How CDC is promoting a clear communication culture - Volume 24, Issue

Both the federal Plain Writing Act and the mission of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect and promote people's health require CDC to communicate clearly so that people can understand and act on the important health…

Plain language and readability - Volume 24, Issue

Plain language is writing in clear, concise language that is easy to read and understand. Whenever I hear the term plain language I am reminded of a lay summary I was once asked to edit. The stream of technical language (‘self-source bias’, ‘effect m…

Regulatory Writing Developments in paediatric regulation - Volume 22, Issue

Recently, both sides of the Atlantic have seen developments in paediatric regulation. In Europe, the EMA has published a new template for the paediatric investigation plan (PIP), which should help dispel some (but by no means all) doubts and…

Pharmacovigilance medical writing: An evolving profession - Volume 24, Issue

The preparation of pharmacovigilance documents is a global and cross-functional activity. The pharmacovigilance medical writer has a key position in this complex activity, leading the whole document creation process. This process includes drafting…

Veterinary Medical Writing - Volume 30, Issue

The placebo-by-proxy effect – another argument against homeopathy

Chances are you know about the placebo effect. There are many variables to study,1 but in general, the placebo effect means that if you believe in a positive outcome of a drug, you wi…

Patient reported outcomes - Volume 27, Issue

You are very welcome to this special edition of Medical Writing where the focus is on patient-reported outcomes (PROs). This is my second time to act as a guest editor. Once again, in the process of putting the issue together, I was highly impressed…

Message from the President - Volume 23, Issue

As my 1-year term as the EMWA president is ending, I would like to say that it has been a great year! Manchester and Barcelona were incredible successes. The Executive Committee is working hard to improve all aspects of the EMWA, and, thanks to…

What can twitter do for me? - Volume 22, Issue

Like everything, the usefulness of twitter depends on what the user does with it. Here is an assortment of information that can be obtained if you selectively follow organisations with twitter accounts relevant to your interests or…

Message from the President - Volume 22, Issue

Dear colleagues Time really does fly when you're having fun: I'm writing my third message since becoming EMWA President in May! The 37th EMWA Conference in Barcelona was an exciting event in a great location. We welcomed 102 new members, and 240…

Good pharma - Volume 22, Issue

Drugs companies publish only a fraction of their results and keep much of the information to themselves. Drug companies are ‘debasing’ drug trials whose publication in journals can apparently confer scientific approval. Merck had fought for years to …