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 bridges the lay audience with medical and regulatory writers (regardless of native language). A couple of months ago, I attended an investigator meeting; at the end, one of the Danish investigators congratulated the organisers, and said: ‘The meeting was just perfect; the only remark, we couldn't really follow all acronyms’. This made it clear for me that abbreviations and acronyms widely used in clinical development language and in medical publications are something that must be a problem for the lay audience, if it was a problem for medically educated people. Here we go – I have an excellent topic!
Editor-in-Chief
Co-Editors
Managing Editor
Victoria White
Associate Editors
Section Editors
Biotechnology
Digital Communication
EMWA News
Gained in Translation
Getting Your Foot in the Door
Good Writing Practice
In the Bookstores
Manuscript Writing
Medical Communications/Writing for Patients
Medical Devices
My First Medical Writing
News from the EMA
Out on Our Own
Pharmacovigilance
Regulatory Matters
Regulatory Public Disclosure
Teaching Medical Writing
The Crofter: Sustainable Communications
Veterinary Writing
Editors Emeritus
Lay out Designer
Chris Monk