Interlude: Simplicity, Plain Language, and Health Communications

Later this month, I'm giving a couple of talks on the power of using plain language when writing for experts. Yes, experts.

Many people only associate plain language with writing for a lay audience, or the general public. But plain language is a powerful way to communicate information to any audience.

Plain language is clear, concise, easier to understand, and faster to read. And all these things make the reader's job easy—the number one principle in scientific writing.

Because plain language has been on my mind, I thought I'd put together another themed issue on the topic for you.

Let's get to it!

💌 Round-up 

📆 Upcoming

The Power of Plain Language and Improving the Readability of Your Writing – September 21, 2023
I'm thrilled that Edge for Scholars at Vanderbilt University Medical Center invited me to talk about my favorite topic: the power of using plain language to enlighten expert readers. After the seminar, I get to facilitate a workshop on how to improve the readability of your writing.

👓 Reading

Questions Surround “Paused” NIH Health Communication Research Program
“The NIH’s explanation for why it halted the health communication program seems to raise more questions than it answers: ‘NIH has decided to pause moving forward with the development of the program to reconsider its scope and aims in the context of the current regulatory and legal landscape around communication platforms,’”

Comparing lay summaries to scientific abstracts for readability and jargon use: a case report
"It was found that (1) the average reading grade level of lay summaries was significantly higher than that of scientific abstracts, and (2) a higher proportion of technical terms were used than the recommended threshold in both lay summaries and scientific abstracts."

Want to learn how to craft effective lay summaries at the right reading grade level? Check out my Lay Summary Fundamentals course.
 

🖥️ Watching

Demand to Understand: How Plain Language Makes Life Simpler
Deborah Bosley has dedicated her life to making information clear and simple. In this TEDx talk, she shares how "people have the right to understand information that affects their lives," and we need to "demand to understand" and "lead with simplicity."

💬 Quote

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” – Hans Hofmann
 
 

📝 Challenge

Open the latest lay summary that you wrote and check the reading grade level with the Editor function in Word or an online tool, such as Storytoolz or the Hemingway App. Does your lay summary meet the 8th-grade reading level recommended by the CDC, AMA, and NIH?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Grit, Space, and BioGPT

I recently finished a book called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth. In the book, Angela shares data and stories that highlight how grit has twice the value of smarts in achieving success.

At the end of the book, she shares a poem on how grit helps us succeed with the challenges of writing.

“The challenge of writing
Is to see your horribleness on the page
To see your terribleness
And then go to bed.
And wake up the next day
And take that horribleness and terribleness,
And refine it,
And make it not so terrible and not so horrible.
And then to go to bed again.
And come the next day,
And refine it a little bit more,
And make it not so bad.
And then to go to bed again.
And do it again the next day,
And make it maybe average,
And then one more time,
If you’re lucky,
Maybe you get to good,
And if you’ve done that,
That’s a success.”

I really appreciate how this poem reminds us that with grit (passion and perseverance), we can do the hard work of transforming a bad first draft into a good final draft.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

📆 Upcoming

Find Your Flow: Connect Ideas to Guide Readers Through Your Writing – October 28, 2023, 9:30–10:30 am ET
I'm thrilled to be invited to speak at the upcoming American Medical Writers Association conference in Baltimore, MD. I'll be speaking about how to synthesize your writing to create a smooth flow that guides readers through your writing with ease. Registration for the conference is open, and you can get the summer rates until the end of August.

👓 Reading

BioGPT: a useful tool or cause for concern?
"Microsoft’s biomedical-specific BioGPT, which generates text based on millions of published research articles, has huge potential, but many medical publications professionals remain cautious about its use and call for appropriate guidance to be established."

How to Use the Psychology of Space to Boost Your Creativity
"Experimental data and construal level theory support the idea of a direct relationship between proximity and cognitive style. Near things elicit narrow focus. Far things elicit a holistic outlook....Since early stage ideation (think brainstorming, sketching, first drafts, etc.) relies on abstract, big-picture thinking, the greater our intimation of spatial distance, the more predisposed we will be to idea formation."

💬 Quote

"Perseverance. The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it." – Moliere
 

💭 Thoughts

Learning to write well is like learning to drive a car.

At first, you really need to pay attention to how you are controlling the vehicle or the writing.

With practice, the skills become more natural and instinctive.
 

📝 Challenge

Look around your workspace and think about what you can change to help you narrow your focus or broaden your outlook while writing.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Beginnings, Growing Talent, and Health Literacy

Today, I'm heading to my hometown to visit my dad, who still lives in the same house I grew up in. Whenever I visit, I am reminded of my beginnings, and I think a lot about where I came from.

I grew up in a very small, rural town. And my family got by on what my mom liked to call "modest circumstances." She was being euphemistic.

Most people in my hometown had financial challenges and were not well-educated. I was actually the first person in my family—and born and raised in my hometown—to go to college and get a degree, let alone a PhD in a STEM field.

I'm not sharing this story to humblebrag. I'm sharing because it reminded me that checking in with our past selves can help us recognize how we've grown, not only in the big parts of life, but also in our writing.

For example, when I read the paper that I wrote in graduate school, I see how much I've learned about writing and how much my writing has improved. Sometimes my inner critic chimes in about how much better I could have done in the past. But more often, my inner teacher reminds me of how much my writing has grown.

So if you're feeling like you're not making progress in your writing, channel your inner teacher. Read something that you wrote 5 or 10 years ago and think about how your writing has grown.

Onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

10 Helpful Tips for Communicating Research to the Public
Although you may be most comfortable writing in an academic style, this style is complex and confusing for many readers. And it fuels the communication gap between researchers and the general public. This article describes 10 tips that will help you write in a way that connects not just with a lay audience, but also with any reader.
 

