Journal Summary Usage Data
This page contains summary tables relating solely to article usage data. We have also provided detailed text describing the full range of article-level metrics at PLoS, detailed information about usage data in particular, and a summary Excel file containing the full data set.
Table of average lifetime usage per journal: mean values are shown per journal, per article type (Research Articles or non-Research Articles), according to the year of first publication
These tables contain summary usage data for the articles published by each PLoS journal and provide an indication of the typical usage levels that might be expected, at a journal level, for those articles originally published in any given year. As an example of how to read these tables, there were 33 Research Articles published in PLoS Biology in 2003 and as of 31st January 2010 their lifetime average usage was 11,300.
See notes at the bottom of this table.
Research Articles
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| PLoS Biology | 11300 (33) | 9300 (175) | 9100 (176) | 6800 (185) | 6100 (203) | 4700 (197) | 3200 (181) |
| PLoS Clinical Trials | n/a | n/a | n/a | 2600 (24) | 2100 (19) | n/a | n/a |
| PLoS Computational Biology | n/a | n/a | 5200 (55) | 3700 (135) | 3000 (203) | 2500 (251) | 1400 (343) |
| PLoS Genetics | n/a | n/a | 5400 (66) | 4000 (172) | 3700 (210) | 2700 (325) | 1300 (436) |
| PLoS Medicine | n/a | 9400 (13) | 6500 (86) | 5600 (145) | 5600 (135) | 7700 (110) | 3300 (77) |
| PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 2400 (26) | 1900 (133) | 700 (178) |
| PLoS ONE | n/a | n/a | n/a | 8300 (137) | 2600 (1227) | 1700 (2711) | 900 (4398) |
| PLoS Pathogens | n/a | n/a | 3800 (36) | 3700 (97) | 3100 (172) | 2200 (271) | 1100 (423) |
Non-Research Articles
| 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| PLoS Biology | 8300 (63) | 4500 (279) | 3500 (255) | 2700 (237) | 4900 (118) | 4300 (131) | 3700 (83) |
| PLoS Clinical Trials | n/a | n/a | n/a | 4200 (15) | 1500 (9) | n/a | n/a |
| PLoS Computational Biology | n/a | n/a | 8500 (17) | 5000 (32) | 5700 (48) | 5600 (36) | 3500 (33) |
| PLoS Genetics | n/a | n/a | 4100 (11) | 3500 (35) | 3600 (20) | 2900 (27) | 1800 (37) |
| PLoS Medicine | n/a | 7000 (55) | 5100 (348) | 4000 (342) | 3600 (210) | 3600 (140) | 2600 (122) |
| PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 2700 (16) | 1900 (46) | 900 (46) |
| PLoS ONE | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| PLoS Pathogens | n/a | n/a | 3100 (5) | 3200 (26) | 2900 (25) | 2500 (15) | 1500 (36) |
Notes
- Lifetime usage data are correct up to 31st January 2010 and are the sum of HTML page views, PDF downloads and XML downloads.
- All averages are mean and have been rounded.
- Only PLoS ONE contains no 'non-Research Articles'. Non-Research Articles are, for example, the reviews and 'journalistic' articles that appear at the front of the other journals.
- We have also provided a summary Excel file containing the full data set, at the article level.
- PLoS Clinical Trials journal was discontinued in 2007 and merged with PLoS ONE. Usage data are reported separately here.
Topic-based summary tables: mean average lifetime usage is shown for Research Articles only, listed per journal, per topic, according to the year of first publication
These tables contain summary usage data for the research articles published in each PLoS journal and provide an indication of the typical usage levels that might be expected for an article published in any given topic area in any specific PLoS journal, originally published in any given year. As an example of how to read these tables, there were 28 Research Articles published in PLoS Biology in 2006 in the topic area 'Biochemistry', and as of 31st January 2010 their lifetime average usage was 5,600.
