Are You Protected? Professional Liability Insurance for Freelancers

As independent businesspeople, freelance medical writers are responsible for acquiring their own insurance policies. Some types of policies are critical for operating a business, while others depend on the structure of one’s freelance business. 

The Importance of Quality Control in Medical Writing

No one is perfect. 

Even the best medical writers make the occasional mistake. That is why it is important to use every tool at our disposal to make sure that each project’s content, style, and format are high quality.

The CONSORT Statement: A Standard for Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the foundation for advancing clinical practice. However, not all RCTs are created equal. To communicate how an RCT was designed and what it found, authors must report clear and accurate information about its methodology and results. Unfortunately, many reviews have shown that authors often don’t provide complete and transparent information about the clinical trial, which can lead to misinterpretation of the validity and reliability of the results. 

Do You Need to Build a Freelance Website? Depends

Conventional wisdom says you could be the best freelance medical writer in the world, but unless you have a website, potential clients might not know you exist. 

Using PEMAT to Create Effective Patient Education Materials

If patients and consumers don’t understand patient education materials — or don't know what action to take after reading or viewing them — those materials aren’t doing their job.

The result could be confusion, disengagement, or poor health outcomes. 

But how do we know whether health education materials are effective? One important health literacy tool that is used to assess patient education materials is the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT).

ICMJE Authorship Guidelines and Acknowledging Non-author Contributions

Scientific manuscripts are rarely the work of one author. They are the result of complex collaborative relationships. This reality begs the questions: Who is the author of a scientific manuscript? When is someone credited as an author, and when are they considered a non-author contributor?