Thank you to all community members who submitted applications! We are delighted to announce the first recipient of the PLOS ONE Early Career Travel Award in the Physical Sciences. Chintan Parmar, Research Fellow at Dana-Farber
Author Archives: PLoS ONE Editors
From Penguins to Frogs: The new frontier of wildlife microbiomes
With recent technological advances in DNA sequencing investigating microbiomes from all areas of life has become possible as PLOS ONE Publication Assistant Maija Mallula finds out. With the advancement of DNA sequencing technology, our ability
8 Simple errors to avoid when you submit a revised manuscript
So, you submitted your manuscript to PLOS ONE and the editor issued a revise decision. What happens next? When you submit your revised manuscript to the journal, it will undergo a series of checks to
The PLOS ONE Early Career Researcher Travel Awards in the Physical Sciences
Early career researchers (ECRs) are very much at the heart of what we do at PLOS. Last year alone, PLOS ONE published more than 20,000 research papers, undoubtedly with tens of thousands of ECRs as
8 Simple mistakes that can delay peer review (and how to avoid them)
Are you preparing a manuscript to submit to PLOS ONE? Congratulations! We think you’ve made an excellent choice. When you submit to PLOS ONE, our goal is to help move your manuscript through the
PLOS Criteria for Recommended Data Repositories
Post by the PLOS ONE Editors on behalf of the PLOS Data Team Since 2015, the PLOS journals have maintained a list of repositories that we have determined to be suitable for authors depositing datasets that
PLOS ONE partners with the Children’s Tumor Foundation to trial Registered Reports
Today, the Children’s Tumor Foundation and PLOS ONE are pleased to announce a partnership to trial the integration of Registered Reports in the grant application and publication process: The Children’s Tumor Foundation (CTF) and
10th Anniversary Video Series: Community Voices
Authors choose PLOS ONE as a home for their work for many different reasons. The journal offers media coverage, an interdisciplinary audience, easy accessibility and a willingness to publish papers that are hard to
10th Anniversary Video Series: Shaking Things Up
As PLOS ONE celebrates its tenth birthday, we take a few moments to reflect on the ways in which the journal has changed the landscape of scholarly publishing. Check out the video below, “Shaking Things
The Ride of Your Life: ONE to the Power of 10
PLOS ONE is turning 10 today. Back in 2005 when conversations about PLOS ONE really got going, the publishing landscape looked very different from what it does now. Open Access (OA) publications were a tiny
How to Link ORCID to Your PLOS Editorial Manager Profile
This video shows PLOS ONE authors, reviewers, and Academic Editors how to register for an ORCID iD, link ORCID to an existing Editorial Manager profile, and enable automatic updates to your ORCID profile through
Meta-Analyses of Genetic Association Studies – PLOS ONE’s Approach
Meta-analysis can be a powerful way to reveal otherwise hidden or unclear associations, when done with care. In line with recent trends in biomedical literature (1), PLOS ONE has seen a consistent increase in submissions reporting meta-analyses of genetic association studies over the last few years. These submissions report analyses of potential associations between candidate gene variants (usually single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs) and specific disease risks and outcomes in human populations, based on a search of the literature to identify published reports studying the association and statistical analyses that synthesize the results of the identified studies.
However, researchers in the community, among them members of our editorial board, have raised concerns about some of these meta-analyses, including the risk of false positives due to publication bias, incomplete searches of the literature, redundancy, and an insufficient assessment of the power and quality of the included studies. As noted a decade ago, “Meta-analysis is not a replacement for adequately powered genetic association studies” (2). Many of these studies focus on a single gene variant, and many do not include data from relevant genome-wide association studies (GWAS), some of which have failed to replicate previously reported associations between candidate genes and diseases.
While many meta-analyses of genetic association studies are still clinically relevant, especially those studying rare conditions where GWAS data are not available, and well-conducted meta-analyses can provide useful and valid clinical evidence, we strongly feel that meta-analyses of genetic association studies considered by PLOS ONE must have the rationale clearly explained and that authors must report their studies according to high standards.
