Journal Information

Scope

Genetics and genomics research is evolving faster than ever. In the past two decades, advances in sequencing technologies, computational biology and integrative approaches have transformed the landscape of biological research. Today, these tools are applied across an extraordinary range of questions—from decoding the human genome to exploring microbial ecosystems, from understanding gene regulation to developing precision medicine. PLOS Genetics reflects this dynamic, interdisciplinary field by publishing outstanding original research that spans the full breadth of genetics and genomics.

PLOS Genetics is more than a platform for publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research. We are a community-driven, Open Access and Open Science journal committed to advancing the field through rigorous standards of quality, ethics and scientific integrity. As a journal led by practicing scientists, we define key questions and set the standards for conducting and evaluating impactful evidence-based research. We welcome studies that deepen our understanding of biological principles and processes across all organisms and model systems, from microbes to humans. Interdisciplinary and translational research that bridges basic science and clinical or applied outcomes is especially encouraged. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Population genetics and evolution

• Human and medical genetics

• Functional genomics and gene regulation

• Computational, statistical and AI-driven genomics

• Genome-wide association studies (GWAS)

• Epigenetics and chromatin biology

• Developmental genetics

• Microbial, plant and host-microbe genomics

• Single-cell and spatial genomics

• Gene and genome editing

• Long-read sequencing and structural genomics

• Integrative multi-omics approaches

• Genomic medicine and precision health

• Non-coding genome function

The sections in the journal are: Cancer Genetics, Cellular and Developmental Genetics, Epigenetics, Gene Expression and Regulation, Human Genetic Variation and Disease, Integrative Omics and Systems Biology, Methods, Microbial Genetics, Plant Genetics, Population and Evolutionary Genetics.

Contents

PLOS Genetics features outstanding primary research articles, occasional Editorials and engaging Interviews, Formal Comments, Viewpoints, Perspectives, Reviews, Opinion Pieces and “Genetically Thinking” articles by invitation.

Criteria for Publication

To be considered for publication in PLOS Genetics, any given manuscript must satisfy the following criteria:

• Broad interest

• Valuable contribution to the field

• Rigorous and original

• Rigorous methodology

• Substantial evidence to support its conclusions

For manuscripts considered as part of our Methods section, the PLOS Genetics editors are most enthusiastic about methods that represent a new way of approaching a biological or biomedical question, or a substantive advance over existing approaches, and that are likely to be adopted broadly by the genetics community. We encourage methods that are computational (“dry bench”) and/or experimental (“wet bench”), and we require that the resources (source code, cell lines, model organisms) required for the method be made publicly available consistent with PLOS’ policy on Materials and Software Sharing.

Manuscripts rejected without external review

After initial evaluation by Senior Editors, a substantial proportion of manuscripts are rejected without external review. Common reasons for rejecting manuscripts without external review include:

• Insufficient strength of advance

• Absence of substantive insight into biology or disease pathogenesis
• Incremental methods development studies that do not include an application to a biologic problem or system that reveals novel insight
• Descriptive genomic or epigenomic studies that do not include follow-up experimental investigation

Editorial Oversight

Submit Your Manuscript

For more information about submitting to PLOS Genetics, read our checklist for getting started and our guidelines for preparing a submission.

Publication Fees

PLOS employs several business models to support equitable Open Access. A full list of our publication fees, funding initiatives and fee assistance information is available here.

Open Access

PLOS applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees, for virtually any purpose. Anyone may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, as long as the author and original source are properly cited. Learn more.

Journal and Article Metrics

All of our journals have a range of metrics available, including Article-Level Metrics (ALMs), SJR, CiteScore, and h-index. We do not consider Impact Factor to be a reliable or useful metric to assess the performance of individual articles but will provide the metric to individuals when specifically requested. Metrics for all of our journals, including publication timings and acceptance rates are available here.

Indexing and Archiving

All PLOS journals are widely indexed by major services such as Crossref, Dimensions, DOAJ, Google Scholar, PubMed, PubMed Central, Scopus, and Web of Science.

PLOS Genetics is also indexed by the following services to ensure research content is accessible and discoverable as widely as possible: AGRICOLA, Biological Abstracts, BIOSYS Previews, CABI CAB Abstracts, CABI Global Health, CAPES, CAS, CNKI, Embase, Journal Guide, MEDLINE, and Zoological Record.

• See publishing details for all PLOS journal titles, including ISSN and indexing and archiving information.

PLOS

PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all.

Contact

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