Passing the torch - Volume 21, Issue

This issue is the first where I will be serving as Editor-in-Chief of Medical Writing (MEW). Elise Langdon-Neuner, Editor-in-Chief since 2004, will be stepping down. This is yet another step in the evolution of the journal.

For those of you unfamili…

Message from the President - Volume 22, Issue

Dear Medical Writers It is time for me to give you another brief update on the activities of the EMWA Executive Committee (EC) and our plans for 2013, as well as a short preview on the spring conference in Manchester. The autumn conference…

Risk Management - Volume 24, Issue

The thalidomide tragedy of the early 1960s cost several thousand lives, but it ultimately led to changes that will undoubtedly save many thousands more: it triggered a chain of events involving the WHO and the ICH that resulted in the…

"Processing health-related data for scientific research: Is consent an appropriate legitimate ground?" - Volume 29, Issue

I first met Brussels-based lawyer, An Vijverman, at the European Centre for Clinical Research Training Data Transparency Conference in February 2019. The conference brought together the clinical trials industry – sponsors and contract research…

Exploring veterinary science, a little-known translation specialisation - Volume 23, Issue

Although closely linked to human health, veterinary science remains a relatively unexplored field for medical translators. The key to the specialisation may lie in the translators' ability to answer several key questions:   • Who is the…

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…

Risk management plans in the EU: Managing safety concerns - Volume 29, Issue

The preparation of pharmacovigilance documents is related to ongoing activities during the life cycle of a medicinal product and encompasses crucial processes beyond writing: strategic planning and inter disciplinary work in the context of…

Medicinal products and medical devices in clinical trials conduct and disclosure - Volume 28, Issue

“Medicinal products and medical devices are different species…they live in parallel universes” according to a medical device expert. But is it really so? This article challenges that notion by comparing the Clinical Trial Regulation EU No.…

Selling evidence over the counter: Do community pharmacists engage with evidence-based medicine? - Volume 22, Issue

Community pharmacy has been recently criticised for selling products which do not have a rational or robust evidence base. Available evidence suggests that pharmacists understand and are willing to embrace the concepts of evidence-based medicine…

Profile: An interview with Dr Gustavo A. Silva on the concept of public health in medical writing and translation - Volume 22, Issue

We often tend to consider the different branches of medical translation as unique islands of knowledge. We may imagine translators specialising in single areas such as oncology, ophthalmology, gynaecology, and so on. Nevertheless, there are indeed…