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Pitching your luxury hotel to investors? Aiming for the executive suite? Moving towards partnership in an international law firm? Odds on you’ll invest in a high-end wardrobe. First impressions dominate. The out-of-pocket expense is a stepping stone to your goal. A $2000 suit makes sense when the gain is millions.

Hiring a medical editor is like having a bespoke tailor. No one cares what I’m wearing, but I want my work to step out completely dressed for success. Because we make our pitch in writing, work products have to be flawless presentations.

I have an undergraduate degree in writing and masters in science writing from Johns Hopkins. I have earned significant income in the past by writing and editing. I regularly work with an editor* for my most important products. Why? Because I and my research team have millions to gain (aka grant funding and publications that sustain our research). More eyes on make a more perfect product.

Don’t pour your intellect and soul into your scientific passions – your start up – and fail to get a foot in the door because of how your science is “dressed.” We write for a living. We write to explain our methods, to convey our findings, to explain the implications, and to inspire enthusiasm for our next research goals. Do not be fooled, we are marketing our findings and selling our next project. We compete our ideas. Writers and editors can help the work be elegant and polished going into the arena. Strong clear writing confers confidence in your attention to detail, deep understanding of your work, and by extension your abilities and trustworthiness as a scientist. Fair? Of course not, but first impressions matter precisely because the individual forming the impression is not consciously doing so.

Enthusiasm for your science is a gut level response you can influence to your advantage at relatively low costs. Writers and editors can help you be more productive and prepare your science to go more quickly and attractively into the world. Illustrators can make the message more tangible, technical editors can redeem your time by formatting to journal specification, clerical support can organize your bibliographic database, writers can draft cover letters or manuals of procedures to free your time to focus on discovery. More people than you imagine are quietly using these resources. I’m not sure why they feel the need to keep it hush-hush. No shame attaches to working smart.

If you have discretionary funds or training grant funds, often these can be deployed through your work to pay invoices. Ask. You don’t have much to lose. Some faculty have discovered a science writer on retainer in their department or deeply discounted costs for early career investigators by asking. Or form a free accountability structure with peers, like manuscript sprints, to be able to learn to edit and to receive feedback on your work. What you want is a durable, ongoing commitment to group editing, not a 45-minute work-in-progress. Work-in-progress with your research team is crucial but unlikely to be enough buffing.

If you must, pay out-of-pocket. But I still shop at Target!?! I can’t afford this luxury. Scrimp, save, take public transportation, don’t go out to dinner or order pizza, eat rice and beans, put stuff on Craigs list, but make the investment in your career. If I had permission (and I don’t per hush-hush phenomena above), I would share the names of senior people who have had writers as assistants for most of their careers. Writers who are now at their sides well into their leadership roles. Most began the practice very early in their careers. I also have testimonials from early career faculty who firmly believe their grants were funded because of the work of an experienced editor. Why make your work compete in Dockers and a serviceable sweater when it can arrive at the party in a custom tuxedo? You’ll slay them with attention to detail. You want to celebrate the win, right?

* Disclaimer: No editor was involved in the tailoring of this post.

Resources:

American Medical Writers Association Directory – Freelance Directory Search

National Association of Science Writers – Find a Writer

Australasian Medical Writers Association list of freelance writers/editors

And the publication below finding: “In this sample of open-access journals, declared professional medical writing support was associated with more complete reporting of clinical trial results and higher quality of written English.”

Gattrell WT, et al. Professional medical writing support and the quality of randomized controlled trial reporting: a cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2016;6(2). PMC4762118.

You don’t have to do it all yourself!  Many successful researchers engage scientific/medical writers and editors for help refining grants, manuscripts, press releases, and more.  At our career development seminar, we heard from two medical writers and an early career researcher, who works with a medical writer, about why you might want to hire one, how to use their services, and best practices for working with writers and editors.

