About PLoS Computational Biology
PLoS Computational Biology (eISSN 1553-7358, ISSN 1553-734X) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published monthly by the Public Library of Science (PLoS) as the official journal of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB).
PLoS Computational Biology is run by an international Editorial Board, headed by the Editor-in-Chief, Philip E. Bourne (University of California, San Diego, USA).
Journal Scope
PLoS Computational Biology features works of exceptional significance that further our understanding of living systems at all scales—from molecules and cells, to patient populations and ecosystems—through the application of computational methods. Readers include life and computational scientists, who can take the important findings presented here to the next level of discovery.
Research articles that primarily describe new methods and offer only limited biological insight will be considered only in those exceptional instances in which the method is expected to significantly impact the field of computational biology, typically making substantial breakthroughs in areas of demonstrated importance. Research articles modeling aspects of biological systems should demonstrate both scientific novelty and profound new biological insights. Research articles describing improved or routine methods, models, software, and databases will not be considered by PLoS Computational Biology, and may be more appropriate for PLoS ONE.
Generally, reliability and significance of biological discovery are validated and enriched by experimental studies. Experimental validation is not required for publication, however, nor does experimental validation of a modest biological discovery render a manuscript suitable for PLoS Computational Biology.
For all submissions, authors must clearly provide detail, data, and software to ensure readers' ability to reproduce the models, methods, and results.
Authors unsure of whether their work is within the scope of the journal should submit a presubmission inquiry.
Journal Contents
Outstanding primary research articles on all aspects of computational biology applied to different and integrated biological scales, from molecules and cells to patient populations and ecosystems.
Invited and submitted reviews and perspectives on topics of broad interest to the readership. Historical reviews and high-quality tutorials (including multimedia presentations) teaching important concepts in the field of computational biology.
Announcements of activities of the International Society for Computational Biology (ISCB) and other information of interest to scientists in this and related fields.
Please refer to our Author Guidelines when you are preparing your manuscript for submission. If you are unsure whether your paper is suitable for PLoS Computational Biology, you can send a Presubmission Inquiry.
Open Access
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) applies the Creative Commons Attribution License (CCAL) to all works we publish. Under the CCAL, authors retain ownership of the copyright for their article, but authors allow anyone to download, reuse, reprint, modify, distribute, and/or copy articles in PLoS journals, so long as the original authors and source are cited. No permission is required from the authors or the publishers.
Publications Charges
To provide open access, PLoS journals use a business model in which our expenses—including those of peer review, journal production, and online hosting and archiving—are recovered in part by charging a publication fee to the authors or research sponsors for each article they publish. For PLoS Computational Biology the publication fee is US$2100. Authors who are affiliated with one of our Institutional Members are eligible for a discount on this fee.
We offer a complete or partial fee waiver for authors who do not have funds to cover publication fees. Editors and reviewers have no access to payment information, and hence inability to pay will not influence the decision to publish a paper.
For further information, see our Publication Fee FAQ.
Measuring Impact
The impact factor is calculated in large part by how often a journal's papers have been cited in a particular year. PLoS Computational Biology has received its first impact factor of 4.9 from Thomson Scientific, a preliminary figure based on just six months of published work in 2005, which places it highest in ISI's "Mathematical & Computational Biology" category. Although the impact factor cannot fully measure the value of published work or its wider influence, we are delighted with the response from and support of the computational biology community and remain focused on our principal goal of publishing high-quality, substantive science. We also encourage contributors and readers to consider the wider issues surrounding the impact factor (see, for example, the June 2006 editorial in PLoS Medicine) and to participate in efforts to develop alternative metrics.
About the International Society for Computational Biology
The International Society for Computational Biology is a scholarly society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of living systems through computation. Founded in 1997, the ISCB communicates the significance of our science to the larger scientific community, governments, and the public at large. The ISCB serves a global membership by impacting government and scientific policies, providing high quality publications and meetings, and through distribution of valuable information about training, education, employment and relevant news from related fields. For more information about the ISCB, visit www.iscb.org.
About the Public Library of Science
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. For more information about PLoS, visit www.plos.org.