In order to address these concerns and after consultation with PLOS ONE editorial board members, we are introducing a new process to handle meta-analyses of genetic association studies. Authors will now be asked to provide the following information:
- The rationale for conducting the meta-analysis;
- The contribution that the meta-analysis makes to knowledge in light of previously published related reports, including other meta-analyses and systematic reviews;
- Whether GWASs relevant to the meta-analysis have been published and whether these were included in the analysis;
- Full methodological details for the meta-analysis, including completion of a checklist that has been developed with reference to several published guidelines (3, 4, 5) and in consultation with members of the PLOS ONE editorial board.
The information supplied by the authors will be evaluated by the in-house editorial team as part of the checks undertaken on new submissions. Meta-analyses replicating studies in the literature without adequate justification will be rejected. For those manuscripts that proceed to review, PLOS ONE Academic Editors will be consulted on the adequacy of the methodological aspects of the study and the quality of the reporting in the manuscript.
This process underscores our commitment to maintaining high standards of quality and reporting in publications at PLOS ONE. We are grateful for the input we have received from our editorial board that led to this new process, and wish to thank the PLOS ONE Academic Editors who provided advice and guidance.
If you have any questions or feedback, or if you are an author who would like additional information about our requirements for meta-analyses of genetic association studies, please contact us at plosone@plos.org.
Posted on behalf of the in-house editors at PLOS ONE:
Associate Editors Gina Alvino, Meghan Byrne, Christna Chap, Michelle Dohm, Matt Hodgkinson, Alejandra Clark and Nicola Stead and; Senior Editors Eric Martens and Iratxe Puebla; and Editorial Director Damian Pattinson
- Ioannidis JPA, Chang CQ, Lam TK, Schully SD, Khoury MJ (2013) The Geometric Increase in Meta-Analyses from China in the Genomic Era. PLOS ONE 8(6): e65602. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065602
- Marcus R. Munafò and Jonathan Flint (2004) Meta-analysis of genetic association studies. Trends Genet. 20(9):439-44 doi:10.1016/j.tig.2004.06.014
- Sagoo GS, Little J, Higgins JPT (2009) Systematic Reviews of Genetic Association Studies. PLOS Med 6(3): e1000028. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000028
- Minelli C, Thompson JR, Abrams KR, Thakkinstian A, Attia J: The quality of meta-analyses of genetic association studies: a review with recommendations. Am J Epidemiol. 2009 Dec 1;170(11):1333-43. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwp350
- Little J, Higgins JP, Ioannidis JP, Moher D, Gagnon F, et al. (2009) STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA)- An Extension of the STROBE Statement. PLOS Med 6(2): e1000022. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000022
The post Meta-Analyses of Genetic Association Studies – PLOS ONE’s Approach appeared first on EveryONE.
Editorial Highlight: Reporting Standards at PLOS ONE
Most readers are by now familiar with the core principle behind PLOS ONE: to publish all papers that are scientifically and technically sound, regardless of their perceived impact or importance. Another publication criterion that has received far less attention until recently is our commitment to the quality and completeness of reporting.
PLOS ONE considers reporting quality to be of importance in two main areas: first in relation to completeness of authors’ descriptions of study methods and results, and second in assuring readers of the ethical basis underlying the work. The rationale for ensuring high standards of reporting and ethical oversight is aligned with our core mission to facilitate the re-use of open-access research; if studies aren’t reported appropriately, or don’t have the necessary ethical oversight, it is much more difficult for others to replicate the work or incorporate the data as part of a larger study.
The natural follow-up question might be: how do we as a journal maintain these standards? Here, we’d like to outline briefly our standards, the reasons for them, and the process for ensuring that authors adhere to them. By doing this, we hope to shed light on some of our internal processes, both for the journal’s community, as well as for interested readers that appreciate sound, well-done science as much as we do.
PLOS ONE is a large, international, open-access scientific journal that considers all manuscripts reporting the results of primary scientific research. Day to day, the journal receives many types of studies, including experimental and observational work on animal and human populations, as well as a range of computational and theoretical work. These are submitted by researchers around the world who are not necessarily bound by common standards of reporting or ethical oversight.
As an international journal, however, PLOS ONE has a responsibility to establish and maintain consistent and high standards for publication. Therefore, we require that authors assure us on submission of appropriate ethical review and approval for experimental work involving animals and human participants; relevant permissions for field studies or observational work; and adherence to appropriate discipline-specific guidelines for the reporting of taxonomic, paleontological, or archaeological specimens. In some areas, there are also more prescriptive guidelines to ensure the full description of study methods and results—including CONSORT for reporting randomized clinical trials and PRISMA for reporting systematic reviews in relation to human participants—and we provide links to many more in our manuscript guidelines.
