Cell Biol Educ 3(1): 15-17 2004
DOI: 10.1187/cbe.04-01-0026
© 2004 American Society for Cell Biology
Review of: PLoS Biology—A Freely Available, Open Access Online Journal
Todd Eckdahl*
Department of Biology, Missouri Western State College, 4525 Downs Drive,
Saint Joseph, MO 64507
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PLoS BIOLOGY AS A BOLD EXPERIMENT
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The Public Library of Science (PLoS)
(http://www.plos.org/)
is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians that is conducting a
high profile and ambitious experiment. It is testing the refreshing idea that
scientific knowledge can be made freely available throughout the world to
scientists, educators, students, physicians, patients, policy makers and
voting citizens. PLoS is committed to the idea that scientific research should
be published in a timely manner in an open-access environment with no
restrictions on use.
The probability of success of the PLoS endeavor is increased because of its
leadership and its growing widespread support. Cofounders Harold Varmus, Pat
Brown, and Michael Eisen (Figure
1) began their efforts in October 2000 by circulating an open
letter of support
(http://www.plos.org/support/openletter.shtml)
petitioning publishers to make research reports available free of charge in
online libraries such as PubMed Central
(http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/).
Although signed by more than 30,000 scientists from around the world, the
letter failed to have the desired impact. The bold decision was then made for
PLoS to establish its own models for freely available, open-access online
journals. A grant of $9 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
(http://www.moore.org/)
allowed the formation of the PLoS editorial board and staff. The organization
made plans to develop a premier Biology journal first, followed by one devoted
to Medicine. Future PLoS journals include Chemistry, Computer Science,
Genetics, Oncology, and a host of other titles. The first issue of PLoS
Biology
(http://www.plosbiology.org/)
was published in October 2003, and a carefully designed experiment began to
test an idea that would change the way we access scientific research
(Figure 2).
The success of the PLoS Biology experiment depends on the
exploration of business practices that make sense to publishers. The business
model that has been adopted for PLoS Biology is one that its editors
hope will become popular with other journals. The idea is for authors, in
partnership with their institutions and funding agencies, to bear the cost of
publishing their work so that online access can be given free of charge to the
public. A publication fee of $1500 is charged, payable by the author,
institution, or funding agency. However, the ability to pay the fee will not
be used in decisions about publication.
PLoS Biology has established editorial procedures that will ensure
timely peer review and publication of articles that are likely to make
significant contributions to diverse life science fields. Authors are
encouraged to make presubmission inquiries and can expect a response within a
few days. Once a manuscript is received, it is routed to reviewers by an
editorial board composed of professional editors and academic researchers. The
fact that the board includes notable scientists from major research
universities, industry, and private research institutes around the world will
ensure the publication of high-quality research. Reviewers are requested to
complete their evaluations within 7 days. Considering this and the immediacy
of online publishing, it is hard to imagine a faster means of publication.
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PLoS BIOLOGY AS A FULL-SERVICE JOURNAL
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The founders of PLoS Biology have set their sights high in terms
of the quality of the research they intend to publish. Their goal is to
publish high-profile original research of great significance in all fields of
Biology and in crossover areas with other disciplines. Success in meeting this
goal is apparent already. One illustration of this is the presentation by
Stein et al. of the genome of a second Caenorhabditis species, a discovery
that will have a dramatic impact on the utility of both species for basic
research. Another is the report by Starck and Brennecke et al. on the
development of a new screen for microRNA targets in Drosophila
(Figure 3). In yet another
example, Fernando et al. describe their use of DNA analysis to show that
elephants in Borneo are genetically distinct from other Asian elephants, and
therefore worthy of conservation. These and 27 other research articles in the
first three monthly issues demonstrate the ability of PLoS Biology to
publish world-class primary research. The scope of the research published is
broad, from molecules to cells, from organisms to ecosystems. The support of
researchers who are leaders in their fields is likely to grow, making PLoS
Biology a prestigious publication forum. But PLoS Biology is
more than a vehicle for the publication of groundbreaking primary research
articles. It is a full-service journal that will appeal to a wide spectrum of
readers.
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Figure 3. Experimental Validation of microRNA Targets, Figure 3
(10.1371_journal.pbio.0000060.g003-L.jpg) from "Identification of
Drosophila MicroRNA Targets," by Alexander Stark et al., PLoS Biology
volume 1, issue 3.
