Indexing Freshness Alert

Our 2026 tracker has detected a significant fluctuation in this journal's impact metrics over the last 24 months. While still verified, researchers are advised to cross-reference with our Live Indexing Hub for the most recent status updates before submission.

PLoS ONE Journal Citation Rate 2026

ISSN 1932-6203 Public Library of Science US

Q2 Quartile Open Access Established Impact

About PLoS ONE

PLoS ONE (PO) is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering Life Sciences and Medicine, published by Public Library of Science in US and in circulation since 2006. It is catalogued under ISSN 1932-6203.

PLoS ONE Citation Rate 2026 — In Context

PLoS ONE has a 2025 2-Year Citation Rate (OpenAlex) of 2.54, placing it in the Q2 quartile within the Life Sciences research area. This is the average number of citations the journal's recent articles received over a two-year window, computed from OpenAlex open citation data — not a OpenAlex Journal Impact Factor.

As a fully open-access publication, PLoS ONE makes all articles freely available to readers for an Article Processing Charge of approximately $1805 USD.

Researchers looking to publish in PLoS ONE should review the journal's submission tips and verify the latest indexing status against Scopus, DOAJ, and Web of Science using our indexing tracker. To compare PLoS ONE against similar journals in the field, use our journal comparison tool.

Submission Tips for PLoS ONE
  • Budget $1805 for the Article Processing Charge. Check if your institution or funder covers OA fees.
  • This journal covers Life Sciences, Medicine. Ensure your manuscript aligns with these scope areas to avoid desk rejection.
How PLoS ONE Compares
Citation Rate vs Field Avg
-86%
Field avg: 17.65
APC vs Field Avg
-57%
Field avg: $4180

Compared against 35 journals in the same research areas.

ISSN (Print) 1932-6203
Publisher Public Library of Science
Country United States
Established 2006
APC / Cost $1805 USD
In-depth profile & metrics

PLoS ONE is published by Public Library of Science, based in United States and in publication since 2006. It publishes open access with an article-processing charge of USD 1805.

In our subject taxonomy, PLoS ONE is classified under Life Sciences and Medicine.

Its citation rate has held broadly steady over the last 6 years, from 2.700 (2019) to 2.539 (2025).

Research Areas
Links
Frequently Asked Questions about PLoS ONE

The current impact factor of PLoS ONE is 2.539.

Yes, PLoS ONE is an open access journal.

The Article Processing Charge (APC) for PLoS ONE is $1805 USD.

PLoS ONE is published by Public Library of Science.

PLoS ONE shows strong legitimacy signals: it is indexed in DOAJ. Indexing in recognised databases such as Scopus and DOAJ is a reliable indicator of a peer-reviewed, non-predatory journal, because predatory titles are typically excluded from them. Always confirm the journal's scope and editorial board fit your work before submitting.

The ISSN of PLoS ONE is 1932-6203.

PLoS ONE sits in the Q2 quartile based on its latest impact factor of 2.54, ranked across all journals in our database.
Live Indexing Status
Updated July 2026

Track real-time indexing metrics to ensure this journal meets your academic requirements.

OpenAlex
Unverified
DOAJ
Indexed OA
Predatory Check
Clean
Citation Rate
2.539
2-Year Citation Rate (OpenAlex) · 2025
Historical Trend

The impact factor has remained stable over the last 6 years (from 2.700 to 2.539), reflecting consistent citation performance.

Citation Rate by Year
Year Value Source
2025 2.539 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex)
2023 3.700 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex)
2022 3.700 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex)
2021 3.200 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex)
2020 2.700 2-Year Mean Citedness (OpenAlex)

Metrics are sourced from OpenAlex, DOAJ and Scopus and reflect the latest data we hold. The headline figure is a 2-year citation rate (OpenAlex), not a Clarivate Impact Factor. Always verify against the journal's official site before relying on it. See our Methodology or report a correction.

Research Highlights

Recently published high-impact papers in this journal:

Related Journals in Your Field

Metadata

Last updated: Jul 12, 2026

Updated by: system

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