genome Project publication, disputes involving commercial publishers such as Elsevier (company), and open access initiatives including the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing. Founders included researchers connected to institutions like Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, and University of California, San Francisco, and activists associated with movements around Science Commons and the Open Knowledge Foundation. Early milestones involved petition drives, conferences with figures from The Lancet and Nature (journal), and advocacy toward funders including the Wellcome Trust and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The organization launched flagship titles and engaged in policy debates with governments such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union, and with agencies such as the National Science Foundation.

Organizational structure and governance

Governance has involved a board composed of scientists from institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and University College London. Executive leadership has interacted with advisory committees comprising editors from journals like Cell (journal), PNAS, and The BMJ, and with advocates from groups such as the Creative Commons and the Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association. The organization maintains operational units for editorial oversight, legal affairs, and policy outreach, coordinating with funders and consortia including COAR, SPARC, and national libraries like the Library of Congress. Labor relations and editorial independence have occasionally involved disputes referencing norms at institutions such as European Molecular Biology Laboratory and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Open access publishing model

The organization pioneered a model based on author‑side article processing charges and Creative Commons licensing, aligning with licensing frameworks developed by Creative Commons and principles from the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. Its policies influenced mandates adopted by funders such as the Wellcome Trust, the National Institutes of Health, the European Research Council, and governments like the United Kingdom and Germany. The model contrasts with subscription publishers including Elsevier (company), Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell, and intersects with transformative agreements negotiated by consortia like Projekt DEAL, Jisc, and VSNU. Debates over article processing charges have referenced practices at PLOS ONE contemporaries such as Frontiers (publisher) and MDPI.

Journals and publications

The publisher's portfolio includes multidisciplinary and specialty journals launched in dialogue with titles like Nature Communications, Science Advances, eLife, and PLoS Biology counterparts. Its flagship journals competed in scope with established periodicals including The Lancet, Nature (journal), and Cell (journal), while interdisciplinary outlets paralleled initiatives at Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Science (journal). Subject‑specific titles cover fields related to work at institutions such as Salk Institute, Max Planck Society, and Karolinska Institute, and attract submissions from researchers affiliated with Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, University of Toronto, and Peking University. The organization also produces editorial content, commentaries, and policy analyses engaging stakeholders like the European Commission, Gates Foundation, and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Impact, reception, and controversies

The organization's advocacy contributed to shifts in policy at funders including the Wellcome Trust, the National Institutes of Health, and the European Research Council, and influenced library consortia such as CONSORTIUM and COUNTER standards. Reception among publishers and academics has been mixed: supporters from Open Society Foundations and the Institute of Physics praised increased access, while critics associated with legacy publishers including Elsevier (company) and Wiley-Blackwell raised concerns about sustainability and quality. Controversies have involved debates over peer review standards similar to disputes at Frontiers (publisher), questions about article processing charge equity referenced in discussions involving UNESCO and World Health Organization, and editorial decisions that elicited responses from journals such as The BMJ and Nature (journal). Legal and policy challenges intersected with copyright regimes in jurisdictions such as the United States Congress and the European Union Parliament.

Funding and business model

Revenue streams include article processing charges, grants from philanthropic organizations like the Wellcome Trust, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and institutional support from universities including Harvard University and University of California. The business model has been compared with commercial publishers such as Elsevier (company), Springer Nature, and Taylor & Francis, and with nonprofit models exemplified by American Association for the Advancement of Science and Wolters Kluwer. Negotiations with library consortia and funders mirror arrangements pursued by Project DEAL and Jisc and respond to policy directives from entities like the National Institutes of Health and the European Commission.

Category:Open access publishers Category:Scientific publishing