PLOS today is announcing that it will soon launch two new journals: PLOS Mental Health and PLOS Complex Systems. PLOS sees these new journals as an opportunity to give evolving research communities opportunities to forge a new path for research in the field. Whether that means welcoming new ways of sharing research transparently or cementing new policies that enable research to be evaluated and rewarded more fairly, or simply finding a broader audience where research can make a greater real-world impact.
PLOS Mental Health provides a dedicated venue for all mental health research, connecting global experts from a broad range of disciplines and addressing challenges and gaps in the field of mental health research, treatment, and care in ways that put the lived experience of individuals first. This is an inclusive, peer-reviewed journal ensuring all ethical and rigorous research is shared openly to drive meaningful progress toward improved health and well-being around the world.
We are also pleased to announce that Charlene Sunkel and Rochelle Burgess as our Editors-in-Chief of PLOS Mental Health.
“I am excited to join PLOS which recognizes the value of people with lived experience of mental health conditions as key partners in producing research that are relevant and impactful,” said Charlene Sunkel, Editor-in-Chief, PLOS Mental Health. “This journal will bring research not only to the scientific community, but to the broader stakeholder community who are able to utilize evidence in efforts to promote and protect mental health and the well-being of all people.”
“This journal is launching at a time when we are witnessing a huge disruption in the status quo. Most importantly, a challenge to whose voices and whose knowledge counts in mental health, and the sciences more broadly,” said Rochelle Burgess, Editor-in-Chief, PLOS Mental Health. “With the launch ofthis journal, we have an opportunity to chart a new course for the ways in which mainstream and critical mental health perspectives are in dialogue with each other, which will have such positive implications for mental health policy and practice globally. It is an absolute dream to be a part of this from day one.”
PLOS Complex Systems will bring together impactful research that facilitates understanding of complex systems at the heart of the world we live in. This will be a truly transdisciplinary journal, welcoming research from any field that examines phenomena through a lens of complex relationships and models that track, measure, and predict outcomes. By bringing this research together and working with the research community to shape Open Science practices, we hope to empower researchers to share their work in ways that inspire ideas and accelerate progress while cross-fertilizing knowledge that enable solutions to fundamental challenges facing our society today.
Hocine Cherifi will serve as Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Complex Systems. Hocine will be joined by another Editor-in-Chief who will be named later this year.
“I am thrilled to be part of the launch of PLOS Complex Systems, a significant step forward in understanding the intricacies of our world. This journal has the power to break down disciplinary boundaries and encourage researchers to approach problems holistically, said Hocine Cherifi, Editor-in-Chief, PLOS Complex Systems. “I am excited to be on this journey as we uncover profound insights and drive innovation across multiple fields. Together, we have the opportunity to shape the future of complex systems research and make a lasting impact on scientific understanding and societal progress.”
Our new journals will encourage open-sharing behaviors that support rigor, reproducibility, and rapid dissemination of research. As with all PLOS journals, we’ll offer opportunities for authors to share preprints, improve access to data and transparency of methodologies, and choose to publish their peer reviews. Open Science Indicators will allow us to establish benchmarks for open-sharing behaviors in these fields for the first time, and to track changes over time to test whether our solutions are working.
“I’m really excited to deepen our work with the research communities and stakeholders who will be a part of these journals. We have worked intentionally with these communities of researchers who have shared a need for venues that do more than help researchers share their work,” said Rebecca Kirk, Publisher, Portfolio Development, PLOS. “Our journals will provide a space for experts of different disciplines to come together, to spark important discussions, and to explore and shape Open Science practices that will drive the field forward.”
A key element of expanding openness for PLOS is in bringing diverse voices together. Inclusivity and equity are core to a strong foundation of Open Science, and we need to hear from all perspectives to make science, the process of publishing science, and the solutions science inspires, more robust. PLOS Mental Health and PLOS Complex Systems will strive to represent research from local experts around the world, and from across various disciplines.