👓 Reading

Health Literacy and Systemic Racism—Using Clear Communication to Reduce Health Care Inequities
"Typical written and spoken health information is unnecessarily complex, is written at too high of a reading level, is presented using unfamiliar jargon terms, and requires too high of numeracy skills for the average patient. This creates systemic disadvantages for patients with lower health literacy, who are more likely to identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, Black, or Hispanic individuals."

🧰 Tools

Storytoolz
This website is still my go-to resource for improving the readability of my writing. I appreciate that the tool gives me an average readability score based on multiple readability measures. And I like that I get a wealth of information about what to target (eg, word length, sentence length, passive voice) to improve the readability of the text.

💬 Quote

"A talent grows by being used, and withers if it is not used. Closing the gap between expectation and reality can be painful, but it has to be done sooner or later. The fact is that millions of young people would like to write, but what they dream of is the published book, often skipping over the months and years of very hard work necessary to achieve that end..." – May Sarton

📝 Challenge

Open the most recent lay summary you've written and run the text through a readability measure, such as Storytoolz, the Hemingway App, or the Editor function in Word. Does your text meet the 8th-grade reading level recommended by the CDC, AMA, and NIH?

If you want to learn how to craft a readable and relatable lay summary, check out my Lay Summary Fundamentals course.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Curses, Lay Titles, and Poor Writing

What is the greatest contributor to poor writing?

According to Steven Pinker, author of The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, the greatest contributor to poor writing is the curse of knowledge.

"The curse of knowledge is the single best explanation I know of why good people write bad prose. It simply doesn't occur to the writer that her readers don't know what she knows—that they haven't mastered the patois of her guild, can't divine the missing steps that seem too obvious to mention, have no way to visualize a scene that to her is as clear as day."

The curse of knowledge is a difficulty imagining what it is like for someone to not know what you know. And what's worse is that the curse of knowledge also prevents you from noticing that it is affecting your writing. And without awareness of the problem, you cannot fix it.

So how can you overcome the curse of knowledge? You might be tempted to just send your writing to a colleague or another expert in your field to review. But they may have the same curse of knowledge as you.

I think that the most valuable way is to work with a professional editor. A skilled editor will help you identify when the curse of knowledge seeps into your writing.

But you can also take a break from your writing (at least a few days). Sometimes that time will give you enough distance to see how your writing can be improved.

What strategies do you have for overcoming the curse of knowledge?

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

👓 Reading

What makes an effective lay title for a clinical trial?
"The results...highlighted several shortcomings of the assessed lay titles:

• 72% did not include all recommended elements, compromising their ability to convey essential trial information.

• 73% contained specialist language, making them less meaningful to potential trial participants.

• 51% were deemed inadequate, indicating a failure to effectively inform readers."

Scientists used ChatGPT to generate an entire paper from scratch — but is it any good?
"A pair of scientists has produced a research paper in less than an hour with the help of ChatGPT... The article was fluent, insightful and presented in the expected structure for a scientific paper, but researchers say that there are many hurdles to overcome before the tool can be truly helpful."

🧰 Tools

Pexels
Are you looking for free images or videos to use in your presentations, articles, or social media posts? Pexels is a website with a huge database of free stock photos, royalty free images, and videos.

💬 Quote

"Poor writing transfers the work from the writer to the reader. Good writing, on the other hand, nearly reads itself, allowing the reader to spend more time thinking about the ideas than pulling out meaning." — Shane Parrish, Brain Food
 

📝 Challenge

The next time you review your draft, look for common culprits of the curse of knowledge: jargon, abbreviations, and technical vocabulary.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Credibility, Titles, and Talent

I recently read that health care professionals spend only an average of 1 minute 38 seconds reading a medical publication. If adults read about 250 words per minute, then 1 minute 38 seconds is only enough time to read a little more than the average 250-word abstract.

Although these health care professionals were likely reading the abstracts for relevance, I've met several researchers who will cite a publication after reading only the abstract. I find this practice unsettling.

I believe that as a researcher or professional writer, you need to read the full text before you consider citing it. You need to think critically about the study and whether you endorse or refute the findings. For example, do you believe the methods were sound? And do you agree with the authors' conclusions?

I also believe that any article you cite reflects on your work and on you. If you cite a publication, you are endorsing (or sometimes refuting) that research in writing. That's an important reflection on your credibility—and the credibility of science and medicine.

What do you think about the practice of citing a publication after only reading the abstract?

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

👓 Reading

Content and form of original research articles in general major medical journals
"In conclusion, title content differed substantially between the five major medical journals BMJ, JAMA, Lancet, NEJM and PLOS....We recommend that authors study titles of articles recently published in their target journal when formulating the manuscript title."

Reminding Peer Reviewers of Reporting Guideline Items to Improve Completeness in Published Articles
“…giving peer reviewers an additional task by emailing them a reminder of the 10 most important and poorly reported reporting items did not improve the reporting completeness in published articles. We therefore encourage journals to implement other interventions that have proven to be efficient in other trials (ie, hiring expert reviewers for adherence to reporting guidelines) to increase the reporting completeness in published articles.”
 

🖥️ Watching

Brain Hack: 6 secrets to learning faster, backed by neuroscience
In this TEDx talk, Dr. Lila Landowski explains six critical ingredients that you can use to help you learn faster: attention, alertness, sleep, repetition, breaks, and mistakes. She also shares how talent mostly comes down to practice, perseverance, and when someone starts learning a skill (the earlier the better).

💬 Quote

"Writing is one of the only ways to outlive yourself. People still read books from hundreds or even thousands of years ago. The author's physical life ended long ago, but their mental life remains alive and meaningful even today.” —James Clear
 

📝 Challenge

Go to the website of your favorite journal and read the table of contents in the latest edition. Do you think the authors could have crafted stronger manuscript titles?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Respectively, To-Do Lists, and Issues With BMI

Language matters. Even in the little things, like our to-do lists.

I like to craft each item on my to-do lists like I write aims for a grant: use strong verbs and be really specific.

