A stroll through the medical blogosphere - Volume 24, Issue

Medical blogs are a very popular way of communicating health-related information. They can be written by medical professionals or laypeople, and topics include diseases, procedures, health policies, and personal topics such as everyday experiences.…

Teaching English for Medical Academic Purposes at the Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, Serbia - Volume 22, Issue

The Faculty of Medicine in Belgrade, Serbia, has a long tradition of learning and teaching English for Medical Academic Purposes (EMAP). EMAP is considered extremely important for our medical students' academic and professional life. Our EMAP…

AI language models are transforming the medical writing space – like it or not! - Volume 32, Issue

Whether you’re an early adopter, an occasional user, or yet to acknowledge its transformative potential, artificial intelligence (AI) – specifically generative AI applications underpinned by large language models – is undeniably shaping our present…

How can we maximise patient engagement with Plain Language Summary of Publication articles (PLSPs)? A publisher’s perspective - Volume 33, Issue

Plain Language Summary of Publication articles (PLSPs) are aimed at non-specialist audiences, using non-technical/jargon-free and easy to understand language to provide summaries of publications. The introduction of PLSPs has added to the growing…

Results of the 2012 EMWA salary survey - Volume 22, Issue

EMWA members were surveyed in late 2012 and early 2013 about their current salary levels. A total of 320 individuals responded. Most were women, between 31 and 50 years of age, and native speakers of English or German. About half had 2–10 years of…

Presenting secondary endpoints in plain language clinical trial result summaries: Considerations for emerging practice - Volume 30, Issue

Background: The European Union Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014 (EU CTR) requires sponsors to submit summaries of clinical trial results in plain/lay language (Plain Language Trial Summaries [PLTS]). A multidisciplinary working group developed…

Making leaflets clearer for patients - Volume 24, Issue

This article examines the clarity of several health information leaflets issued to the public in Europe. It finds that some of the language is quirky, ambiguous, and confusing. In one leaflet, the size of type is too small for easy reading, even by…

Plain Language and Readability - Volume 24, Issue

Speaking your patients’ language – Is it really worth it? The impact of translation on multilingual patient education materials - Volume 33, Issue

This article discusses the role of translation and its impact on the success of patient education materials, particularly in the context of patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials. We examine how translation and localisation help…

Time to make it shorter: Plain English in our context - Volume 24, Issue

Plain English in medical and scientific writing is not one-size-fits-all, because audiences differ. Advice on writing plain English abounds. In 1946, George Orwell, best known as the author of 1984, formulated a much quoted, compact set of rules for…