Journal profile · Virology
PLoS Pathogens
ISSN 1553-7366 · eISSN 1553-7374 · Public Library of Science · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2005
PLoS Pathogens: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.92; fully open access; APC about USD 3,165; median 161 days to acceptance (124 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 767 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PLoS Pathogens is published by Public Library of Science and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are HIV Research and Treatment, Immune Cell Function and Interaction and Mosquito-borne diseases and control, together about 22.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Immunology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PLOS Pathogens is a community-driven and Open Access journal publishing ground-breaking work that significantly advances our understanding of pathogen biology. We welcome submissions in fundamental discovery, translational or applied research, encompassing all life forms. We publish outstanding original research covering the full breadth of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi, and prions, as well as co-infections and microbial communities. Topics can include, but are not limited to: pathogenesis, pathogen replication, host-pathogen interactions, genomics and gene regulation, cell biology of infection, structural biology, immune responses, transmission, reservoirs, emerging pathogens, evolution, pathogens and the microbiome, pathogen-associated cancers, diagnostic biomarkers, therapeutics and drug resistance, and vaccines. We publish commissioned Reviews, Pearls, Opinions, and Editorials, and welcome Short Reports and primary Research Article submissions including laboratory, clinical or field studies. Submissions that report computational analysis or resources along with experimental validation and meet the journal’s criteria for advance, utility, validation, and availability, will also be considered.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Virology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- HIV Research and TreatmentImmunology and Microbiology8.5%
- Immune Cell Function and InteractionImmunology and Microbiology7.1%
- Mosquito-borne diseases and controlMedicine6.6%
- Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus researchMedicine6.3%
- interferon and immune responsesImmunology and Microbiology5.7%
- Viral Infections and VectorsMedicine5.2%
- Herpesvirus Infections and TreatmentsMedicine4.8%
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiologyMedicine3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPMCEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Dimensions, CNKI, AGRICOLA, Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 4.92LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.93LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- h-index
- 174LetPub ·
- h-index
- 322OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 10,223OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.41OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 735LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 12,903 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 680 | 680 | 428 |
| 2025 | 767 | 767 | 3,501 |
| 2024 | 704 | 704 | 7,700 |
| 2023 | 660 | 660 | 12,239 |
| 2022 | 661 | 661 | 17,831 |
| 2021 | 842 | 842 | 32,638 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
161 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 126 days – 198 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (124 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 185 days
- Sample
- 124 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,614 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 24 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 3,165 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,043 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,926 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted6
- editorialsPearls Reviews Opinions EditorialsLength not stated
- opinionsPearls Reviews Opinions EditorialsLength not stated
- pearlsPearls Reviews Opinions EditorialsLength not stated
- research articleIf you are submitting content other than a research article, read the guidelines for other article types.Length not stated
- reviewsPearls Reviews Opinions EditorialsLength not stated
- systematic reviewA systematic review paper, as defined by The Cochrane Collaboration, is a review of a clearly formulated question that uses explicit, systematic methods to iden…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Consortia and group authorship
If a manuscript is submitted on behalf of a consortium or group, include its name in the manuscript byline. Do not add it to the author list in the submission system. You may include the full list of members in the Acknowledgments or in a supporting information file. PubMed only indexes individual consortium or group author members listed in the article byline. If included, these individuals must …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Financial Disclosure Statement
This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work. If your manuscript is published, your statement will appear in the Funding section of the article. Include your statement in the Financial Disclosure section of the initial submission form. The statement should include: Specific grant numbers Initials of authors who received each award URLs to sponsors’ websites Also…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Complementary Research Materials, Software and Code Sharing Model summary
Complementary Research Materials, Software and Code Sharing
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
PLOS applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees, for virtually any purpose. Anyone may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, as long as the author and original source are properly cited. Learn more.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions Model summary
Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
PLOS encourages authors to post preprints to accelerate the dissemination of research and support authors who wish to share their work early and receive feedback before formal peer review. Deposition of manuscripts with preprint servers does not impact consideration of the manuscript at any PLOS journal. Authors posting on bioRxiv may submit direclty to PLOS journals through bioRxiv’s direct trans…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2005
- ISSN
- 1553-7366
- Electronic ISSN
- 1553-7374
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about PLoS Pathogens
What CAS zone is PLoS Pathogens in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, PLoS Pathogens is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Microbiology / Parasitology / Virology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of PLoS Pathogens?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.92; CiteScore 8.2, h-index 322.
How long does peer review take at PLoS Pathogens?
Based on the dates recorded on 124 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 161 days (interquartile range 126–198 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of PLoS Pathogens?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Vancouver; Suggested reviewers: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index PLoS Pathogens?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PLoS Pathogens is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PMC, Embase, CAS and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is PLoS Pathogens open access, and what is the APC?
PLoS Pathogens is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,165.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .