*Scholarly publishing, *Scholarly periodicals, *Authorship, Periodical articles, Journal writing, Language & languages, Plain language summaries

Key points: Plain language summaries (PLS) are accessible, short, peer‐reviewed summaries of scholarly journal articles written in non‐technical language.The aim of PLS is to enable a broader audience of experts and non‐experts to understand the original article.Here, we outline the evidence base for the value and impact of PLS and how they can enable diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in scholarly publishing.PLS can diversify readership and authorship, address information inequity, include typically under‐represented stakeholders and provide an accessible route into scholarly literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]