PLoS Biology
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 6700 (4) | 7200 (27) | 5600 (28) | 3900 (38) | 3600 (39) | 2400 (36) |
| Biophysics | 7500 (11) | 6100 (11) | 5500 (17) | 4400 (18) | 2900 (17) | 3000 (24) |
| Cell Biology | 8500 (64) | 8300 (42) | 6100 (41) | 5100 (57) | 3700 (54) | 3000 (70) |
| Computational Biology | 11700 (31) | 10400 (42) | 8900 (36) | 7700 (35) | 4700 (17) | 4100 (21) |
| Developmental Biology | 8000 (31) | 8000 (25) | 5600 (30) | 4900 (37) | 4100 (36) | 2700 (39) |
| Ecology | 12000 (20) | 10800 (32) | 7900 (45) | 8900 (20) | 6600 (21) | 4100 (9) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 12000 (43) | 11200 (66) | 7400 (63) | 8000 (44) | 5900 (39) | 3900 (25) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 10500 (70) | 9600 (64) | 7800 (49) | 7600 (71) | 4600 (57) | 3000 (49) |
| Immunology | 7000 (17) | 7500 (13) | 4400 (12) | 6500 (12) | 3200 (15) | 4400 (12) |
| Infectious Diseases | 8100 (17) | 10400 (21) | 5900 (14) | 5900 (9) | 4300 (18) | 6200 (6) |
| Microbiology | 7800 (18) | 7600 (28) | 5600 (25) | 8100 (22) | 4000 (17) | 2900 (12) |
| Molecular Biology | 10400 (38) | 8500 (36) | 5500 (45) | 5000 (54) | 4000 (36) | 2800 (33) |
| Neuroscience | 8900 (25) | 9800 (41) | 4700 (49) | 4700 (58) | 5500 (50) | 3100 (50) |
| Physiology | 14300 (9) | 14100 (13) | 5200 (16) | 4800 (11) | 4100 (9) | 2800 (12) |
| Plant Biology | 10700 (4) | 9200 (9) | 6400 (11) | 6200 (8) | 4000 (12) | 2600 (5) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 9300 (175) | 9100 (176) | 6800 (185) | 6100 (203) | 4700 (197) | 3200 (181) |
PLoS Computational Biology
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 3500 (14) | 3100 (17) | 2200 (30) | 1000 (41) |
| Cell Biology | 3000 (24) | 2900 (27) | 2100 (24) | 1300 (39) |
| Developmental Biology | 3500 (8) | 3100 (16) | 1800 (11) | 1100 (21) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 3900 (42) | 3200 (39) | 2700 (23) | 1600 (34) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 4100 (29) | 3300 (38) | 2900 (31) | 1500 (57) |
| Immunology | 1700 (9) | 3200 (9) | 2400 (8) | 1000 (9) |
| Infectious Diseases | 2700 (9) | 2900 (19) | 2600 (6) | 1200 (22) |
| Mathematics | 3000 (13) | 3300 (25) | 3200 (32) | 1400 (67) |
| Microbiology | 3800 (18) | 3300 (9) | 2100 (9) | 1000 (7) |
| Molecular Biology | 4300 (34) | 3200 (27) | 2000 (13) | 1300 (39) |
| Neuroscience | 3200 (18) | 2400 (32) | 2500 (58) | 1700 (72) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 3700 (135) | 3000 (203) | 2500 (251) | 1400 (343) |
PLoS Genetics
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 4700 (13) | 2700 (16) | 2400 (26) | 800 (29) |
| Cell Biology | 3400 (24) | 2700 (38) | 2200 (77) | 1000 (97) |
| Computational Biology | 4300 (55) | 4300 (31) | 3000 (44) | 1500 (57) |
| Developmental Biology | 3900 (25) | 3300 (39) | 2300 (68) | 1200 (78) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 3900 (63) | 4200 (55) | 3700 (64) | 1500 (88) |
| Infectious Diseases | 4200 (11) | 2300 (7) | 2000 (13) | 1400 (15) |
| Microbiology | 3900 (18) | 2600 (17) | 2400 (24) | 1000 (40) |
| Molecular Biology | 3400 (15) | 2900 (46) | 2200 (81) | 1100 (116) |
| Neuroscience | 4000 (5) | 3700 (12) | 2500 (21) | 900 (20) |
| Oncology | 4600 (11) | 2600 (7) | 2000 (8) | 1000 (11) |
