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Journal Information

Mission

PLOS Aging and Health advances dialogue on research and policy across disciplines on developmental and age-related processes and changes across the life course to help prepare for the profound impacts of demographic shifts and global aging. By bringing together high-quality biomedical, clinical, social, demographic and systems research and perspectives, underpinned by open science and grounded in strong research integrity and ethical standards, the journal drives inclusive, cross-disciplinary understanding of aging at individual and population levels across the lifespan to inform practice, shape policy and drive innovation.

Scope

PLOS Aging and Health is an open access journal that publishes boundary breaking work from researchers, clinicians, public health scientists, social scientists, and policymakers across the spectrum of aging research. We publish ethically conducted, impactful, immediately accessible research that advances our understanding of aging, integrating biological, developmental, clinical, neurological, and functional dimensions. The journal highlights factors such as disease processes, cognitive and mental health changes, geriatric care, lifestyle interventions, advances in technology, healthcare systems, social determinants, and policy approaches to understand and optimize health across the human lifespan. It addresses the societal, policy, and healthcare system transformations required to support healthy aging and quality of life on an individual level and across diverse and evolving populations across the life course.

Contents

PLOS Aging and Health features engaging primary Research Articles, and Reviews, Opinions, and Editorials.

Read more about the article types we publish.

Choosing a Section

Selecting a section is required for submission and will be used to assign your manuscript to an appropriate Section Editor.

PLOS Aging and Health is comprised of the following research sections:

  • Biological Mechanisms of Aging
  • Lifespan Development & Life Course
  • Disease & Health Conditions
  • Neurological Health & Cognition
  • Clinical Practice & Medical Care
  • Functional Health & Well-being
  • Healthcare Systems & Services
  • Population Demographics & Dynamics
  • Social, Economic & Environmental Determinants of Health
  • Policy & Governance​

Criteria for Publication

To be considered for publication in PLOS Aging and Health, any given manuscript must satisfy the following criteria:

  • Originality
  • High importance and broad interest to researchers, clinicians, public health scientists, social scientists, and policymakers across the spectrum of aging research
  • High methodological rigor and ethical standards
  • Substantial evidence for its conclusions
  • Clearly outlined utility and accessibility for the broader community
  • Follow appropriate standards and practice of open science
Consideration of complementary research

Scientists commonly refer to research as “scooped” when independent groups working on the same topic reach similar conclusions and one group publishes the results first. Although originality is one criterion for studies published in PLOS Aging and Health, “scooped” manuscripts that confirm, replicate, extend, or are complementary to a recently published, significant advance are still eligible for consideration in PLOS Aging and Health. The complementary manuscript must present equally or more rigorous findings than the published study and any submission must also meet the criteria for publication listed above. Authors of the complementary work have six months after the first article’s publication date to submit their manuscript to PLOS Aging and Health. Studies must be performed comprehensively, and preliminary placeholder studies will not be considered.

Editorial Oversight

PLOS Aging and Health is run by an international Editorial Board, headed by the Editors-in-Chief and supported by the Journal Development Manager.

Editors-in-Chief

Jennifer Schrack

Sara Hägg

Editorial Board

View the PLOS Aging and Health Editorial Board.

Submit Your Manuscript

For more information about submitting to PLOS Aging and Health, read our guidelines for preparing a submission.

Publication Fees

PLOS employs several business models to support equitable Open Access. A full list of our publication fees, funding initiatives and fee assistance information is available here.

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.

Journal and Article Metrics

All of our journals have a range of metrics available, including Article-Level Metrics (ALMs), SJR, CiteScore, and h-index. We do not consider Impact Factor to be a reliable or useful metric to assess the performance of individual articles but will provide the metric to individuals when specifically requested. Metrics for all of our journals, including publication timings and acceptance rates are available here.

Indexing and Archiving

To ensure research is widely accessible and discoverable, PLOS submits all of our titles to major indexing services for evaluation as soon as possible according to the schedule of the specific service. Once PLOS Aging and Health begins publishing content, we’ll update this page to show where the journal is currently indexed, and which servers we’re continuing to work with.

PLOS

PLOS is a non-profit organization on a mission to drive open science forward with measurable, meaningful change in research publishing, policy, and practice. We believe in a better future where science is open to all, for all.

Contact

Visit the Contact page for details about whom to contact with different queries.