Understanding Authorship in a Changing World

AMWA acknowledges the contributions of Crystal Herron PHD, ELS, as lead content developer, and Michelle Sauer Gehring PHD, ELS, for peer review, in the development of this AMWA resource.

As the world moves in a more interconnected, digital, and collaborative direction, best practices in authorship have become less straightforward. 

Medical writers may find themselves contributing to manuscripts in many ways and might encounter problematic examples of ghost authorship, gift authorship, and guest authorship.

Tips from the Experts on Freelance Time Tracking

Why should you track your time as a freelancer? 

Freelance medical writers and editors are often juggling multiple projects for multiple clients. Whether you are getting paid per project or per hour, tracking the time you spend on each client’s work is essential for making sure you and the client are meeting expectations. If you don’t track your time, you can’t bill for it.

Furthering the Public’s Understanding of Science with Plain Language Summaries

In recent years, medical communicators have been creating documents called plain language summaries (PLS) to help patients, caregivers, and the general public to better understand the latest scientific findings and clinical trial results. 

The terms plain language summaries (PLS), plain language summaries (PLS) for clinical trials, plain language summaries for publication (PLSP), and plain language writing can be confusing — and are sometimes used interchangeably. Although each term has a different application, the documents share a single goal: to work toward inclusion and empowerment of nonexpert audiences.

A Question of Style: Writing Style Guides

What’s your style? Are you an AMA person? An APA aficionado? Does your employer use a house style guide? 

For freelancers, perhaps the more important question is: What writing style guide does your client want you to use?

The Home Office Toolkit: Software for Freelance Medical Communicators

This blog is based, in part, on an AMWA webinar presented by Monica Nicosia, PhD, CMPP.

At this point in history, when so much of our life and work happens online, it is almost hard to remember a time before digital tools were essential for the work of freelance medical communicators. 

Even before the COVID‑19 pandemic, which sent so many workers to their home offices, freelance medical writers and editors often worked from home. Remote workers need secure, efficient technology that helps them to balance work lives while maximizing the efficiency of the hours that are billable to clients.

What are the most common digital resources that are essential for freelancers? What types of software are experts recommending to advance and thrive in this line of work?

An Introduction to Equity Science and Medical Writing

We do not live in a world where everyone — regardless of race, gender, gender identity, disability status, or income level — has the same access to high-quality health care, adequate housing, or nutrition. As a result, health outcomes are vastly unequal, causing marginalized populations to experience lower life expectancies and higher levels of preventable diseases.