I like to start each item with a strong verb that gives the task a little more energy (ie, action) to fuel my motivation and focus my attention. For example, rather than write "LinkedIn post," I'll write "Draft LinkedIn post."

I also like to be really specific to make the task more concrete (ie, achievable). So rather than write "Email Jane," I'll write "Email Jane about her JAMA submission."

But not everyone likes this approach. In this blog article, the author describes this approach as giving commands to your future self. Instead, she encourages people to make kinder to-do lists to practice kindness and self-compassion.

Although I have not tried kinder to-do lists, I like the idea of using your to-do lists to help you improve a skill, such as fueling your motivation.

What is your approach to creating to-do lists?

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

Avoid the Word “Respectively” for Clear Writing
Many scientific and medical authors use the word "respectively" in their writing. You might think this word is an easy way to write concisely. But this word actually creates more work for readers and hinders their understanding.

👓 Reading

Science funding agencies say no to using AI for peer review
"On 23 June, NIH banned the use of online generative AI tools like ChatGPT 'for analyzing and formulating peer-review critiques'...In a similar move, the Australian Research Council (ARC) on 7 July banned generative AI for peer review after learning of reviews apparently written by ChatGPT."

AMA adopts new policy clarifying role of BMI as a measure in medicine
"The report also outlined the harms and benefits of using BMI and pointed to BMI as an imperfect way to measure body fat in multiple groups given that it does not account for differences across race/ethnic groups, sexes, genders, and age-span. Given the report’s findings, the new policy supports AMA in educating physicians on the issues with BMI and alternative measures for diagnosing obesity."

🧰 Tools

Scholia
This service creates visual scholarly profiles for researchers, organizations, publishers, research topics, and more by accessing data stored in the open knowledge base Wikidata. You can see a variety of visuals, including publication timelines, topics of authored works, citation timelines, and much more.
 

📝 Challenge

Open your to-do list and review the language you used for each item on the list. Think about how you could change the language in your list to fuel your motivation, practice self-compassion, or otherwise improve a skill.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Dedicating Time, Misusing Terms, and Using Definitions as Guides

I often say that the hardest part of writing is not the writing itself, but the thinking needed to write. And thinking takes time and attention. But in our fast-paced world, you may struggle to find the time to think (and write).

How can you dedicate time to thinking?

In this article, the author shares five strategies to help you find your flow and make the most of your time:

1. State your intention.

2. Change your environment.

3. Truly disconnect.

4. Capture your ideas systematically.

5. Take strategic breaks.

Although the author describes these strategies in the context of a "creative retreat," writing is a creative process. So these strategies are great tools to help you plan a "writing retreat," even for just a few hours.

How do you find your flow and make the most of your thinking and writing time?

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How You Might Be Misusing 32 Common Clinical Terms
Some authors misuse common clinical terms in their writing and clinical practice. To ensure the language you use is accurate and inclusive, check out this list to learn whether you are using these common terms accurately.

👓 Reading

‘Transformative’ journals get booted for switching to open access too slowly
"Two-thirds of the more than 2300 scientific journals participating in a program designed to flip them to open access (OA) failed to meet prescribed targets for progress in 2022. As a result, the Coalition S group of research funders behind the initiative announced today that it will remove these journals from the program at the end of the year."

🖥️ Watching

TriCalm Commercial
This commercial is a clever reminder of how the curse of knowledge can make it difficult for experts to describe information with plain language that the general public can understand and relate to their lives.

🧰 Tools

Clinical Research Glossary
This glossary includes a list of research words and their meanings. Although you can use this glossary to learn more about words that are used in research studies, I like to use the definitions as guides when writing content for a lay audience.

📝 Challenge

Think about a word that you often misuse. Write that word on a sticky note and place it near your desk. After you finish writing something (eg, a manuscript, an email, a chart note), search for that word and replace it with the better word. Over time, you'll stop misusing that word.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Writing Time, Dosage, and Predatory Journals

How long does it take to write a grant proposal?

I hear this question a lot. And it's a hard one to answer. We all have different schedules, priorities, and circumstances that affect how much time and energy we can dedicate to writing.

But according to this survey, the average federal proposal takes 171 hours to write: 116 hours from principal investigators and 55 hours from co-investigators. So if you write part-time at 20 hours per week, you will need 8 to 9 weeks to write a federal proposal. And if you can only dedicate 10 hours per week, that time doubles to 16 to 18 weeks.

And that's just the average amount of time. You may need more.

In any case, writing a grant proposal is a huge time investment. What are three things you can do to optimize that time?

1. Start early, and earlier than you think. Many project managers suggest adding a 20% time buffer to account for any hiccups that may arise.

2. Schedule time in your calendar, and plan what you will do during that time. Create SMART goals so that you can work smarter, not harder.

3. Plan with your co-authors, and agree on a process for writing the proposal. Ensure everyone is on the same page as the writing progresses.

What are your strategies for optimizing your writing time? I'd love to know.

And now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

When to Use Dosage vs Dose
Some authors think that the term "dosage" is a more formal synonym for "dose." But "dosage" and "dose" have different meanings. In this article, you will learn the difference between these terms and whether you are using them accurately in your writing.

👓 Reading

Content Analysis of Emoji and Emoticon Use in Clinical Texting Systems
"This qualitative study found that when clinicians use emoji and emoticons in secure clinical texting systems, these symbols function primarily to convey new and interactionally salient information. These results suggest that concerns about the professionalism of emoji and emoticon use may be unwarranted."
 

🖥️ Watching

Visit the New NIH Virtual Tour
The NIH recently released a virtual tour of their 32-building campus in Bethesda, Maryland. Through the tour, you can learn about the NIH’s 27 Institutes and Centers, including in-depth tour stops at research labs and patient rooms. 

🧰 Tools

Think.Check.Submit
Predatory journals are on the rise. To help you identify the right journal for your manuscript, the Committee on Publication Ethics created the Think.Check.Submit checklist. "The checklist is a tool that will help you discover what you need to know when assessing whether or not a publisher is suitable for your research."
 

