Best Practices for Scientific Writing & Publications

In an effort to improve the editorial standards and scientific quality of journal articles, the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides a wide range of recommendations. An editorial was published by ICMJE in 2017 detailing their initiative of clinical trial data sharing. The ICMJE considers it a moral responsibility to share data that is generated during clinical trials . It is believed that data sharing will serve to make the best use of the knowledge gained from clinical trial participants who put themselves at risk. As a part of this initiative it is required that: ·          As of 1 st July 2018, manuscripts that report the results of clinical trials and are submitted for publication to ICMJE journals must contain a data sharing statement indicating the following: o    whether individual deidentified participant data (including data dictionaries) will be shared o    what data in par...

During an informal chat, a newly recruited writer once told me that writing is an exercise in solitude, and editors are just “proofreaders”! I am sure, with experience, he has realized the critical role editors play in enhancing the quality of a document. Editing is a very specialized skill, and a good editor is a medical writer’s biggest ally. So, what do editors do? Here’s a short overview: ·          Reviews the document for accuracy, clarity, consistency, and logical flow: Mostly, the medical writer is too close to the source material(s) and the draft(s) he has written, and after spending a long time with a document, it is plausible to lose objectivity. An editor looks at the document with a fresh pair of eyes and provides the much-needed objectivity to help strengthen the overall integrity of the ideas being communicated. ·          Imparts brevity to the writing: One of the core competen...