The Light Stuff - Volume 22, Issue

A call to abandon the useless anachronism of the ‘define at first use’ rule for abbreviations Definitions CTD – Common Technical Document (dossier submitted for marketing authorization) eCTD – Electronic Common Technical Document QC – Quality…

English Grammar and Style - Volume 24, Issue

In this issue •  We continue Michael Schneir's fascinating series on distractions in medical and scientific writing, this time concentrating on non-pronoun-induced backtracking with adverbs, verbs, and nouns. This sounds a little…

The horror and the pity: Obesity and diabetes - Volume 21, Issue

Something less beguiling for a horror-story addict than the emergence of obesity would be hard to imagine. Start by reading the 27 August 2011 issue of the Lancet. One article predicts that the obesity rate in the UK will make the tremendous leap fro…

Thirty-seventh EMWA Conference, 7–9 November 2013, Barcelona, Spain - Volume 22, Issue

EMWA's 37th Conference will be held at the Fira Palace Hotel in Barcelona from Thursday, 7 November to Saturday, 9 November 2013. The Fira Palace Hotel is ideally situated in the trade-fair and exhibition area and is a short walk from Barcelona's…

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…

EMWA news - Volume 21, Issue

News from the EMWA Website Manager   New role At the recent EMWA conference held in Cyprus, I assumed the position of EMWA Website Manager. While this is a daunting task, it is a challenge I am pleased to take on. To ensure that I was in a…

Out On Our Own - Volume 24, Issue

Editorial

All of us are aware by now that we can't live without technology and not only at work. With advice, aids, appliances and apps in abundance, we are at the point where we can't see the wood for the trees. Thank goodness we have advice from M…

Out On Our Own - Volume 24, Issue

Editorial In this issue, Satyendra Shenoy, a member of a few years from Mumbai tells us about the tribulations – if not trials – of realising his lifelong ambition to settle in Germany. What eventually made this possible was discovering, as a…

In the Bookstores - Volume 22, Issue

The Spirit Level

Ever had a ‘ping’ moment? This book might have been mine. I'm not a natural pessimist, but Western society today seems less cohesive and people more materialistic, stressed, unhealthy, and unhappy than in times gone by. Wealth and s…

Package leaflets for medication in the EU: The possibility of integrating patients’ perspectives in a regulated genre? - Volume 24, Issue

Package leaflets (PLs) have been legally required to accompany medicines in the EU since 1999. Despite the best intentions and efforts, however, they are generally not well-received by the public for whom they are intended. This paper picks up on…