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PLoS Biology
H-index 84

PLoS Biology

1544-9173

Published by: PLOS

https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Molecular Biology 30 118 124 30
Biology and Biochemistry 49 556 459 58

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 2017
Documents by Best Scientists*: 1304
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 80
SCIMAGO H-index: 316
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.691
Impact Factor: 7.2

Overview

Top Research Topics at PLOS Biology?

PLOS Biology explores disciplines such as Cell biology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Gene and Biochemistry. Topics in Cell biology were tackled in line with various other fields like Molecular biology, Transcription factor and Cellular differentiation. Many of the studies tackled connect Genetics with a similar field of study like Evolutionary biology.

The journal focused on Neuroscience research but expanded to cover Anatomy. The Biochemistry study featured in it draws parallels with the field of Biophysics.

  • Cell biology (24.30%)
  • Genetics (18.37%)
  • Neuroscience (9.40%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Relaxed Phylogenetics and Dating with Confidence (4884 citations)
  • Improving Bioscience Research Reporting: The ARRIVE Guidelines for Reporting Animal Research (4676 citations)
  • Mapping the Structural Core of Human Cerebral Cortex (3266 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at PLOS Biology:

The journal articles focus largely on the fields of Genetics, Cell biology, Gene, Ecology and Neuroscience. The most cited papers with studies in Genetics featured incorporate elements of Evolutionary biology and Computational biology. The study of Cell biology in the journal articles encompasses disciplines such as Biochemistry, as well as fields such as Biophysics, all of which overlap with one another.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Gene
  • Enzyme
  • Internal medicine

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

PLOS Biology facilitates discussions on Cell biology, Neuroscience, Gene, Computational biology and Evolutionary biology. The journal addresses concerns in Cell biology which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Transcription factor, Gene expression and Messenger RNA. It emphasizes research on Neuroscience, which includes concerns such as Prefrontal cortex.

It focuses on Gene research as part of the broader topic of Genetics.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Natural selection in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in bats created a generalist virus and highly capable human pathogen. (49 citations)
  • Single-cell longitudinal analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human airway epithelium identifies target cells, alterations in gene expression, and cell state changes. (37 citations)
  • A plasmid DNA-launched SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system and coronavirus toolkit for COVID-19 research. (36 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in PLOS Biology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Liza Gross (143 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Richard Robinson (143 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Caitlin Sedwick (63 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Mary Hoff (36 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Robin Meadows (33 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in PLOS Biology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Max Planck Society (201 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • Harvard University (191 papers) published 11 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Stanford University (181 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 9 less than at the previous edition,
  • National Institutes of Health (162 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Cambridge (152 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 3.31% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 19.39% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 9.13% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 23.19% of all publications and 48.29% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Section Title: Practical Implementation and Ethical Considerations in Research

Another valuable aspect of research to consider is its practical implementation and the associated ethical considerations. These concerns link directly to the broader societal impacts of research, professional growth and development, as well as issues related to legality and morality. For PhD and post-doctoral students working in the field of biology or any similar discipline, understanding these aspects could also be instrumental for their future careers, particularly if they’re considering professions such as a licensed pharmacist.

The ethical guidelines for research ensure the integrity and quality of the study, and can greatly influence the validity of its outcomes. Some of these ethical considerations include informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality, protection from harm, and consideration of the potential benefits and risks of the study. These issues are particularly relevant in the fields of Genetics, Neuroscience, Cellular Biology, and more, based on the nature of the research and the possible impacts it may have on human or animal subjects.

Additionally, practical implementation refers to how the research can be applied in real-world scenarios. This could be in medical practices, drug development, environmental sustainability efforts, or even in guiding policies related to public health and safety. The link between theoretical research and its practical application is vital for demonstrable progress and to make contributions that can genuinely make a difference in the scientific world and beyond.

To fully understand the implications of these important elements in research, it's beneficial to gain in-depth knowledge and proper qualifications in a related field. For instance, if you're contemplating becoming a pharmacist, you might want to know how to become a pharmacist in Montana or any other region. This can enhance both your practical skills and theoretical understanding, thus equipping you for a successful career in biological research.

Top Publications

  • Reporting animal research: Explanation and elaboration for the ARRIVE guidelines 2.0.

    Nathalie Percie du Sert;Amrita Ahluwalia;Sabina Alam;Marc T. Avey

    (2020)
    2569 Citations
  • A proteomic atlas of senescence-associated secretomes for aging biomarker development.

    Nathan Basisty;Abhijit Kale;Ok Hee Jeon;Chisaka Kuehnemann

    (2020)
    886 Citations
  • A unifying structural and functional model of the coronavirus replication organelle: Tracking down RNA synthesis.

    Eric J. Snijder;Ronald W. A. L. Limpens;Adriaan H. de Wilde;Anja W. M. de Jong

    (2020)
    584 Citations
  • Urgent need for a non-discriminatory and non-stigmatizing nomenclature for monkeypox virus

    (2022)
    419 Citations
  • A plasmid DNA-launched SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system and coronavirus toolkit for COVID-19 research.

    Suzannah J. Rihn;Andreas Merits;Siddharth Bakshi;Matthew L. Turnbull

    (2021)
    228 Citations
  • A crowdsourcing open platform for literature curation in UniProt

    Unknown

    (2021)
    223 Citations
  • iPHoP: An integrated machine learning framework to maximize host prediction for metagenome-derived viruses of archaea and bacteria

    (2023)
    216 Citations
  • Multiplex qPCR discriminates variants of concern to enhance global surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.

    Chantal B F Vogels;Mallery I Breban;Isabel M Ott;Tara Alpert

    (2021)
    211 Citations
  • Natural selection in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in bats created a generalist virus and highly capable human pathogen.

    Oscar A. MacLean;Spyros Lytras;Steven Weaver;Joshua B. Singer

    (2021)
    177 Citations
  • Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the N501Y SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in complex with ACE2 and 2 potent neutralizing antibodies.

    Xing Zhu;Dhiraj Mannar;Shanti S. Srivastava;Alison M. Berezuk

    (2021)
    170 Citations

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

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