📝 Challenge

Before you start your next writing project, meet with your author team to choose a process, create SMART goals, and plan a schedule to successfully complete the writing.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Similar Terms, Writer Archetypes, and Not Discussed

Do you know what type of writer you are?

In this article, the author describes five writer archetypes—Hesitater, Skipper, Spiller, Teacher, and Artist—and how learning your archetype can help you overcome some of your writing challenges.

My primary archetype is definitely Teacher (no surprise there), but I am also a Hesitater from time to time. And many of my clients and students are primarily Hesitaters.

What's the author's advice for Teachers and Hesitaters?

📓 Keep an idea notebook

🎉 Reward yourself for completing projects

🎯 Create tiny goals

What writer archetype are you? Take the quiz to find out!

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

Why Using Similar Terms Strengthens Your Scientific and Medical Writing
Did you have an English teacher who discouraged you from using similar words in your writing? This advice is a bit unbalanced. Different words can add interest to your writing. But different terms can confuse readers. Learn the difference between words and terms and how you can use them to balance interest and clarity in your writing.

👓 Reading

Up-Dated ICMJE Recommendations
“...the ICMJE revised criterion #2 from "Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content" to "Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content". The ICMJE made this change because some authors may interpret "revising" to indicate the requirement to make changes to earlier versions of the manuscript (in order to qualify for authorship) even if authors agree with the content… In addition, ICMJE added…guidance on how work conducted with the assistance of AI technology (including ChatGPT) should and should not be acknowledged.”

🎧 Listening

Discussing Not Discussed
"If your application is not discussed, it does not imply that it's a weak application…you want to try to understand… the criticisms that came out of the review. Was it important? Was it significant? Was it the approach that was the problem? Was it your message? Was it not crystal clear to the reviewers? So we say revise and resubmit.”
 

💭 Thoughts

Writing is like getting all the ingredients on the counter.

Editing is like measuring all the ingredients and adding them at the right time.
 

📝 Challenge

Open your current (or most recent) writing project. Read through the text and revise the words and terms to make your writing clearer and more engaging.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Meetings, Conversations, and Calendars

Have you ever had one of those meetings that ended early and the meeting host said something like "I'm giving you back 20 minutes"?

I've always disliked those statements. Why?

I think that meetings should not take time from people. Instead, I think that meetings should be meaningful events in which people share their time for a common purpose.

When people share time for a common purpose, they are more likely to appreciate the event and to respect the attendees who are also sharing their time. And those feelings of appreciation and respect foster collaboration and meaningful relationships.

After hearing a friend say that she had 12 back-to-back meetings one day (😮), I've been giving a lot of thought to meetings. As a solopreneur, I'm fortunate to have complete control of my calendar. I recognize that not everyone has that luxury, but my fortune means that I can do something to help.

Now I'm rethinking my approach to scheduling meetings so that I can reduce the meeting burdens of the people I work with. And less time in meetings means more time for writing.

Here are a few things I'm experimenting with:

• Scheduling a meeting for 45 minutes instead of 1 hour (or 25 minutes instead of 30 minutes). I like the idea of bringing back the breaks between classes that we had in high school so that we have a time buffer to transition to our next meeting or grab a snack.

• Encouraging walking meetings when possible.

• Having stand-up meetings (or quick check-ins over the phone).

To help you rethink your approach to meetings (and give you more time to write), I've put together another themed issue of this newsletter for you.

Let's get to the good stuff...

💌 Round-up

👓 Reading

A Quick Way To Cut Meetings in Half
"Require that anyone on your team who is scheduling a meeting include the total cost of the meeting in the meeting invite. To do this, they will need a basic hourly rate for each level of the team, which could be the same for everyone or set by level...This practice brings a lot of awareness about both who needs to be in the meeting and how long it should be, it also makes the cost of everyone’s time together clear."

🎧 Listening

Seth Godin — The Pursuit of Meaning, The Life-Changing Power of Choosing Your Attitude, Overcoming Rejection, Life Lessons from Zig Ziglar, and Committing to Making Positive Change (#672)
I recommend listening to this entire podcast. But if you only have a few minutes, fast forward to 1:19:35 to hear Seth's thoughts on having conversations versus having meetings. Teaser: "So conversations need to happen. More meetings need to happen never."

🧰 Tools

Calendly
Do you want to avoid the back-and-forth emails trying to set up a time to meet with someone? I started using Calendly a couple of years ago, and the tool has saved me from spending a lot of time managing those scheduling emails.

💬 Quote

“The majority of meetings should be discussions that lead to decisions.” – Patrick Lencioni

 

📝 Challenge

Take a look at your calendar for next week. As you look at each scheduled meeting, ask yourself whether that meeting is really necessary. If it's not necessary, cancel it.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: AI Risks, Backbones, and the Research Lifecycle

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been top of mind for many people. And these tools are being rolled out everywhere. I've noticed that many websites and software solutions have integrated AI tools into their systems.

I'm still cautiously exploring AI tools because of their limitations in scientific and medical writing. I'm most concerned about data privacy and the inability of AI to address key features of writing well: readability, credibility, and "think-ability." I just published an article on the topic if you'd like to check it out.

Read the article

And now onto this week's (slightly longer) round-up...

💌 Round-up

🎉 Featured

The Backbone of Manuscripts: Supporting Your Writing With Storytelling
I'm delighted to share that my 2022 AMWA Conference presentation has been featured in the AMWA Journal. Thanks to Allie Bowman for putting together an excellent summary of my education session on the built-in story structure in research manuscripts. 
 

💻 From My Desk

Artificial Intelligence May Help You Write, But It Won’t Help You Write Well
Many researchers are excited about the potential of ChatGPT and other AI tools to help them do the challenging work of writing. But although these tools can generate text to help you write something, they cannot help you write well…yet.

