Press and Media

Embargoes

Embargo policy

We do not discuss any manuscript with the media until it has been accepted for publication and assigned a publication date.

Unless otherwise noted, all information provided by PLOS ONE is subject to a press embargo whose date and time will be clearly stated.

Read more about the PLOS embargo policy.

Talking about research under embargo

We wish to encourage communication between scientists. For that reason, authors may communicate research for scientific purposes prior to publication. This includes talking about your research at conferences, on social media, and on preprint servers.

Once your research has been accepted and assigned a publication date, it is subject to embargo. You may discuss your research under embargo with journalists and other members of the media, and you should inform journalists of the embargo in all your communications. We discourage actively seeking publicity for your research before that point. If you do choose to discuss your research at the preprint stage, you should stress that your work is still undergoing peer review and you may not disclose the journal where the work is under consideration.

Social media embargoes

We recognize that blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media sites are powerful tools in information dissemination. If you choose to blog about or promote your accepted manuscript via social media, please wait until the embargo lifts and include a link to your article. If you choose to discuss research at the preprint stage, you should stress that your work is still undergoing peer review and you may not disclose the journal where the work is under consideration.

Press Releases

Every week, our media relations team identifies accepted manuscripts that we want to highlight in a press release. Our press releases are written in a straightforward manner by the PLOS ONE press team and aim to accurately report the research presented in the manuscript.

Information for authors

If we choose to press release your manuscript, a member of our media relations team will contact you for details such as contact information, quotes, and supplementary images or video, if applicable. Before we send a press release to our press list and EurekAlert!, we will give you 24 to 48 hours to review the press release for accuracy and approve it.

We only have space for a limited number of press releases every week. If we choose not to press release your article, you may choose to work with your institution to promote the research. If so, we recommend that you contact your institution as soon as your manuscript has been accepted. You must also notify our media relations team as soon as possible so that we can assist your press office.

Information for press officers

If your institution is planning to promote research publishing in PLOS ONE please contact our media relations team as soon as possible. We will be able to provide your office with press materials.

We are happy to correspond with press officers, but the corresponding author must be copied into any communication with the institution’s press office, and in any press-related correspondence.

In your press release, we request the following:

• Journal name. Refer to us as PLOS ONE.
• Organization name. The organization's name is written as PLOS and pronounced to rhyme with “boss”.
• Article URL. Include a link to the article in the press release.

Press lists and embargoes

Our embargoes enable authors to achieve accurate, high-quality media coverage which disseminates their peer-reviewed research to non-expert readers. They ensure that peer-reviewed published articles are accessible to everyone when first reported in the media. Press officers may send trusted journalists press releases before the article’s publication date; this is acceptable provided that these journalists agree to abide by the embargo.

Press releases may not be distributed publicly prior to the embargo lifting. Releases that are sent to private press lists and sent to press release services like EurekAlert! must clearly be labeled with the embargo time and date.

Information for Journalists and Bloggers

All articles that are press released via PLOS ONE are sent to our private press list and posted to EurekAlert. The releases will be clearly labeled with the embargo date and time, contact information, a link to the location of the article once the embargo lifts, and a press preview PDF.

In your article, please include the following information:

• Journal name. Refer to us as PLOS ONE.
• Organization name. The organization's name is written as PLOS and pronounced to rhyme with “boss”.
• Article. If your news article will be published online, include a link to the freely available PLOS ONE article.

If you are interested in joining PLOS’ press list, please visit PLOS’ embargo policy page for eligibility requirements and conditions.

If you are a journalist seeking more information about PLOS, refer to the PLOS Press Kit.

If you have questions or need to get in touch with us, please contact us.

Social media

We recognize that blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and many other social media sites are powerful tools in information dissemination. If you choose to blog or post information about a PLOS ONE article via social media, please wait until the embargo on the paper lifts and include a link to the article.

Communicating Your Research

Media toolkit for PLOS authors

To help you navigate the media process, we've developed a free media toolkit for your use. The toolkit has information on promoting your research and speaking to the media, as well as further press and media resources.

Speaking to the media

If you agree to be the contact for journalists, please note that you could be contacted by reporters from around the world. It is important that you respond to their queries in a timely manner as journalists work under tight deadlines. Failure to respond to them could result in a story being published without your input and might end up containing inaccurate information.

Before giving an interview, please ensure that the journalist will agree to abide by the embargo. It is also helpful to share the link to your manuscript so that the journalist may include it in the article.

Promoting your research on social media

We encourage you to promote your research on social media. Please wait until the embargo lifts and include a link to the published article.

Communication between scientists

We encourage you to discuss your research with other scientists. You may present and discuss your research for scientific purposes prior to publication. This includes talking about research at conferences and on preprint servers.

Media Coverage

Who covers PLOS ONE

Every day we see PLOS ONE articles in the news. In 2017, over 1,770 PLOS ONE articles were discussed around 90,000 times in news articles, blogs, radio programs, and podcasts from around the globe. Though we cannot guarantee the media will cover any one article, we regularly see PLOS ONE research being reported on by The New York Times, WIRED, BBC, Xinhua, National Geographic, Discovery News, The Washington Post, and by many well-known science bloggers.

See also an archive of our press releases on EurekAlert.

Media tracking

Our media tracking system showcases news and media coverage of our articles and enriches post-publication discussion. The tool automatically picks up coverage that links directly to the journal article.

We also encourage authors and readers to submit any additional coverage or resources online using the link on an article’s “Related Content” tab. Pending journal approval, the coverage will be displayed on the “Related Content” tab. This wide range of content may include news media, blog posts, discussion boards, podcasts, lab websites, and institution or funding institution pages.

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