Public Library of Science · ISSN 1553-7366 · 1553-7374
PLOS Pathogens 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: 5.57 citations per paper for PLOS Pathogens, retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
Key metrics
- Two-year mean citedness
- 5.57Citations per paper, papers from the two prior yearsSource: OpenAlex
- h-index
- 315Across all yearsSource: OpenAlex
- Papers in 2025
- 76712,958 in totalSource: OpenAlex
- Access
- OpenAPC about $3,043Source: OpenAlex
Papers per year.
How many works PLOS Pathogens published in each complete year, as indexed by OpenAlex.
Fig. 1Works per year from OpenAlex. Retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
What PLOS Pathogens publishes.
Mostly Genetics, Virology and Immunology, within Medicine.
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- HIV Research and Treatment
- Immune Response and Inflammation
- interferon and immune responses
- Virology and Viral Diseases
- Escherichia coli research studies
Most frequent research topics in OpenAlex.
Journals with a similar citation profile.
| Journal | Two-year mean citedness | h-index | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| PLOS Pathogens | 5.57 | 315 | Open |
| Cardiovasc Res | 5.28 | 300 | Subscription |
| Neurobiol Dis | 5.26 | 225 | Open |
| J Virol | 4.74 | 421 | Open |
| Circ Res | 4.63 | 507 | Subscription |
About PLOS Pathogens.
Comment 1What is the PLOS Pathogens 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: 5.57 citations per paper for PLOS Pathogens, retrieved 23 Oct 2026.
Comment 2Is PLOS Pathogens open access?
Yes, PLOS Pathogens is fully open access, with an article processing charge of about $3,043.
Comment 3How many papers does PLOS Pathogens publish a year?
OpenAlex records 767 works in 2025, and 12,958 in total.
Sources
- 1. OpenAlex source record · retrieved 23 Oct 2026
The Journal Impact Factor is a Clarivate metric and is not reproduced here.