| Plant Biology | 3900 (9) | 3300 (8) | 2200 (17) | 1300 (28) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 4000 (172) | 3700 (210) | 2700 (325) | 1300 (436) |
PLoS Medicine
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Cardiovascular Disorders | 5500 (7) | 3500 (10) | 5500 (8) | 9900 (6) | 2800 (6) |
| Diabetes and Endocrinology | 7300 (6) | 4900 (7) | 6800 (13) | 3900 (7) | 1600 (3) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 5700 (13) | 4600 (29) | 3600 (19) | 4000 (13) | 3400 (2) |
| Immunology | 4500 (13) | 3600 (31) | 4400 (19) | 3200 (8) | 4700 (9) |
| Infectious Diseases | 6600 (38) | 6200 (69) | 5200 (53) | 4600 (36) | 2600 (27) |
| Neuroscience | 4900 (6) | 5600 (9) | 4100 (9) | 6200 (5) | 1900 (2) |
| Non-Clinical Medicine | 9700 (14) | 8100 (41) | 8700 (18) | 21100 (3) | 2200 (6) |
| Oncology | 7700 (9) | 4800 (18) | 4500 (17) | 5200 (9) | 6300 (6) |
| Pediatrics and Child Health | 4200 (4) | 4600 (10) | 4400 (15) | 5000 (10) | 1500 (9) |
| Public Health and Epidemiology | 6700 (35) | 6500 (81) | 5600 (77) | 7500 (58) | 3400 (37) |
| Virology | 5300 (10) | 5000 (21) | 4300 (11) | 4500 (8) | 3300 (4) |
| Women's Health | 5000 (6) | 4300 (12) | 4000 (9) | 4200 (9) | 2300 (6) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 6500 (86) | 5600 (145) | 5600 (135) | 7700 (110) | 3300 (77) |
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 1900 (9) | 800 (14) |
| Cell Biology | 1700 (8) | 600 (12) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 3000 (11) | 700 (6) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 2200 (23) | 500 (24) |
| Immunology | 1600 (25) | 600 (26) |
| Microbiology | 2700 (20) | 600 (23) |
| Molecular Biology | 1800 (11) | 600 (8) |
| Public Health and Epidemiology | 1900 (45) | 700 (58) |
| Virology | 2600 (9) | 700 (15) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 1900 (133) | 700 (178) |
PLoS ONE
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 2300 (140) | 1300 (310) | 700 (544) |
| Biophysics | 3300 (62) | 1400 (115) | 700 (211) |
| Biotechnology | 3100 (68) | 1900 (145) | 1000 (194) |
| Cardiovascular Disorders | 1700 (38) | 1300 (83) | 600 (152) |
| Cell Biology | 2300 (231) | 1500 (533) | 700 (951) |
| Chemical Biology | 6100 (18) | 1900 (41) | 700 (70) |
| Computational Biology | 2400 (140) | 1500 (297) | 800 (400) |
| Computer Science | 4200 (10) | 3000 (34) | 1700 (49) |
| Dermatology | 3500 (8) | 1700 (24) | 800 (47) |
| Developmental Biology | 2600 (102) | 1700 (232) | 800 (385) |
| Diabetes and Endocrinology | 2800 (35) | 1600 (115) | 700 (192) |
| Ecology | 3800 (116) | 2400 (222) | 1600 (296) |
| Evidence-Based Healthcare | 3200 (14) | 2100 (36) | 1900 (55) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 3200 (207) | 2500 (305) | 1900 (392) |
| Gastroenterology and Hepatology | 2800 (28) | 1400 (63) | 600 (105) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 2700 (310) | 1700 (627) | 800 (985) |
| Hematology | 1900 (19) | 1700 (52) | 700 (87) |
| Immunology | 1800 (142) | 1300 (319) | 600 (522) |
| Infectious Diseases | 2300 (197) | 1400 (450) | 700 (691) |
| Marine and Aquatic Sciences | n/a | n/a | 1500 (60) |
| Mathematics | 2700 (41) | 1900 (85) | 1200 (115) |
| Mental Health | 4900 (24) | 3400 (58) | 1400 (83) |
| Microbiology | 3000 (109) | 1600 (246) | 700 (405) |
| Molecular Biology | 2600 (144) | 1500 (331) | 800 (548) |
| Neurological Disorders | 2800 (63) | 2000 (157) | 700 (261) |