👓 Reading

ChatGPT Data Privacy and User Liability
"In medical, scientific, and other technical communication professions, there are additional concerns about generative AI’s tendency to plagiarize, violate copyright, prevaricate, and hallucinate—all toxic to a professional reputation."

6 key limitations of ChatGPT
"ChatGPT is a useful writing aid, but it's important to be aware of its limitations so you can ensure you're still producing high-quality health content."

🖥️ Watching

The Risks of Using ChatGPT to Co-Write Your Scientific Paper
In this video, Dr. Sampoorna Rappaz discusses the risks of using ChatGPT for literature searches and text editing, and how using ChatGPT breaches confidentiality and does not keep your data secure. This 15-minute video is well worth the watch.

🧰 Tools

Dimensions
Dimensions is an AI system that maps the entire research lifecycle. The system brings together grants, publications, citations, clinical trials, patents, and policy documents to help users follow research from funding through output to impact. 

📝 Challenge

Take a few minutes to think about the risks of using AI tools for your writing. What can you do to avoid or reduce those risks?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Formatting, Abstracts, and Community Reviews

Do you grumble when you need to format a manuscript to meet journal guidelines?

I've formatted a lot of manuscripts for journals, and I'll admit that I don't always find the process fun.

Sometimes the process is easy, such as when journals have the philosophy of "your paper, your way." In other words, the journal allows you to submit the manuscript in (mostly) whatever format you'd like, but you don't have to go through the rigmarole of full formatting unless the manuscript gets accepted.

Other times, the journal guidelines have very specific requirements, such as using midline decimal points in all the numbers. These changes can be incredibly tedious and time-consuming.

And if the manuscript gets rejected, you have to do it all over again for the next journal you will submit to. This process can waste time, energy, and money.

But what if we created a good middle ground? What if all journals allowed us to submit a paper that fits some universal guidelines? And then we'd only have to go through the formatting rigamarole if the paper is accepted?

That's exactly what the author in this Nature article suggests:

"...the authors recommend a “golden-middle” solution that would allow researchers to submit manuscripts without following specific formatting demands, but instead abiding by minimal structural requirements such as total word count."

I think this suggestion is a great solution to save researchers time and energy.

What do you think?

Onto the round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How to Write a Great Abstract for Your Manuscript
The abstract is the first (and sometimes only) part of your paper that people will read. To write a great abstract, you need to write an overview that covers the main story and a few essential details of the work so that your readers get a clear summary of your paper.
 

📆 Upcoming

Find Your Flow: Connect Ideas to Guide Readers Through Your Writing – October 28, 2023
I'm thrilled to be invited to speak at the upcoming American Medical Writers Association conference in Baltimore, MD. I'll be speaking about how to synthesize your writing to create a smooth flow that guides readers through your writing with ease. Registration for the conference just opened, and you can get the early bird rates until the end of June.

👓 Reading

Abstracts matter more than you think – and writing a good one is hard
"A good abstract can make or break your paper. It is the first thing that readers, editors and reviewers see. And it might be your only chance to communicate your findings to a wider audience. So investing time in writing a clear and concise abstract is a must."

Comparing scientific abstracts generated by ChatGPT to real abstracts with detectors and blinded human reviewers
"In this study, we found that both humans and AI output detectors were able to identify a portion of abstracts generated by ChatGPT, but neither were perfect discriminators... We anticipate that this technology could be used in both an ethical and unethical way....to entirely falsify research...to decrease the burden of writing and formatting... [and] to improve equity."

Community Members as Reviewers of Medical Journal Manuscripts
"The researchers concluded that, with training, supervision, and compensation, community members can review manuscripts submitted to medical journals and provide useful feedback to editors. They recommended that medical journals broaden their understanding of who can be an expert in the scientific review process to include trained community members, because they can provide valuable and complementary feedback to scientific reviews."

📝 Challenge

Do you support the idea of a "golden-middle" solution to formatting manuscripts for submission to academic journals? Head over to Change.org to sign a petition that supports the movement.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Inclusion, Diversity, and Implicit Bias

This month, we're celebrating Pride with the LGBTQ+ community around the globe.

And what better time to talk about how we can communicate about LGBTQ+ and other diverse communities with inclusive language that acknowledges diversity, shows respect, honors identities, promotes equitability, and cultivates belonging.

At Redwood Ink, we are committed to supporting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in everything we do. That's why we check all documents for inclusive and bias-free language, regardless of the level of editing requested.

We also created an Inclusive Language Course to help you learn everything you need to know about adopting bias-free language that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion in the health sciences.

And during the month of June, you can get half off your enrollment (that's lifetime access for less than $15). And 10% of your payment will go to the Health Equity Initiative. Just use the code "pride23" at checkout.

Enroll in the Inclusive Language Course

I also encourage you to share the code with your colleagues and friends. You can simply forward this email to them. The more we can promote inclusive language, the more we can work together to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in every aspect of our lives.

Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

Inclusive Language Matters: Recommendations for Health Care Providers to Address Implicit Bias and Equitable Health Care
Stigmatizing language can fuel implicit bias among health care professionals. And these biases can lead to unintentional negative effects in how these professionals care for patients. With guidelines from the AMA Manual of Style, health care providers can adopt inclusive language to reduce implicit bias and address disparities in health care.

👓 Reading

Unpacking “Disabled,” Reclaiming Disability
"Many people have chosen to reclaim the word “disabled” for themselves. Understanding why can help us create materials that resonate with our audiences.”

Inclusive Language Playbook: Writing for LGBTQ+ Communities
"A running theme that you’ll notice right away is our recommendation to discuss language in communication materials and to test those materials with your priority audiences whenever possible. This helps us write messaging that’s inclusive, representative, and effective."

🧰 Tools

Project Implicit
"The Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. The IAT may be especially interesting if it shows that you have an implicit attitude that you did not know about."

I recently took one of these tests and found the process really interesting. I highly recommend that you take the time to check them out and test your own attitudes. 

