Out On Our Own - Volume 23, Issue

Journal Watch - Volume 21, Issue

Improving the credibility of reporting industry-sponsored research Reports of ghostwriting, guest authorship, selective or biased disclosure of research results, and inaccurate or incomplete reporting of potential conflicts of interest have damaged…

The Light Stuff - Volume 23, Issue

Anecdotes and quotes related (more or less) to scientific writing   Pigeons are like editors, they both do the icky to your most cherished work, but at least pigeons don't say, Now it really sings. Cecil Adams, The Straight Dope Ignorant people…

Translation: A transcultural activity - Volume 29, Issue

Effective communication is the goal of any professional medical and communication writer. Transferring the correct messages from one language to another is a task that is increasingly covered by software, but translation machines cannot confer the…

Setting up for success: An overview of why mentoring matters for aspiring medical writers - Volume 30, Issue

The most successful people attribute their success to an effective mentoring network. Developing a great mentor network is critical to ensuring long-term professional development and growth. This article presents an overview of the mentoring…

Science journalism: In search of a new identity - Volume 26, Issue

Abstract Science journalism is undergoing a major transition due to changes in the relationship between science and society and dissemin - ation via digital and connective technologies, as is the case with other branches of journalism. The changes…

A case study from Pakistan: Improving medical publications in non-English speaking countries - Volume 33, Issue

Copyediting is crucial for enhancing the quality and credibility of medical manuscripts in Pakistan. Although English is an official language used in government and education, many researchers are not native speakers, leading to linguistic inaccuraci…

Document templates for medical writers - Volume 23, Issue

A document template is defined as ‘a file that serves as a starting point for a new document’. This article looks at the specialised templates used by medical writers in their trade with a focus on the commercially available products. Templates…

Structuring paragraphs - Volume 26, Issue

Paragraphs are meant to make a text understandable and readable, and to help tell the story. Key aspects of good paragraphs include using topic sentences and story structures. Starting with an outline or a planand using it to build to topic…

Visualisations in science communication: Friend or foe? - Volume 29, Issue

An image is worth a thousand words. This saying is easily disregarded as a cliché in today’s extremely visual world, but it may ring truer than ever. With the vast amounts of information reaching us every day, visualisations are increasingly…