Here is our featured author question for December:
Q: My paper was recently published in PLoS ONE but I’ve noticed a few typos. How can I correct these errors?
A: PLoS ONE corrects most of the errors found in published articles via the addition of a Minor or Formal Correction Note to the paper. Minor Corrections are used to correct typos and other small errors and to make minor clarifications to an article. Formal Corrections are reserved for errors that significantly affect the understanding or utility of the article; they are also sent to PubMed Central and PubMed. Both types of correction can be posted onto the relevant sentence or section of the article, although not all areas can be annotated at present. To view a list of all the corrections on the paper, click on the “Comments” tab on the article and then on the “View all corrections” link. Formal Corrections are also listed above the title of the article. See below for examples of how the Corrections are displayed on the article.
Example of a Minor Correction (click to enlarge); this Correction Note has been posted over the relevant sentence in the abstract
Example of a Formal Correction (click to enlarge)
If you have noticed an error in your published paper, you should contact the Publications Assistants (plosone@plos.org) in the first instance. Please include the following information in your email: the title of your paper and its manuscript number and/or URL; the email address of the corresponding author (if you are not the corresponding author yourself); and a brief description of the problem. PLoS staff will decide whether a Minor or Formal Correction is more appropriate and will liaise with you to post a Correction online as quickly as possible.
If there is an error in one of your figures, tables or supporting information files, we can host a corrected file on our server and include a link in the Correction Note that will allow readers to view and download the updated version of the file. An example of this is given below.
Example of a Correction Note with a link to the corrected file (click to enlarge)