📝 Challenge

Open the most recent draft of your writing or presentation. Review the text and make any revisions needed to use inclusive language.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Paper, Possibility, and Productive Communication

Someone once asked me, "What do you think is the greatest invention?"

So many things came to my mind: the wheel, the lightbulb, motor cars, penicillin, the Internet. My mind flooded with options.

What was their answer?

Paper.

I was so surprised. Paper didn't even occur to me. But paper has added incredible value to our lives.

Before the digital era, we used paper to write letters, record history, share news, develop ideas, document policies, create art, print money, and so much more. Paper has been the gateway to modern life and to many other inventions. And paper has been essential for documenting the science that has led to the advances we make today.

Even though paper has been a powerful tool in science, many of us overlook this power and, instead, feel dread when we need to fill a blank page with words.

But a blank page—analog or digital—has incredible power. That power is possibility.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

12 Powerful Ways to Persuade Your Reviewers
Many authors believe that they need to use hyperboles and adjectives like “cutting-edge” and “novel” to be persuasive. But these phrases only inflate writing. To persuade effectively, you need more than a few embellished words or phrases.

👓 Reading

Carl Braun’s Writing Lessons for Clear Thinking and Productive Communication
"Most people write to sound smart when they should write to be useful.
Communicating to sound smart lowers your potential for impact. The harder people have to work to understand you, the less they want your input.
Writing to be useful means writing what you would want to read."

The Importance of Powerful Storytelling in Writing
In this article Ben gives excellent advice on how writers can connect with readers: “My advice: envision the sentence as a walking trail or path. A writer’s job is not to bludgeon readers and drag them through the sentence. A writer’s job is to clear the path of problems to let readers enjoy walking along at their own pace.”

🧰 Tools

ImpactStory
Do you want to know the online impact of your research? This tool will help you track buzz on Twitter, blogs, news outlets, and more. "We're like Google Scholar for your research's online reach."

📝 Challenge

The next time you're confronted with a blank page, take a moment to shift your mindset and remember that a blank page is filled with possibility.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Work, Play, and Fun

Have you heard the mantra, "Work hard, play hard"? I'm not a fan of this mindset. I think it's a recipe for burnout, to say the least.

Instead, I believe in a quote by Simon Sinek: “The goal is not simply to 'work hard, play hard.' The goal is to make our work and our play indistinguishable.”

I think that play and fun are important parts of making work joyful. When I worked at a grocery store in high school, I enjoyed playing Tetris while packing customer'’ groceries. In graduate school, we played Pipette-Tip Box Battleship, Dry Ice Hockey, and Conical Tube Bowling between experiments.

And now, I am very fortunate that my work is also my play.

When I have a project to work on, I don't think, "I have to work on this project." I think, "I get to play with words!"

I don't think, "I have to meet with a client." I think, "I get to help my client figure out how to solve their pain points in their writing."

I don't think, "I have to meet with my students." I think, "I get to bring a group of brilliant people together for rich discussions about topics I'm passionate about."

Sure, I have moments when I find my work challenging, and I need to add some extra fun to my day. And that's what I want to do with this week's newsletter.

Let's take a break from the usual serious stuff. Here are a few things that I hope will add a little fun and joy to your day.

💌 Round-up

👓 Reading

Heart and Brain Comics - The Awkward Yeti
I laugh every time one of these comics shows up in my feed. I love how Nick Seluk creatively depicts the body's organs and how they react to life scenarios. Two of my favorites are Bad Tongue and Exercise Wasteland.

What word is your spelling nemesis?
As a word nerd, I follow the Merriam-Webster Dictionary on Instagram. Recently, they asked their followers what word is their spelling nemesis. I can totally relate to the list. My spelling nemesis is "guarantee." I always second-guess whether the "a" or "u" comes first. I also still find myself saying "pee-oh-plee" whenever I type "people," which is a remnant of my childhood struggle to spell "people" correctly.

What word is your spelling nemesis?

🖥️ Watching

The Meeting to Decide Time Periods
Many authors use the term "bi-weekly" in their writing without realizing that this term can mean either "twice per week" or "twice per month." In this Instagram post, the creator does a funny role-play of the nuances between these words and other words that describe time. I find many of his posts informative and entertaining as he dissects nuances of the English language in these role-play scenarios.

🧰 Tools

I'm listing this game under this category because it's a tool to exercise your brain. Whenever I need a few minutes to reset, I head over to The New York Times to solve the daily puzzle. I typically start with the word "audio". But according to information theory, the best words to start with are either "soare" or "slane".

What word do you start with?

📝 Challenge

Take a moment to think about what parts of your work are the most fun or joyful. Can you add a little more of those things to your days?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Writing, Thinking, and Opportunity

I hear a lot of authors say that writing is hard. But I think this view masks the real challenge.

I would argue that writing is not hard because the writing itself is hard. Writing is hard because the thinking needed to write is hard.

But what if we shift our perspective away from viewing writing (or the thinking needed to write) as hard? What if we think about writing as an opportunity?

Writing is an opportunity to refine our thinking.

I think this framing can help us shift our mindset in a more positive direction. We can train our thoughts away from the (potential) dread of hard work to the opportunity for refinement.

I also think that if writing is an opportunity to refine our thinking, then the principles we use to refine our writing can also help us to refine our thinking.

In my Scientific Writing Masterclass, you'll learn principles for refining your writing that can help you refine your thinking.

Today is the last day to enroll in the next session. I'd be thrilled to have you!

Now for this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

📆 Upcoming

Scientific Writing Masterclass – Starts the week of May 29, 2023
Want to take your writing—and thinking—to the next level this summer? Join the Scientific Writing Masterclass. Registration closes today at 6 pm Pacific Time.

👓 Reading

How to Think Better: The Skill You’ve Never Been Taught
"Good writing requires good thinking...Clear writing gives poor thinking nowhere to hide. A lack of understanding, which was previously invisible, becomes suddenly visible. You can’t simply take a few minutes here and there, get the gist of the problem, and expect to have clear writing. It doesn’t work that way."