Ms. Donna Ingles
Medical Writer

• How might you use a medical writer?
  • Grants:
    • Helping update background and significance with current literature
    • Proofreading and technical editing
    • Buffing ancillary materials (abstract, narrative, biosketches, etc.)
  • Manuscripts, book chapters:
    • Fact checking and updating background and significance sections with current literature
    • Proofreading, improving flow of document, and technical editing
    • Formatting, references, etc.
  • Social media/PR releases
    • Enhancing interpretation for lay audience
• What to ask about when looking for a medical writer:
  • Do they have broad background or more specific training?
  • What is their own experience in science?
  • Experience writing for lay vs. scientific audiences?
  • Experience with grant or manuscript formats and requirements?
    • Differences between journals
    • Differences between NIH vs. foundation or other funding
    • Good references/reputation (ask for examples of recent work and contact with prior clients)
• Best practices when working with a medical writer
  • Find someone who has time and is willing to commit
  • Set a clear schedule/timeline for completion (ideally in multiple steps)
  • Clarify terms of agreement- how will they be compensated? Fee for service, billing hours, % effort, etc.
  • Communicate changes immediately
  • Include writer in research team meetings if possible

Dr. Elise Lamar
Medical Writer
http://www.eliselamar.com

• Writers are expensive: seek affordable help first (mentors, offices supporting NIH or foundation grant applications).
  • Web-based resources:
    • Sample R01s, R21s
    • VU sites
  • Biomedical editing companies (my opinion: most useful for copy-editing).
• Define where you need help: copy-editing? rewriting? effective letter writing? journal selection? research?
  • Seek someone with skills in that area, preferably recommended by a colleague.
  • My opinion: Deep knowledge of your science ≠ ability to write a competitive grant.
  • Or, advertise for a freelancer with professional organizations like American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
• Contract prep is time-consuming. Thus, make sure you have the “right” person.
  • Apply professional standards you would in hiring a car mechanic—not necessarily a post-doc.
  • Politely request candidate’s qualifications (CV, publication list, writing samples, or names of satisfied customers/past employers).
  • It is unprofessional for a mechanic (writer) to work for free; but you might diplomatically ask them to look at the engine (i.e., ONE page of an R01).
  • Ask focused Qs about work habits and compensation.
    • Does writer charge hourly or by word count? Do they bill for answering emails or phone calls? Charge more for research time?
    • Does writer typically work or respond to emails on weekends?
    • Does writer charge more for rapid turn-around?
    • If $$ is a problem, would writer charge less for guaranteed high volume?
• Finally:
  • Early on, explicitly tell a writer what you like/don’t like.
  • Make deadlines clear AND get info to a writer on time.
  • Pay on time with no “surprises”. Don’t make writer ask where check is.

Dr. Maya Yiadom
K23 Recipient, Medical Writing Client

• As an early career scientist many writing conventions will be unfamiliar. Having someone involved who regularly edits grants and manuscripts can help you learn these in a turbo-boosted fashion and save you resubmissions.
• Get a referral from someone, with similar needs and scientific content as you.
• Work with your department to use your training grant funds or start-up to pay for services. Writers are providing technical assistance with your research and career development.
• Consider developing a longitudinal relationship with a writer, who can coach you as they edit your material over time. Eventually you will need them less and less and gain a stronger return on your investment.

Check out videos from a later seminar on using medical and scientific writers in your work with this five-video playlist, or via the EFS Video Vault. Or watch the first one below:

More Resources:

You MUST Read Dreyer’s English

Using Content-Lexical Ties to Connect Ideas in Writing

A Smorgasbord of Writing Pointers with a Side of Wit

Are you committing these sins in your scientific writing? Time to repent.

1. Minimize jargon. If you must use it, do not assume familiarity.  Provide a definition.  A well-written definition will not insult knowledgeable readers.  It will reassure them you are also an expert.

2. Use the simpler word. Replace utilize with use and within to in.

3. Define abbreviations early. Start with the first mention and persist.

4. Weed aggressively. If the word does not contribute to the meaning of the sentence it is not necessary.  A, the, and that are often superfluous. The construct “there are…” is rarely justified.  When summarizing research results eliminate “studies report…” or  “they found…” which are implied.

5. Reduce repetition. Use word-processing search features to find recurring use of your favorite words or phrases.

6. Do not editorialize. Avoid unfortunately, only, surprisingly, nonetheless and similar. The facts must speak for themselves.

7. Keep the subject first. Burying the subject beneath introductory clauses frustrates the reader.

8. Eliminate passive constructs. An example: “information will be collected.” Active voice is more convincing: “we will collect….”

9. Be positive. “Patient comfort” is less contorted than “lack of discomfort.”

10. Unpack long sentences and paragraphs. More short sentences are better than one that is overstuffed. If a paragraph covers more than one double spaced page it likely contains more than one idea.

More Resources

Writing Science in Plain English: Clarity Rules 

Becoming a More Productive Writer

The Guiding Principle in Scientific Writing