How do journal staff check for these standards when we receive so many submissions each day? At PLOS ONE, we’ve found that the most effective way to ensure papers meet our requirements is to perform a series of checks at submission. This ensures that by the time articles are assigned to Academic Editors for detailed review, crucial information about ethical oversight and study conduct will be available for their consideration. By screening papers before the formal peer-review process, we provide support to our Editorial Board and reviewers, who volunteer their time and offer an invaluable service to the journal and the scientific community as a whole. Equipping our Academic Editors with additional, important details when they agree to handle a manuscript allows them to focus their specialized expertise where it is most valued: on the scientific and technical quality of the paper.
That said, we consider our Academic Editors as partners in our goal of maintaining high standards for reporting, research ethics, and integrity. We ask our Editorial Board members for advice in difficult situations, and greatly appreciate the expert input that they provide. In certain situations we seek the advice of additional experts in reporting or ethics to provide oversight on specific papers, and are currently setting up dedicated advisory boards to assist us. We also consult Editorial Board members when developing new internal policies, or when robust community guidelines (such as CONSORT for randomized clinical trials or the proposed ARRIVE for experimental animal research) are not yet available for specific study types.
We appreciate the support of PLOS ONE authors, editors, and reviewers in helping us maintain the highest standards possible.
Posted on behalf of the in-house editors at PLOS ONE:
Associate Editors Gina Alvino, Sarah Bangs, Meghan Byrne, Christna Chap, Michelle Dohm, Matt Hodgkinson, Anna Schmidt, and Elizabeth Silva; Senior Editors Eric Martens and Emma Veitch; Consulting Editors Catriona MacCallum and Iratxe Puebla; and Editorial Director Damian Pattinson
Hurricane Sandy and PLOS ONE
On Monday evening, Hurricane Sandy brought destruction to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States, leaving much of the area without water, electricity, and other basic amenities. In light of the ongoing effects of the damage, PLOS ONE would like to express our deepest sympathies for those dealing with the impacts of the storm and send our best wishes for the recovery efforts.
For our authors who may be waiting for your manuscript to be handled, please note that submissions may be delayed in their review as many of our Editors and reviewers are based in these regions. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
PLOS ONE Staff
New animal species now official when published online
The International Commission for Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), the body that regulates animal species names, took a big step earlier this week when it announced that electronic publication of a new species name is now sufficient to make that name official.
Prior to the announcement, the ICZN code stated that a new species name only became official once it was printed. The stipulation was intended to ensure that records of species names were securely archived and would remain accessible over the long term, but for an online-only publisher like PLOS, it meant that we had to print and store physical copies of each paper describing a new species in addition to our standard online publication. To put this in perspective, PLOS ONE published 25 papers presenting new animal species in 2011, and has already published 32 in 2012, including the tiny Brookesia chameleons pictured at the top of this post, so this additional printing and archiving is not trivial.
Now, though, the Commission has decided to adjust their standards in response to today’s increasingly electronic environment. According to the ICZN press release about the updated rules, the change “is intended to speed the process of publishing biodiversity information, to improve access to this information, and to help reduce the ‘taxonomic impediment’ that hinders our cataloguing of the living world.”
It won’t be a free-for-all: new species names must be published in journals or books with ISSNs or ISBNs, so purely web options like blogs or Wikipedia are not sufficient, and before publication authors must register their name with ZooBank, the official ICZN online registry for scientific names of animals. Overall, though, the hope is to reduce the barriers to proper nomenclature monitoring and archiving. The updated code is also in line with similar recent changes to the regulations for naming new botanical species.
The update is part of a broader discussion around how to ensure long-term reliability and durability for any type of electronic records, and while this problem may not yet be robustly solved, we at PLOS ONE applaud the ICZN’s efforts to address the changing needs of today’s scientists.
Image citation: Glaw F, Köhler J, Townsend TM, Vences M (2012) Rivaling the World’s Smallest Reptiles: Discovery of Miniaturized and Microendemic New Species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from Northern Madagascar. PLoS ONE 7(2): e31314. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0031314