How to write and publish a Plain Language Summary
A Plain Language Summary (also referred to as a lay summary in some subject areas) communicates the significance of scholarly and scientific research evidence to wide audiences in clear, jargon-free language. The audiences include, but are not limited to, practitioners, policy makers, the public, and/or professionals in nearby disciplines.
Plain Language Summaries (PLS) can describe original research, review articles, case reports, clinical trials, and conference/congress abstracts, among other scientific publications. As with journal abstracts, all PLS are freely available to read at Taylor & Francis Online.
Taylor & Francis encourages publication of PLS, but submission is not mandatory and not all journals offer PLS. If you would like to determine whether a journal offers PLS, you can:
View the journal lists in the Plain Language Summaries in different subject areas
Check the journal’s Instructions for Authors
Reach out to the journal’s editorial contact
Continue reading to learn why you should create a PLS, the different types of PLS published by Taylor & Francis journals, and how to write and develop your PLS.
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Why should I create a Plain Language Summary?
Plain Language Summaries (PLS) improve public engagement with scientific research. Increasing the public’s understanding of research can contribute to raising awareness of its value and attract further public support, engagement, and involvement.
In addition to expanding article reach and increasing audience engagement, PLS can also provide the following benefits:
Improve equal and fair access to scientific research outcomes.
Enable audiences to translate complex science into practical knowledge and initiatives.
Help readers identify important information quickly and bookmark it for reading.
Increase the article’s readership and its associated metrics.
Connect with and influence important stakeholders, practitioners, and other decision-makers.
Expand authors’ professional networks, raising their profiles in the scientific and wider communities.
Types of Plain Language Summaries
Taylor & Francis offer three types of plain language publication – all of which are peer reviewed.
Text PLS
Published as a text paragraph within an article (following the abstract), shares the main article’s digital object identifier (DOI).Graphical PLS
Published as a standalone image file within an article (following the abstract and text PLS), shares the main article’s DOI.PLS of publication (PLSP)
Published as a standalone article with its own DOI. The article it summarizes is cited as a reference.
To confirm that your selected journal offers the PLS type you wish to publish, please reach out to your T&F editorial contact. If you have any general queries about Plain Language Summaries (PLS) you can email us.
Keep scrolling or click here to view your quick guide on PLS to find out more about the different types of PLS offered by Taylor & Francis.
Resources
We have a range of resources to support you in creating your Plain Language Summary.
Your quick guide to Plain Language Summaries
In this section you can explore the differences between the types of Plain Language Summaries (PLS). To expand the information about the PLS, click on the + icon in the white circle.
How to write a Plain Language Summary
One of the most important things to remember when writing a Plain Language Summary (PLS) is to use clear language and keep it jargon-free. This will help make it easier to understand by a wide range of audiences. Below are some tips for writing each type of PLS.
Text Plain Language Summaries
To keep your Text Plain Language Summary (PLS) concise, it should be 250 words or less. Your PLS will be placed between the manuscript’s abstract and introduction, and it will have its own heading, ‘Plain Language Summary’.
Whilst writing your PLS (or when it is complete) it is useful to ask a non-specialist who is unfamiliar with your subject area to read it and provide feedback. They should be able to easily understand your study, its conclusions, and the potential impact of the research. Hopefully, they will also find the information interesting.
For guidance on writing and developing your PLS, go to Plain Language Summaries in different subject areas.
To learn how to write in plain language, take a look at the resources.
Graphical Plain Language Summaries
A Graphical Plain Language Summary (PLS) is an optimal way to make sure that complex information is shown clearly, due to its visual and infographic format.
Taylor & Francis requires the submission of a Graphical PLS alongside a Text PLS. Both types of PLS are freely available to read on Taylor & Francis Online. It’s important to include a Text PLS because it provides additional context. Also, it can be uploaded to subject area repositories that index PLS, such as PubMed. Repository indexing of PLS makes your PLS and article more widely accessible and discoverable online.
