Medical Writing Writing Matters Getting what you want from your scientific writing: tips for writing clearly

Volume 21, Issue 3 - Writing Matters

Getting what you want from your scientific writing: tips for writing clearly

Abstract

Good medical writing is like good writing in any discipline: the writer should explain complex concepts and ideas clearly and accurately and engage the reader. In this article, I provide four suggestions to help clarify writing on complex subjects: avoiding nominalizations, using language precisely, using parallel construction, and placing information where readers expect to find it. Applying these principles to science and medical writing can help readers understand difficult concepts more easily the first time they read your document.

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References

  1. Purdue Online Writing Lab, Medical Writing. Available from: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/732/01/
  2. Knight J. Clear as mud. Nature 2003;423:376–8.
  3. Gopen GD, Swan JA. The science of science writing. Am Scientist 1990;78:550–8.
  4. American Medical Writers Association. Essays for biomedical communicators. Vols. 1 and 2. 2001 Available from: http://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=181

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Articles

Writing Matters
Message from the President
EMWA news
Getting what you want from your scientific writing: tips for writing clearly
What's your problem? A practical approach to scientific document design
The joys of outlining in medical writing
Pleasing the reader by pleasing the eye—Part 1 The role of format and design in readability
Writing visually for medical writers
Quality control: getting the best out of your review
Pharmaceutical medical writing competencies: Comparing self-perception with employers' expectations
In the Bookstores
Journal Watch
The Webscout
Manuscript Writing
Regulatory writing
English Grammar and Style
Out On Our Own
Gained in Translation

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Raquel Billiones

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Evguenia Alechine

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Victoria White

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Nicole Bezuidenhout

Claire Chang

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Somsuvro Basu

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Gained in Translation

Ivana Turek

Getting Your Foot in the Door

Wendy Kingdom / Amy Whereat

Good Writing Practice

Alison McIntosh 

In the Bookstores

Maria Kołtowska-Häggström

Lingua Franca and Beyond

Maddy Dyer

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Lisa Chamberlain-James

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Payal Bhatia

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Evguenia Alechine

My First Medical Writing

Anuradha Alahari

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Adriana Rocha

Out on Our Own

Tiziana von Bruchhausen

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Clare ChangZuo Yen Lee 

Regulatory Matters

Sam Hamilton

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Claire Gudex

Teaching Medical Writing

Louisa Ludwig-Begall / Sarah Kabani

The Crofter: Sustainable Communications

Louisa Marcombes

Veterinary Writing

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Phil Leventhal

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