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PLoS Biology features a diversity of articles, contributed by
research scientists, editors, graduate students, and professional science
reporters. For example, the "Editorials" section has been used to
this point to discuss the launching of PLoS journals, to describe the way
digital object identifiers give persistence to online data, and to champion
open-access experiments at PLoS and elsewhere. The journal has also included
two "Features" per issue, in which authors present scientific
research that is of broad interest to society. A diversity of topics has been
addressed here already, from GMO corn to the ecology of infectious disease to
the human epigenome project. In addition, a section called
"Essays" has allowed authors to present their viewpoints on the
SARS epidemic, the impact of genomics on malaria research, and the importance
of data sharing in neuroscience.
Another unique feature of PLoS Biology is called "Journal
Club." It is an opportunity for postdoctoral scientists and graduate
students to describe their personal journey into a field of biological
research. It is likely that the Journal Club will convey a sense of enthusiasm
about science that will have a positive impact on many young readers.
"Unsolved Mysteries" in PLoS Biology highlight interesting but
ill-understood aspects of biology that have not yet been the subjects of
intense research. Examples include control of the size of cells, organs, and
bodies and the control of human skin color variation. The material presented
here could serve as a basis for interesting classroom discussions.
Its publishers have also set the stage for PLoS Biology to serve
the scientific community. An example of this is a fitting tribute to the
neuroscience research career of Patricia Goldman-Rakic, published as an
obituary. Another example is the "Community Page," which provides
an environment for the presentation of work by organizations and societies who
share the PLoS view about free and open access to scientific knowledge.
Already, this section has brought attention to the need for legal support to
the open communication and use of scientific research, to the role that open
access plays in species conservation, and to the importance of political
advocacy for basic research.
Clearly, the publishers of PLoS Biology view open access to their
journal as more than making scientific research freely available; their intent
is to make it accessible to an audience of individuals with diverse
backgrounds. Each research article is accompanied by a summary of its purpose,
conclusions, and significance for a general audience. These
"Synopses" are prepared by science writers and are an immediate
and convenient secondary literature connection to primary literature in the
same issue. This unique feature of the journal is likely to be useful in a
variety of educational settings. High school and undergraduate nonmajors'
courses could use the Synopses as a timely link to current research, while
lower and upper division life science majors could use them as a bridge to the
original research articles. Accessibility to PLoS Biology is also
enhanced by "Primers," written by research scientists as
introductions to fields of biological research. They include instructional
figures, comprehensive reference lists and are written in a succinct text-
book style that will be appreciated by students and the lay public. Among the
topics of Primers so far are the evolution of the adaptive immune response,
microarray analysis, movement control, and the acquisition and distribution of
metabolic iron.
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OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING AND SCIENCE EDUCATION
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Open access to current published research free of charge is particularly
important in the context of undergraduate education. Especially at
undergraduate institutions, access to primary literature continues to be
limited because of the financial burden of subscribing to an ever-growing list
of journals. This is increasingly frustrating for undergraduate educators who
are mindful of the need to engage their students in the process of science at
the level of published research. Journals with instant, free, and open access
such as PLoS Biology, Cell Biology Education, and over 100 hundred
journals at BioMed Central
(http://www.biomedcentral.com/)
offer resources now that can enhance science education. What the future holds
in this regard, however, depends on whether notice will be taken by the
publishing world of the success of these experiments.
What a bright future it would be. Broad and open access to all the
scientific literature would completely change the way science education
happens. Faculty teaching introductory courses could incorporate examples from
the most current literature, conveying to their students a sense of the
exciting pace of biological discovery and illustrating its increasing social
relevance. Students majoring in a biological discipline could be shown that
they are only keystrokes away from the latest research reports. This would
serve to strengthen the connection between learning basic concepts and
applying them in the course of scientific investigation. And students would be
able to learn to take advantage of an online network of published works,
databases, and analytical tools. Free and open access to scientific literature
would certainly improve the education of tomorrow's teachers, scientists,
physicians, and science literate citizens. These dramatic improvements to
science education and to the dissemination of science to society depend on the
realization of the vision of the Public Library of Science, as illustrated by
PLoS Biology.
*
Corresponding author. E-mail address:
eckdahl{at}mwsc.edu.
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