Information about PLoS Medicine

Scope
PLoS Medicine is an international, multidisciplinary medical journal that aims to publish outstanding human studies that substantially enhance the understanding of human health and disease. We aim to promote translation of basic research into clinical investigation, and of clinical evidence into practice. We encourage papers that cross disciplines.

Open-Access
All works published in PLoS Medicine are open access. Everything is immediately available online without cost to anyone, anywhere - to read, download, redistribute, include in databases, and otherwise use - subject only to the condition that the original authorship is properly attributed. Copyright is retained by the author. Click here for more information on our license.

Contents

• Outstanding primary Research Articles in all areas of medicine; from clinically directed basic science to epidemiology and clinical trials.
• Case Reports that convey a useful clinical lesson.
• All research articles will be accompanied by a Synopsis - a comprehensible summary for physicians in all specialties, as well as patients and their advocates.
• The PLoS Medicine Debate discusses important but controversial issues in clinical practice, public health policy, or health in general. Debates will be commissioned from two or more authors with differing points of view.
• Neglected Diseases either bring a particular disease to the attention of a general audience, or they discuss a novel strategy for approaching neglected health issues in general.
• The Health in Action section provides a place where groups or individuals who are not represented regularly in a medical journal have a forum to describe the important issues from their perspective. Authors might include patient advocacy groups, healthcare workers, or non-governmental organizations.
• Policy Forum provides a platform for health policy makers from around the world to discuss the challenges and opportunities in improving health care to their constituencies.
• Essays are opinion pieces on a topic of broad interest to a general medical audience.
• Perspectives are commissioned from an expert and discuss the clinical practice or public health implications of a published study. The original publication must be freely available online.
• Research in Translation articles discuss a particular drug, treatment, or public health intervention in the context of translation from early research to clinical research, or clinical evidence to practice.
• Learning Forum articles are commissioned by our educational advisors. The section provides a forum for learning about an important clinical problem that is relevant to a general medical audience.
• Correspondence letters are encouraged on articles published in the journal or on topics of widespread interest to the medical community.

Do you have an idea for any of these sections? Please contact our editorial staff at medicine_editors@plos.org.

Publisher Information
PLoS Medicine (ISSN-1549-1277) is published monthly, online and in print, by the Public Library of Science (PLoS). PLoS is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a public resource. Sign up here to get PLoS Medicine in print.