EMWA's position on ghostwriting - Volume 22, Issue

The European Medical Writers Association would like to make it clear that, contrary to what you may have read in a recently published popular science book, it is not a ‘ghostwriters' association’. EMWA is an association for professional medical…

Attribution, advocacy, disposable authors, corporate ghosts and cultural assimilation: new themes in the ethical critique of commercial medical literature - Volume 25, Issue

This interview provides solutions to some of the common pitfalls that face medical writers when working with large teams. Practical tips are provided on key topics including manuscript planning, agreeing on key messages and the use of figures,…

Perspective from a leading scientific author: An interview with Professor Ruth Roberts on authors and authoring - Volume 25, Issue

This interview provides solutions to some of the common pitfalls that face medical writers when working with large teams. Practical tips are provided on key topics including manuscript planning, agreeing on key messages and the use of figures,…

Lingua Franca and Beyond - Volume 24, Issue

Knowing that the main theme of this issue of Medical Writing is writing for the lay audience, I was thinking hard about what would be the most relevant topic to discuss in the Lingua Franca and Beyond section. My thoughts went to a topic that…

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…

Freelancing: Challenging but rewarding! - Volume 32, Issue

Freelancing is becoming an increasingly popular option for medical writers and communicators, but it’s not as straightforward as finding a few clients and getting paid. There’s so much more involved. Freelancers are business owners and to be…

How to shorten a text by up to 30% and improve clarity without losing information - Volume 26, Issue

What if everything you read was up to 30% shorter and more easily understood? What if everything you wrote was up to 30% shorter and more easily understood? Would that be a skill worth developing? Would  your employer or clients notice if your work…

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…

Profile: An Interview with Michael Markie - an open science and open data advocate - Volume 26, Issue

Medical writers commonly are hired to write for traditional journals targeting the highest possible impact factor. However, as medical writers, we should be aware of alternative options. In September last year, I had the pleasure to meet Michael…

Harold Swanberg, MD: Why and how EMWA should remember him - Volume 32, Issue

Before the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) and the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA), there was the Mississippi Valley Medical Editors Association (MVMEA). Most medical writers are unaware of the history of MVMEA and of how it…