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…

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…

In this issue of Medical Writing - Volume 23, Issue

Some of you might remember the old days when writing was done with a typewriter, spreadsheets were big pieces of paper, and slides were printed on film. Thanks to computers, these are old memories, and we can all be much more productive. Software…

Message from the President - Volume 22, Issue

Dear Medical Writers It is time for me to give you another brief update on the activities of the EMWA Executive Committee (EC) and our plans for 2013, as well as a short preview on the spring conference in Manchester. The autumn conference…

Writing for pharmaceutical or medical device companies: A survey of entry requirements, career paths, quality of life, and personal observations - Volume 25, Issue

The spectrum of medical writing activities across the pharmaceutical and device industries is vast. We conducted a limited survey of medical writers predominantly working in industry or for agencies to learn of their personal and professional…

New myths about English - Volume 21, Issue

My first 39 myths about English were published in The Write Stuff in a series of articles between January 2006 and January 2008. The myths are mainly drawn from claims about English made by participants at my training events on the use of English…

Anonymisation: A new challenge for medical writers - Volume 27, Issue

In its commitment to transparency, the EMA implemented Policy/0043 and Policy/0070 to make data accessible to all; however, this has given rise to the need for anonymisation of personal data in clinical reports. The analysis of the 64 submission…

The UK pharmaceutical industry braces for Brexit, be it mild, severe, or doomsday - Volume 27, Issue

Pharma-Brexit is on its way. The announcement of the European Medicine Agency’s move to Amsterdam, various UK government white papers, and comments made by key stakeholders in the UK pharmaceutical industry have led to a wide range of predictions…

Manuscript Writing - Volume 21, Issue

Help, I can't shorten my abstract! Oh yes you can! (Part 1 of 2) Abstracts are perhaps the most important part of a manuscript because they are often the only part that is read and used as an information source. They are also used by readers…

So, you want to be a medical journalist? - Volume 26, Issue

What are the differences between medical journalism and medical writing? To find out, the authors reviewed several health-related publications and online resources, and interviewed two senior medical journalists. We learned that medical journalism…