In the Bookstores - Volume 22, Issue

While other guides focus on how to write scientific papers, What Editors Want advises on preparing them for publication. Its authors, Philippa Benson and Susan Silver, identify their target readers as writers, senior researchers, and teachers of…

Social media and the rise of predatory journals: A case report - Volume 30, Issue

This is a report of our experience with a predatory journal that invited us to join them after having seen our winning essays on how to identify predatory journals. We applied the system we recommended therein to investigate the true nature of the…

Update of the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards: CHEERS 2022 - Volume 31, Issue

If economic evaluations are to be used by researchers and healthcare decision makers, they need to be adequately reported. This article discusses the update of the Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards (CHEERS 2022), the main…

Making the leap: Transparency requirements for clinical trials moving from one regulatory framework to another - Volume 33, Issue

This article discusses the fast-approaching deadline for sponsors to transition ongoing clinical trials in the EU/European Economic Area from the Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC to the Clinical Trials Regulation 536/2014. In particular, the…

Regulatory Matters - Volume 33, Issue

Section Editors: Clare Chang, Zuo Yen Lee In regulatory submission writing, a project facilitator is the yin to a medical writer’s yang Authors: Yoko Komatsuzaki, Julia Forjanic Klapproth Authoring and reviewing complex, parallel regulatory…

Bringing decentralised clinical trial protocols to life - Volume 32, Issue

Decentralised clinical trials (DCT) use technology, processes, and services to reduce or eliminate the need for onsite visits. Use of DCT components within clinical trials is becoming widespread and protocols are pivoting from using DCT components…

Medical Communications and Writing for Patients - Volume 30, Issue

Dear All,

As I write this, at least some of us are likely to still be in some form of lockdown or quarantine. I pray that you and your families are all managing to stay as sane as possible, and I sincerely hope that you all stay safe and healthy.

I…

The sun never sets on transparency - Volume 25, Issue

The financial relationships between the pharmaceutical and device industries and healthcare practitioners appear frequently in the spotlight because of their potential to create bias and influence prescribing choices. Public disclosure of these…

The ABCs of paediatric plain language summaries - Volume 30, Issue

Plain language summaries need to be written at a proficiency level of 2 to 3, which roughly corresponds to a 6th grade to 8th grade reading level. Writing these for paediatric audiences brings even greater challenges. For communication to be…

Quality patient decision aids to support healthcare decision making - Volume 30, Issue

This article describes the development and use of quality patient decision aids to support patient involvement in making healthcare decisions. Briefly, patient decision aids should provide at least information on options, benefits, and harms, and…