A Decad(e) of Reasons to Contribute to a PLOS Community-Run Journal

Whether it's the number of primate digits, the number of Vishnu avatars, or the number of items on David Letterman's lists for the last 30 years, humans have an almost inordinate fascination with the number ten. That fascination has been especially apparent at PLOS these past few months, as we and two of our sister journals celebrate our tenth anniversary in close succession. Recalling the wonderful "Ten Simple Rules" articles published in PLOS Computational Biology, we at PLOS Genetics are publishing a Tenth Anniversary Collection of our Top Ten Research Articles published over the last ten years. Setting aside, momentarily, the silliness of decimal system obsession, it is worth some reflection and discussion about exactly what qualifies an article to be in the "Top Ten." Among all articles published by PLOS Genetics in the last ten years, we considered the number of citations, the number of views, the number of times an article had been shared via a social media link from our website, and the number of downloads. There are obvious and inherent biases in each of these metrics. For example, a paper that reports groundbreaking research in a specific area could be read by everyone in that community but may be at a disadvantage relative to a less influential paper read by a fraction of a much larger community. Similarly, recently published papers haven't had as much opportunity to accumulate citations, views, and/or downloads compared to older papers. These considerations notwithstanding, our Top Ten Collection encompasses a broad range of publication dates, organisms, and approaches and reflects the central mission of the journal: to publish great science across all areas of genetics that is of broad interest and is by working scientists, for working scientists. The last half of that mission is why we care so deeply about PLOS Genetics. There are other broad-interest journals that publish great science, but what makes PLOS Genetics special is that the group of people who make the editorial decisions are from the same groups that actually do the work. As PLOS changes the publishing landscape and launches initiatives that aim to advance science across disciplines, the strength of PLOS Genetics and the other community-run PLOS journals will rest with the investment made by the scientists who take on the role of editors. With that perspective, and with a nod to Mr. Letterman's unique brand of satire, here are our top ten reasons to contribute to a PLOS community-run journal. Proverbial drum roll, please… 10 We are free to read and use—and everybody loves free stuff. 9 Unlike other for-profit greed-heads, we’re not for profit, so you can feel virtuous. 8 We’re a community journal—kind of like a modern day hippie commune, dig it? 7 All of our editors actually still do science—unlike some other journals…just saying. 6 We make the website awesome—because we know scientists are dazzled by shiny stuff. 5 Our staff rock—seriously, visiting the offices is like attending a hipster convention. 4 Being an editor at PLOS Genetics is kind of like being on a grant review panel—except it's easier and you actually get to make decisions. 3 Like Craig Venter's genome, our standards for research and publishing are developed from the bottom up—but with fewer errors. 2 We’re always looking for ways to help you reach your readership—anyone up for PLOS aerial drones? 1 Because it’s YOUR journal.