While a Graphical PLS serves a different purpose than a Graphical Abstract, the publication process is the same for both. To make sure your Graphical PLS can be considered for publication, you should follow the guidelines we have in place for Graphical abstracts.
Plain Language Summaries of Publication
The Plain Language Summary of Publication (PLSP) has a standalone format that, in addition to their increased length and inclusion of visuals, provides greater opportunity to engage audiences with research in a more accessible way.
A PLSP is a useful way to summarize a single original research or review article from any peer reviewed journal, whether that journal is published by Taylor & Francis, a Taylor & Francis imprint, or another publisher. Ideally, a PLSP should be submitted within 2 years of the online publication date of the article summarized (i.e., the original article).
At the time of submission, written permission (to summarize the original article as a PLSP) is required from both the original article’s lead and/or corresponding author and its publisher. However, if the original article is published by Taylor & Francis or one of its imprints, publisher permission is not required for derivative PLSPs being submitted to a Taylor & Francis journal.
You can find guidance on writing and developing your PLSP in our Resources section, and in the Plain Language Summaries in different subject areas.
Plain Language Summaries in different subject areas
We have pulled together a range of guidance for Plain Language Summaries (PLS) in various subject areas. Take a look at the guidance relevant to you and use it to help you prepare for writing and developing your PLS.
Medicine & Health
Read our author instructions and supporting resources for developing, submitting, and publishing Plain Language Summaries (PLS) in Medicine & Health journals.
Journals
Guidelines
Additional resources
Humanities & Social Sciences
Journals
The following Humanities & Social Sciences journals accept PLS.
Examples
These are examples of published PLS in Humanities & Social Sciences.
How do I submit a Plain Language Summary?
In this section you can find guidance on how to submit the different types of Plain Language Summary (PLS): a Text PLS, a Graphical PLS, and PLSP.
Submitting a Text and Graphical Plain Language Summary
Both Text and Graphical Plain Language Summaries (PLS) are submitted as part of the main manuscript submission. This allows the PLS to be peer reviewed alongside the manuscript, included in the published article, and (if applicable) indexed with the appropriate subject area repository, such as PubMed.
Authors who would like to develop a PLS after manuscript publication are encouraged to submit it as a PLSP to Taylor & Francis journals that offer this article type. See the next section for further guidance on this. Queries about post-publication Text or Graphical PLS should be directed to the journal’s editorial contact.
Submitting a Plain Language Summary of Publication
Plain Language Summaries of Publications (PLSPs) are submitted via the journal’s online submission system – you will need to choose the article type ‘Plain Language Summary of Publication’.
The PLSP submission should include:
Word document of the PLSP
High-resolution files of the images and graphics
The original article that is being summarized
Written permission from the original article’s lead and/or corresponding author, and its publisher (unless the original article is published by Taylor & Francis or one of its imprints
To determine if a Taylor & Francis journal offers PLSPs, and for more information on submitting PLSPs, you can check the section Plain Language Summaries in different subject areas.
Copyright for your Plain Language Summary
Text and Graphical Plain Language Summaries (PLS) are subject to the same publication agreement or OA license as the published article. They are freely available to read at Taylor & Francis Online. Please refer to the journal’s Instructions for Authors for details on available publication agreements and OA licenses.
Plain Language Summaries of Publications (PLSPs) are published OA so are free to read permanently, which means they are subject to the journal’s standard OA license. You can use our open access cost finder for details on current OA license and article processing charge (APC) options across all journals published by Taylor & Francis and its imprints.
If you have any questions on copyright you should email your Taylor & Francis journal editor, or you can email the PLS team.
Instructions for authors
From word limits to referencing, find out everything there is to know with the instructions for authors. Find them on your chosen journal’s homepage.
Key Policy Highlights
Do you want to clearly communicate your scientific research to non-experts? Key Policy Highlights can support you with this.