🖥️ Watching

How to Use Writing to Sharpen Your Thinking
In this 6-minute video, Tim Ferriss offers some great tips on how to use writing to improve your thinking, revise your drafts, and seek advice from others who review your writing. 

🧰 Tools

Tools for better thinking
This website shares a collection of thinking tools and frameworks that can help you to solve problems, make decisions, and understand systems.

💬 Quote

"Many people assume they are bad at writing because it is hard. This is like assuming you are bad at weightlifting because the weight is heavy.

Writing is useful because it is hard. It's the effort that goes into writing a clear sentence that leads to better thinking." – James Clear
 
 

📝 Challenge

Write the phrase "Writing is an opportunity to refine my thinking" on a sticky note and place the note near your computer. Every time you sit down to write, read the note first.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Learning, Investing, and Effective Writing

I love to learn. I think that's what drew me to scientific research. I loved deciphering the why and how of things.

And although I'm no longer a scientific researcher, I still love deciphering the why and how of things, especially writing.

I've spent the past decade learning why and how to write well. I've taken courses, read books, scoured the literature, listened to podcasts, attended seminars and conferences, and much more.

It's been hard work learning how to write well by gathering pieces of advice from various places and then figuring out how the pieces should be put together.

But it's been well worth the investment.

And I believe that the best investment you can make is an investment in yourself.

But I also know that not everyone has the time (or nerdiness) to learn to write the way that I did. And most institutions do not offer adequate training in writing.

That's why I created my Scientific Writing Masterclass. I want to make learning to write well easier, faster, and more enjoyable for you.

So I took the best of what I've learned over the past 10 years and combined it with my 20 years of experience in teaching to create a course that will help you learn all the pieces and how to put them together in the easiest and most systematic way possible.

I know that joining the masterclass is an investment, both in money and—more importantly—time. And I also know that if you learn to write better, faster, and easier, those investments will come back to you many times over.

Take it from Lola R., a professional writer who just completed the masterclass:

“As a writer, I needed insights into the writing process to deliver impactful and concise work. The Scientific Writing Masterclass helped me to bridge that gap. Throughout the past 12 weeks, I have learned insightful and practical ways to write and expand on core ideas. This program paves the way to confidence in writing, not just for those in research but all writers. I now write confidently and use a systemic writing approach to create pieces that impact a reader's informed decision-making. The Scientific Writing Masterclass delivers valuable information with easy usage in a reasonable time frame.”

If you want to know what others are saying about the Scientific Writing Masterclass, head over to the course website. You'll also learn all the ways the course will help you learn to write well.

And if you have any questions, please reach out. I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Now for this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

🎉 Featured

How to Write More Effective CME Content through Conscious Communication
In this article, Alex Howson frames our podcast conversation for writers in continuing medical education.

"...you have to be skilled in your craft to create effective content for your audience. This goes beyond simply speaking to their interests, sharing facts and information, or even presenting new ideas and concepts in an easily digestible way. To form strong, impactful connections with your audience through the written word, you have to understand how they feel and speak to their emotions."

Bonus tip: If you check out the podcast episode, you'll find a discount for the masterclass.
 

💻 From My Desk

Why You Need a Writing Journal Club and How to Create One
Although many academic institutions have journal clubs, these clubs tend to focus on content, such as sound methods, accurate findings, and convincing interpretations. But very few focus on the writing itself. In a writing journal club, you can help participants develop their writing skills.

Interested in joining a writing journal club? We will have three club sessions in my upcoming Scientific Writing Masterclass.
 

📆 Upcoming

Open Office Hours – May 18, 2023, 11 am Pacific Time
Have questions about scientific and medical writing? Join me for a live Q&A conversation. You can bring your questions to the session or submit them in advance on the registration form.

Scientific Writing Masterclass – Starts the week of May 29, 2023
Want to take your writing to the next level this summer? Join the masterclass to transform your writing into clear, concise, and compelling stories. Space is limited. Registration closes on May 19, 2023, or when the class is full.

👓 Reading

Unlock the Power of Effective Writing: Insights from Steven Pinker
"...Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker suggests several strategies:

1. Use concrete nouns and refer to tangible things instead of abstractions.

2. Assume that readers know less about the topic than you do, but are still intelligent and sophisticated.

3. Have someone from the intended audience read your work and provide feedback.

4. Allow time between writing and editing, so you can approach your own work with fresh eyes."

💬 Quote

"Ultimately, there’s one investment that supersedes all others: Invest in yourself. Nobody can take away what you’ve got in yourself, and everybody has potential they haven’t used yet." — Warren Buffet
 

📝 Challenge

Take a moment to think about the goals you want to accomplish in the next 5 years. Then take one step toward investing in that goal. Do you want to run a marathon? Create a training plan. Do you want to level up your writing skills? Enroll in the Scientific Writing Masterclass.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Learning Levels, Core Principles, and Keywords

Did you know that there are different levels of learning?

I recently learned about four levels of learning that really resonated with me.

The first level is unconscious incompetence. At this level, you are not aware of the gap in your skills or knowledge.

The second level is conscious incompetence. At this level, you are aware that you need to learn new skills or gain new knowledge. This level is where learning really begins.

The third level is conscious competence. At this level, you know how to use your new skills or knowledge, but doing so requires practice, thought, and hard work.

And the fourth level is unconscious competence. At this level, your new skills or knowledge are fully integrated and automatic.

In other words...

unconscious incompetence—you don't know what you don't know.
conscious incompetence—you know what you don't know.
conscious competence—you know what you know.
unconscious competence—you intuitively know what you know.

These levels of learning resonated with me because I've seen my students (and clients) level up their learning and grow from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence. And seeing this growth has been incredibly rewarding.

