PLOS ONE Referencing Guide
(updated Mar 2024)


Last updated:
How to do citations in PLOS ONE style?

This is the Citationsy guide to PLOS ONE citations, reference lists, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
The complete, comprehensive guide shows you how easy citing any source can be. Referencing books, youtube videos, websites, articles, journals, podcasts, images, videos, or music in PLOS ONE.

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cite PLOS ONE  — Referencing Guide



How do you cite a book in the PLOS ONE referencing style? (2024 Guide)

One of the most cited mediums is of course books. Here’s how to cite a book in PLOS ONE

Here’s an example book citation in PLOS ONE using placeholders:
1.
Last Name FN. Title. Edition. Editor Last Name EFN, editor. City: Publisher; 2000.
So if we want to cite, for example, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou we’d do so like this:
PLOS ONE citation:
1.
Angelou M. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 1st ed. New York: Random House; 1969.
And an in-text citation book citation in PLOS ONE looks like this: [1]


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How to reference a journal article in the PLOS ONE citation style?

How do you cite scientific papers in PLOS ONE format?

Use the following template to cite a journal article using the PLOS ONE citation format.

Here’s a PLOS ONE journal citation example using placeholders:
1.
Author1 LastnameAF, Author3 LastnameAF. Title. Container. 2000;Volume: pages Used. doi:DOI
So if we want to reference this scientific article: “Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?” by C. Petit and J.M. Sieffermann in PLOS ONE:
1.
Petit C, Sieffermann J. Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?. 2007;18: 161-172. doi:10.1016/j.foodqual.2006.05.008
And an in-text citation would look like this: [1]


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How to cite a website in a paper in PLOS ONE style?

Although not all open web content is appropriate as scholarly evidence, you might find yourself wanting to reference a web page in PLOS ONE. Here’s a quick and simple guide on how to do it

Here’s an PLOS ONE example website reference:
1.
Author1 LastnameAF, Author2 LastnameAF. Title. In: [Internet]. Publisher; 1Jan.2000 [cited 29Mar.2024]. Available: https://www.example.com
To reference the article located at this link:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
on The Guardian website:
1.
Tran M. Barack Obama To Be America’s First Black President. In: [Internet]. The Guardian; 5Nov.2008 [cited 29Mar.2024]. Available: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
And an in-text citation would look like this: [1]

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How to cite a YouTube video PLOS ONE in 2024

Are you wondering if it’s ok to reference a YouTube video in a research paper? Here’s how to cite it in PLOS ONE

Here’s a PLOS ONE citation YouTube video example:
1.
ChannelName. Title. In: YouTube [Internet]. 1Jan.2000 [cited 29Mar.2024]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXX
So how to cite a video PLOS ONE?
1.
Pixar. Pizza Clip — Inside Out. In: YouTube [Internet]. 3Jun.2015 [cited 29Mar.2024]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ
And an in-text video citation would look like this: [1]

How to cite a podcast using PLOS ONE referencing style

Are you listening to a history, philosophy, or literature podcast and you want to cite it in a presentation or research paper. Here’s how to do it in PLOS ONE

It is becoming more and more common to reference podcasts in essays or other school work.
Here’s how to reference a podcast it in PLOS ONE.
1.
Lastname F. Title. Publisher; 2000. Available: http://www.example.com
Podcast referencing example in PLOS ONE using “This American Life” episode 640:
1.
This American Life. 640: Five Women. WBEZ Radio; 2018. Available: https://thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women
And an in-text citation would look like this: [1]

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How to cite a piece of music or a song using PLOS ONE referencing style?

Citing a song or album accessed through an online streaming service in PLOS ONE is pretty straight forward, this is all you need:

An example song citation in PLOS ONE.
1.
Lastname F. Song Title. Album. 2000. Available: http://www.example.com
Let‘s say we want to reference “Here Comes the Sun” off The Beatles “Abbey Road” album in PLOS ONE:
1.
The Beatles. Here Comes the Sun. Abbey Road. 1969. Available: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-comes-the-sun/401186200?i=401187150
And an in-text citation would look like this: [1]


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