Public Library of Science · ISSN 1544-9173 · 1545-7885
PLOS Biology impact factor, and the open numbers behind it.
Short answer
The Journal Impact Factor is a licensed Clarivate metric, so we do not reproduce it. The closest open equivalent is OpenAlex's two-year mean citedness: 7.25 citations per paper for PLOS Biology, retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
Key metrics
- Two-year mean citedness
- 7.25Citations per paper, papers from the two prior yearsSource: OpenAlex
- h-index
- 383Across all yearsSource: OpenAlex
- Papers in 2025
- 5738,798 in totalSource: OpenAlex
- Access
- OpenAPC about $5,500Source: OpenAlex
Papers per year.
How many works PLOS Biology published in each complete year, as indexed by OpenAlex.
Fig. 1Works per year from OpenAlex. Retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
What PLOS Biology publishes.
Mostly Molecular Biology, Genetics and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, within Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology.
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
Most frequent research topics in OpenAlex.
Journals with a similar citation profile.
| Journal | Two-year mean citedness | h-index | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLOS Biology | 7.25 | 383 | Open |
| CMLS | 7.25 | 329 | Open |
| EMBO Mol Med | 7.39 | 186 | Open |
| IJMS | 7.08 | 426 | Open |
| AJHG | 7.44 | 385 | Subscription |
About PLOS Biology.
Comment 1What is the PLOS Biology impact factor?
The Journal Impact Factor is a licensed Clarivate metric, so we do not reproduce it. The closest open equivalent is OpenAlex's two-year mean citedness: 7.25 citations per paper for PLOS Biology, retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
Comment 2Is PLOS Biology open access?
Yes, PLOS Biology is fully open access, with an article processing charge of about $5,500.
Comment 3How many papers does PLOS Biology publish a year?
OpenAlex records 573 works in 2025, and 8,798 in total.
Sources
- 1. OpenAlex source record · retrieved 23 Oct 2026
The Journal Impact Factor is a Clarivate metric and is not reproduced here.