PLOS Genetics

What PLOS Genetics does

PLOS Genetics is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal focused exclusively on genetics and genomics research. Published weekly as part of the Public Library of Science (PLOS) nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the journal has been operational since approximately 2000 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. It serves academic and clinical researchers worldwide, publishing original research articles, reviews, and opinions spanning genome-wide association studies, evolutionary genetics, developmental genetics, population genetics, microbial genetics, and the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases.

The journal operates through a web-based publishing platform at journals.plos.org/plosgenetics, supported by an Editorial Manager submission portal for manuscript handling and a structured peer review infrastructure managed by an international editorial board of recognized geneticists. Its core technology stack consists of standard online publishing and editorial management systems with open-access distribution, academic database indexing, and integration with preprint servers and data repositories. The journal does not operate as a platform-plus-modules architecture; it is a single journal product within the broader PLOS family.

PLOS Genetics generates revenue through Article Processing Charges (APCs) paid by authors to make their research openly accessible globally, supplemented by potential institutional agreements and waivers for researchers from developing countries. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on academic networks, editorial board reputation, peer review credibility, and channels including PLOS Blogs, email newsletters, social media (Bluesky, Facebook), RSS feeds, and academic conferences. As a nonprofit entity, PLOS Genetics reinvests revenue into open science infrastructure rather than distributing profit.

Name

PLOS Genetics

Legal name

Public Library of Science (PLOS)

Website

https://plosgenetics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PLOS Genetics is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal publishing original genetics and genomics research for a global community of academic and clinical researchers, operated by the nonprofit Public Library of Science (PLOS).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Article Processing Charges (APCs): Authors pay publication fees to make their research open access. The journal is part of PLOS, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. Fee details are available through the PLOS publication fees page.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PLOS Genetics is an open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes weekly research articles, opinions, and reviews in the field of genetics. The journal provides a web-based publishing platform with manuscript submission via Editorial Manager, structured peer review by expert editors, and free global access to published research. Authors pay Article Processing Charges (APCs) to make their work open access, with discounts or waivers available for researchers from developing countries or certain institutions.

Product overview

PLOS Genetics is a single peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal focused on genetics research. The offering consists of the journal platform accessible at journals.plos.org/plosgenetics, which provides access to current and archived research articles, collections of themed articles, and manuscript submission services. The journal is part of the broader PLOS (Public Library of Science) family of journals and does not operate as a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PLOS Genetics Journal Platform A peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal publishing research articles, opinions, and reviews in the field of genetics, accessible through the journals.plos.org/plosgenetics website with current issues, article archives, collections, and manuscript submission services. Targeted at academic and research institutions, individual academic researchers, and medical and clinical geneticists worldwide.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• European Journal of Human Genetics: Nature Publishing Group journal of the European Society of Human Genetics publishing clinical and population genetics research in competition with PLOS Genetics for translational genetics papers.
• Nature Genetics: Top-tier genetics journal published by Springer Nature covering the same breadth of genetics topics (GWAS, evolutionary, developmental genetics) and competing directly for the same high-profile submissions that PLOS Genetics targets.
• Genetics (journal): Genetics Society of America flagship journal published by Oxford University Press, covering classical and modern genetics with overlapping scope to PLOS Genetics in evolutionary, developmental, and model-organism genetics.
• Genome Research: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press journal publishing high-impact genomics research, overlapping with PLOS Genetics on genome-wide association studies, functional genomics, and comparative genomics.
• American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG): Flagship human/medical genetics journal published by Cell Press/Elsevier, directly competing with PLOS Genetics for clinical and population genetics research, especially GWAS and disease-gene papers.
• Human Molecular Genetics: Oxford University Press journal focused on human molecular genetics; competes with PLOS Genetics for clinical and translational genetics submissions and shares overlapping author pools in disease-gene discovery.
• BMC Genomics: Open-access BioMed Central (Springer Nature) journal covering large-scale genomic studies, directly competing with PLOS Genetics for high-throughput and computational genetics submissions in an OA model.

Emerging players

• NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics: Open-access Oxford University Press journal launched as a sister to Nucleic Acids Research, focusing on computational and functional genomics; newer OA venue competing for a similar computational genetics submission base.

Broad incumbents

• BioMed Central: Springer Nature's large-scale open-access publisher portfolio, including BMC Genomics, BMC Medical Genetics, and other genetics-adjacent OA journals; a broad incumbent that competes for the same OA-author pool as PLOS Genetics.
• eLife: Established open-access publisher with broad life-sciences coverage. While not a genetics-specific journal, eLife is a well-funded OA nonprofit that competes for high-quality genetics submissions and competes for author mindshare in the open-access community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/plos.org
• Xx.com/plosgenetics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PLOS Genetics