If you want to level up your learning and master the craft of writing, enroll in my Scientific Writing Masterclass. I'd be delighted to arm you with the principles and systems you need to level up your writing.

And here's the latest round-up...

💌 Round-up
  

📆 Upcoming

Scientific Writing Masterclass – Starts the week of May 29, 2023
The masterclass is back! Learn how to transform your writing into clear, concise, and compelling stories. Space is limited. Registration closes on May 19, 2023, or when the class is full.

👓 Reading

Video abstracts are associated with an increase in research reports citations, views and social attention: a cross-sectional study
"...video abstracts are associated with a worthwhile increase in the number of views of research reports. They are also associated with an increase in citations and social attention, although the association may be small."

Fraud Alert: Scammers Steal Money From the Public Through Fake HHS Websites and Social Media Schemes
"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) is alerting the public to a fraud scheme that uses social media and fake websites to steal money from individuals by offering fake HHS grants."

🧰 Tools

MeSH Browser
When you choose keywords for your manuscript, do you tend to just pick the most-used words in your paper? If so, you could be missing an important opportunity. By choosing keywords found in the MeSH Browser, you can ensure your paper gets indexed correctly in PubMed, which helps potential readers find your paper more easily.

💬 Quote

"When you first start to study a field, it seems like you have to memorize a zillion things. You don’t. What you need is to identify the core principles – generally three to twelve of them – that govern the field. The million things you thought you had to memorize are simply various combinations of the core principles.” – John T. Reed

(If you want to learn the core principles of scientific writing, we cover them in the Scientific Writing Masterclass.) 

📝 Challenge

Review the keywords you chose for your most recent manuscript. Are they in the MeSH Browser as an exact match or fragment? Could you have chosen better keywords or keyword fragments?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: News, Strategies, and Success

I have some exciting news...

The Scientific Writing Masterclass is back!

And I've updated the content and redesigned the live sessions so that you get even more value out of every minute you dedicate to the course.

You can get all the details on the course website. But here's a preview:

By the end of the course, you'll be able to:

• Communicate your ideas more effectively

• Express your ideas in a clear, compelling way

• Teach and inform readers without confusion

• Craft stories that engage and persuade readers

• Write concisely to meet word and page limits

• Make your work more accessible, fundable, and citable

Here's what you'll get:

• 70+ video lessons released in themed batches over 12 weeks

• 12 live sessions with me and your classmates for office hours, group coaching, peer reviews, and writing journal clubs

• 200+ examples to help you learn

• Downloadable templates, cheat sheets, and checklists

• Unlimited access to the course for as long as we offer it (that's right!)

• Certificate of completion

The course starts on May 29, 2023 (just in time for you to finish that looming paper or proposal while you soak up the summer sunshine).

Registration closes on May 19, 2023, at 6 pm Pacific time (or when the class is full).

And for being part of the Redwood Ink community, you get an early-bird savings of $100. Use the coupon code "community" at checkout (expires May 1).

Get all the course details and enroll

I'd be absolutely thrilled to have you in the course. If you have any questions about the course, hit reply. I'm always delighted to hear from you.

And now for the weekly round-up...

💌 Round-up

🎉 Featured

A snippet from My Interview with a Business Coach for Medical Writers
If you're considering a career in medical writing, check out this snippet from my conversation with Sophie Ash of Prospology about figuring out what aspect of medical writing you want to pursue.
 

💻 From My Desk

7 Writing Strategies to Help You Get Your Science Research Funded and Cited
Did you forget to register for yesterday's webinar? No worries! Because you are a member of the Redwood Ink community, you can watch the replay until May 1. And if you watch till the end, I'll give you a gift for sharing your time with me. Passcode to watch: mindset

🎧 Listening

Writing Your Own Success Story as a Freelance Medical Writer
If you're a freelance writer (or any kind of entrepreneur), this podcast is a must-listen. In this episode of Write Medicine, host Alex Howson talks with Jonathan Agnew about valuable tools, techniques, and mindsets for freelancers in medical writing.
 

🖥️ Watching

I learned a productivity system for organizing life
If you're looking to create an external brain to manage your notes, ideas, text excerpts, and more, I recommend checking out this video. I use a combination of Apple Notes and Notion as my external brain and have found this capturing process immensely helpful.
 

📝 Challenge

Take a few minutes to think about where you want your career to be in 5 years. Write down one thing you can do today to move toward that goal. Now go do that thing.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Momentum, Speedbumps, and Verbs

I get a lot of questions about how to be more productive and maintain momentum in writing. The one I hear most often is, "How can I get faster at writing?"

But getting faster is not always about speeding up the process. Sometimes we need to shift our mindset from thinking "What more can I do to be more productive?" to "What less can I do to be more productive?"

In other words, what speed bumps can you remove from your writing process or life to help you write faster?

"A car will travel faster not only if you press the accelerator, but also if you remove the speed bumps." – James Clear

One speed bump that I removed from my writing process was turning off all notifications on my devices so they don't distract me. That one change has really helped me maintain my momentum and productivity.

What speed bumps have you removed from your writing process?

And now onto the weekly round-up...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

Craft Compelling Aims with Strong Verbs
"Strong verbs add clarity and energy to your aims that spark your reviewer’s curiosity and fuel their excitement. These emotions boost your reviewers’ confidence in your proposed project—enticing them to fund your proposal."

👓 Reading

The Writer's Almost Silver-Bullet: The Verb
"The verb sits comfortably, with little-to-no competition, as the sentence’s source of energy, clarity, and vividness. The verb is the most important part of effective writing, full stop. Verbs allow writers to anticipate and satisfy reader's needs for momentum and meaning."

💬 Quote

"Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum." – William Zinsser, On Writing Well

❓ Question

What speed bump is slowing down your momentum in writing? And what's one thing you can do to remove the speed bump?
 

📝 Challenge

Open your most recent draft and highlight every verb in the text (if it's a long document, start with just the first page). Then think about each verb and whether that verb could be stronger.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal