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When you choose to publish with PLOS, your research makes an impact. Make your work accessible to all, without restrictions, and accelerate scientific discovery with options like preprints and published peer review that make your work more Open.

Health literacy

PLOS is at the forefront of open, inclusive research into health literacy and healthcare systems, publishing studies across the breadth of public health and clinical medicine that help to empower patients, address health inequities and improve the health of individuals and populations globally.

Discover health literacy research from PLOS

Health literacy —a person’s ability to understand and use information to make decisions about their health—is fundamental to the delivery of healthcare and the functioning of health systems. Indeed, poor health literacy results in poor outcomes across a range of health indicators.   

Health literacy and healthcare systems research at PLOS comprises a broad spectrum, placing the patient as the central focus, to evaluate the health needs of individuals and populations, including those who are underrepresented or marginalized. 

PLOS’ health literacy research explores and evaluates patient satisfaction and the barriers to effective and equitable healthcare access. It examines the structure of healthcare systems across diverse geographical regions, and the implementation of science and policy that aims to strengthen health systems and provide equitable healthcare access to all.

PLOS’ Open Science publishing platform means rapid dissemination of high-quality, transparent research to clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders on a global scale.

Stay up-to-date on health literacy research from PLOS

Further medicine and health reading and insights

PLOS publishes a broad range of inter-disciplinary research in medicine and health, spanning multiple journals, disciplines, and regions. Uncover further curated research and insights in the following fields:

Read the latest research developments in your field

Our commitment to Open Science means others can build on PLOS health literacy research to advance the field. Discover selected popular health literacy research below:
Browse the full PLOS portfolio of Open Access health literacy articles

79,377 authors from 191 countries chose PLOS to publish their health literacy research* 

Reaching a global audience, this research has received over 9,000 news and blog mentions

Research in this field has been cited 55,000 times
after authors published in a PLOS journal*

Related PLOS research Collections

Covering a connected body of work and evaluated by leading experts in their respective fields, our Collections make it easier to delve deeper into specific research topics from across the breadth of the PLOS portfolio.

Check out our highlighted PLOS research Collections:

Stay up-to-date on the latest health literacy research from PLOS

Related journals in health literacy

We provide a platform for health literacy & healthcare systems research across various PLOS journals, allowing interdisciplinary researchers to explore healthcare research at all preclinical, translational and clinical research stages.

*Data source: Web of Science. © Copyright Clarivate 2024 | January 2004 – January 2024
^Data source: Altmetric.com | January 2004 – January 2024

Breaking boundaries. Empowering researchers. Opening science.

PLOS is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.

Open Access

All PLOS journals are fully Open Access, which means the latest published research is immediately available for all to learn from, share, and reuse with attribution. No subscription fees, no delays, no barriers.

Leading responsibly

PLOS is working to eliminate financial barriers to Open Access publishing, facilitate diversity and broad participation of voices in knowledge-sharing, and ensure inclusive policies shape our journals. We’re committed to openness and transparency, whether it’s peer review, our data policy, or sharing our annual financial statement with the community.

Breaking boundaries in Open Science

We push the boundaries of “Open” to create a more equitable system of scientific knowledge and understanding. All PLOS articles are backed by our Data Availability policy, and encourage the sharing of preprints, code, protocols, and peer review reports so that readers get more context.

Interdisciplinary

PLOS journals publish research from every discipline across science and medicine and related social sciences. Many of our journals are interdisciplinary in nature to facilitate an exchange of knowledge across disciplines, encourage global collaboration, and influence policy and decision-making at all levels

Community expertise

Our Editorial Boards represent the full diversity of the research and researchers in the field. They work in partnership with expert peer reviewers to evaluate each manuscript against the highest methodological and ethical standards in the field.

Rigorous peer review

Our rigorous editorial screening and assessment process is made up of several stages. All PLOS journals use anonymous peer review by default, but we also offer authors and reviewers options to make the peer review process more transparent.

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