| Neuroscience | 2900 (188) | 2000 (461) | 1000 (668) |
| Non-Clinical Medicine | 5000 (12) | 2100 (20) | 900 (37) |
| Nutrition | 2900 (16) | 3600 (32) | 900 (96) |
| Oncology | 2200 (69) | 1700 (166) | 800 (379) |
| Ophthalmology | 2600 (9) | 1400 (25) | 700 (29) |
| Pathology | 2100 (27) | 1800 (68) | 900 (134) |
| Pediatrics and Child Health | 3700 (22) | 1900 (49) | 700 (87) |
| Pharmacology | 2700 (25) | 1500 (77) | 700 (109) |
| Physics | 3200 (17) | 2200 (38) | 1000 (46) |
| Physiology | 3500 (68) | 1900 (177) | 700 (249) |
| Plant Biology | 2600 (40) | 2600 (71) | 900 (98) |
| Public Health and Epidemiology | 3500 (87) | 1900 (236) | 900 (326) |
| Radiology and Medical Imaging | 5300 (20) | 2900 (44) | 800 (60) |
| Respiratory Medicine | 2400 (15) | 2100 (41) | 800 (88) |
| Rheumatology | 2800 (8) | 1500 (15) | 700 (45) |
| Virology | 2100 (83) | 1400 (161) | 800 (271) |
| Women's Health | 3000 (4) | 1800 (32) | 1600 (49) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 2600 (1227) | 1700 (2711) | 900 (4398) |
PLoS Pathogens
See notes at the bottom of this page.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | Avg (n) | |
| Biochemistry | 3300 (17) | 2700 (15) | 1700 (29) | 900 (53) |
| Cell Biology | 3800 (20) | 2600 (32) | 1800 (53) | 1100 (86) |
| Computational Biology | 4100 (11) | 2300 (9) | 2500 (11) | 1400 (13) |
| Evolutionary Biology | 3500 (13) | 2600 (16) | 3200 (17) | 1200 (20) |
| Genetics and Genomics | 3600 (15) | 2400 (29) | 2700 (36) | 1100 (51) |
| Immunology | 3100 (33) | 2800 (52) | 2000 (84) | 1000 (124) |
| Microbiology | 3400 (62) | 2600 (73) | 2100 (117) | 1100 (169) |
| Molecular Biology | 3000 (18) | 2400 (27) | 2300 (22) | 1000 (59) |
| Pathology | 4000 (7) | 3100 (8) | 2200 (10) | 1200 (15) |
| Public Health and Epidemiology | 6100 (11) | 3600 (7) | 3300 (9) | 1700 (21) |
| Virology | 4100 (33) | 3600 (76) | 2400 (112) | 1200 (165) |
| All Research Articles regardless of topic | 3700 (97) | 3100 (172) | 2200 (271) | 1100 (423) |
Notes
- Lifetime usage data are correct up to 31st January 2010 and are the sum of HTML page views, PDF downloads and XML downloads.
- Data are only provided for those years which represent a full year of publication (e.g. PLoS ONE launched in December 2006, and so no data is shown for that year).
- Classification of each article into topic areas is taken from information supplied by the authors, on submission, and so may not be accurate or consistent. Articles are typically classified into more than one topic area, so their data will be recorded in each relevant topic summary.
- For these tables we have chosen not to display data for subject areas that publish fewer than (approximately) 10 articles per year.
- For journals which cover a well defined area (e.g. PLoS Genetics) we have not provided data for the sub-topic that is the 'primary' topic of the journal, as all published articles in the journal are related to that topic. Instead, we have provided the figures for the entire journal (in the final row of each table).
- All averages are mean and have been rounded.
- We have also provided a summary Excel file containing the full data set, at the article level.
- A small number of articles have been excluded from this analysis as their usage levels have been affected by unintended (e.g. spam) usage. The list of affected articles can be found in the summary Excel file.