Plain Language Summaries

Standalone, citable summaries published in Taylor & Francis journals
written to be understood by a lay audience

What are Plain Language Summaries of Publication articles?

Medical research is becoming increasingly available to the public eye meaning that patient communication, especially how healthcare professionals talk to their patients, is becoming paramount. Ensuring patients and their caregivers fully comprehend diagnoses, treatment plans and potential risks, empowers them to be involved in decision-making surrounding their care.

This is where a Plain Language Summary of Publication article (PLSP) can be very helpful. In an industry often containing complex terminology and technical jargon, PLSPs provide a clear summary of a publication using non-technical language published in a specialist journal that is accessible to any reader.

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  • PLSPs are published as peer-reviewed, standalone articles in all Taylor & Francis Expert Collection journals.
  • Each PLSP has its own DOI, meaning it is fully citable, indexed on relevant databases and discoverable.
  • PLSPs are usually written by the authors of the original publication; additional authors, such as patients not involved with the original publication, can also be included.
  • PLSPs can be published summarizing any article, even those published in journals from other publishers. In this case, the PLSP is considered an Acceptable Secondary Publication according to the ICMJE guidelines.
  • To help readers access PLSPs, they are available to download for free under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND Open Access license.
  • PLSPs are disseminated across social media and shared with relevant patient organizations.
  • PSLPs are discoverable on major indexing databases, using appropriate tagging used to identify the PLSP.