Re: PLoS ONE: now the world's largest journal?

[Pippa Smart <pippa.smart@gmail.com>]

Regarding the figures presented by Heather: the actual number of 
articles published to date is 15,813 (you can find the number by 
using the advanced search), so I guess it is not yet the largest 
journal.

Regarding the size/usability issue, my view is that online 
journals are different as they appear to the user more like a 
portal than a traditional journal, and therefore there is an 
argument that "the larger the better" - as you can get more hits 
on your subject search.

Whilst I am a fan of the methodology used by PLoSOne (accept 
things that are methodologically correct but not necessarily 
"interesting/novel") and the model is being echoed by other 
publishers (e.g. American Inst, of Physics with AIP Advances, 
BioMedCentral with BMC Research Notes, and Sage with Sage Notes), 
I recently heard an alternative viewpoint. The speaker said that 
such methodology will ultimately lead to a lowering of quality 
and a downward spiral (fewer readers trusting the articles, fewer 
good articles being submitted, etc), and that Brain Research used 
this model in the 1980s to the detriment of its quality and 
prestige.

Hmm, I wonder if the model will prove that the traditional 
editorial role (selecting for prestige/interest) will be 
vindicated or if this really is a new era.

Pippa Smart
Research Communication and Publishing Consultant
PSP Consulting
email: pippa.smart@gmail.com
Web: www.pspconsulting.org

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