I was just browsing through DIGG and came across a front page article that was Steve Irwin’s final research paper. The paper is incredible, but what I really enjoyed was the site layout. In my opinion, PLoS ONE has totally redefined what an educational article archive should be.

I’m currently a Business Major at Georgia Tech, so I haven’t spent as much time digging and sifting through journals and articles as some of my fellow engineering classmates, but when I have, it has always been a hassle. Using GALILEO and other article databases have been the bane of writing any sort of research paper for me. I spend more time looking around that I actually did writing.

PLoS ONE has taken a note of current web trends and has used those trends in its own site. The layout and navigation is flawless. Even down to the side bar on the right.

The side bar is something I would like to implement in another website of mine (secrets, secrets). It seems as if it is a part of the left sidebar, but as you scroll down, it stays statically in place. It’s your "user interaction" tool bar. It’s always visible and ingenius. I’ve seen a few other sites use the same idea, but none this flawlessly.

Here are some pictures just in case your lazy and don’t want to goto the site.

Top - Before Scrolling

After Scrolling Past Top. Notice how the sidebar is still anchored to the top.

I still cant get over how clean this look it. I’m jealous actually. If you have had this idea in the back of your head for a while like me, take notes! Granted, I think it can be improved upon, but….it’s still great.

And academia, start USING PLoS ONE! It’s a lot better than anything I’ve used previously. It might not have as many resources, but it’s just a matter of time.