NEWS

Plain Language Reviews open up the latest medical research
through visual, jargon-free summaries

Newly launched open access articles from Taylor & Francis
will empower patients, policymakers, and healthcare professionals

Taylor & Francis has announced the introduction of Plain Language Reviews (PLRs): comprehensive research summaries designed to make technical information accessible to readers without a specialist background.

The launch of PLRs builds on Taylor & Francis’ successful introduction of Plain Language Summaries of Publications (PLSPs) in 2023. Unlike PLSPs, which summarize a single publication, the new PLRs provide an overview of research data along with information from multiple related peer-reviewed articles that give context to the primary research.

Written using jargon-free language and peer reviewed, PLRs aim to empower non-specialists, including patients and their caregivers, healthcare professionals and policymakers, by helping them keep up to date with research topics in medicine and health.

PLRs are published open access and have their own DOI (Digital Object Identifier), maximizing their discoverability. They use an engaging visual design to aid understanding of data and include ‘How to say’ audio sections and glossary definitions, guiding readers on the pronunciation and meaning of scientific words.

Rachel Jenkins, Head of Plain Language Summaries at Taylor & Francis, explained: “Non-specialist audiences are eager to stay informed about the latest medical findings, but research data is not usually presented with them in mind. That is why we’ve developed Plain Language Reviews: to open up knowledge to a much broader readership, enabling patients to make informed decisions based on a complete understanding of the latest research.”

Read an example Plain Language Review, published in Current Medical Research and Opinion: Cortisol’s role in difficult-to-control type 2 diabetes: Insights from the CATALYST study—a plain language review

https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/publishing-your-research/writing-your-paper/how-to-write-a-plain-language-summary/