Interlude: Credibility, Isolated Pronouns, and Open Grants

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

3 Phrases That Can Damage Your Credibility in Research
Good credibility goes hand in hand with good science. But vague language can undermine your logic and erode confidence in your work. Learn how three vague phrases—"little is known," "to our knowledge," and "first to show"—can damage your credibility in research.

How Isolated Pronouns Create More Work for Readers
Isolated pronouns ask readers to either reread the previous sentence or carry the cognitive load of that sentence into the next sentence. Learn how pairing an isolated pronoun with a verb can add clarity that guides your reader through your writing.

👓 Reading

Do research articles with more readable abstracts receive higher online attention? Evidence from Science
"Results showed that abstract readability is significantly related to the online attention RAs [research articles] receive, and that this relationship is significantly affected by discipline and publication time." 

Pressure in a Pandemic: Lessons for Communicating Scientific Research
This article describes how authors can help to better address communication challenges exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The valuable tips and perspectives can help you "...ensure your publications are timely, understandable, relevant, and inclusive across all therapy areas and audiences."

Autocorrect errors in Excel still creating genomics headache
"A 2016 analysis found that 20% of papers featuring gene names had errors created by spreadsheet autocorrect functions, but a bigger survey now finds the proportion is up to 30%. Since 2014, the number of papers with errors has increased significantly." 

More women than ever are starting careers in science
"Women are more likely to start a research career now than they were 20 years ago, reveals a longitudinal study of the publishing records of millions of researchers around the world. But they are less likely to continue their academic careers than are their male contemporaries, and in general publish fewer papers."

‘Tortured phrases’ give away fabricated research papers
"...these strange terms — which they dub 'tortured phrases' — are probably the result of automated translation or software that attempts to disguise plagiarism.... Preliminary probes show that several thousands of papers with tortured phrases are indexed in major databases...[and] other tortured phrases related to the concepts of other scientific fields are yet to be exposed.”

🧰 Tools

Open Grants
This website shares examples of grant proposals written by researchers at various stages of their careers. The examples include funded and not funded proposals that cover a variety of fields and grant types (eg, NIH, NSF, foundations). You can explore their examples and share some of your own.

💬 Quote

"A statement is persuasive and credible either because it is directly self-evident or because it appears to be proved from other statements that are so." ― Aristotle

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Running Starts, Comparisons, and Common Errors

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How Running Starts Can Leave Your Reader Behind
In effective scientific and medical writing, an author will smoothly lead their reader from one idea to the next. But when authors get a running start, they get ahead of their readers and risk leaving them behind. Learn how to revise running starts to help guide your reader through your writing.

The Right Words to Describe Comparisons
Many scientific and medical authors use the phrases "compared to" and "compared with" interchangeably. But these phrases have different meanings. If you're unsure which phrase to use, you can make simple substitutions that will be clearer for readers AND reduce your word count.

👓 Reading

The Reader's Brain: How Neuroscience Can Make You a Better Writer
I recently finished this book by Yellowless Douglas. Although I hoped for more scientific support, I liked the five-category structure—clarity, continuity, coherence, concision, and cadence—and enjoyed the author's acerbic humor.

No study is ever flawless: A scoping review of common errors in biomedical manuscripts
"The most reported common errors included inappropriate study design, inadequate sample size, poor statistical analysis, and unclear and inadequate description of methods. Abstracts not reflecting the content of the paper were the most frequent general common error in biomedical manuscripts."

Recommendations for including or reviewing patient reported outcome endpoints in grant applications
"Based on existing international guidelines developed through rigorous, stakeholder engaged, formal consensus processes, this article gives practical recommendations on what information on patient reported outcomes should be included in grant applications, along with example text to demonstrate how to deal with each recommendation."

Gender Disparity in Citations in High-Impact Journal Articles
"In this study, articles written by women in high-impact medical journals had fewer citations than those written by men, particularly when women wrote together as primary and senior authors. These differences may have important consequences for the professional success of women and achieving gender equity in academic medicine."

Scientific publishing’s new weapon for the next crisis: the rapid correction
"Any crisis that requires scientific information in a hurry will produce hurried science, and hurried science often includes miscalculated analyses, poor experimental design, inappropriate statistical models, impossible numbers, or even fraud. Having the agility to produce and publicize work like this without having the ability to correct it just as quickly is a curiously persistent oversight in the global scientific enterprise."

Challenges in Identifying the Retracted Status of an Article
"In this study, journal websites and bibliographic databases did not consistently display the retracted status of articles....The ICMJE recommends that retractions should be “prominently labelled,” and we propose that an explicit recommendation to add a prefix of “Retracted:” to the title of a retracted publication would fulfill this aim. This change would provide a consistent visual signal to the reader and would change the metadata that can be ingested into citation managers."

🧰 Tools

Capitalize My Title
Do you debate which words you need to capitalize in titles? This tool will help you format your titles and headings according to the main capitalization styles, including AMA, APA, MLA, and Chicago.

💬 Quote

"If you detect a needlessly complex style when you read, look for characters and actions so that you can unravel for yourself the complexity the writer needlessly inflicted on you.” ― Joseph M. Williams

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Superheroes, Passive Voice, and Word Functions

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How Superheroes Can Help You Find Passive Voice
Academic authors started overusing passive voice to make their writing sound more objective. Although we are seeing more support for active voice, you might struggle to notice passive voice in your text. With this simple test, you can enlist superheroes to help you find passive voice in your writing.

The Main Functions of Words in Sentences
Many academic authors learn to write by mimicking what they read. But few receive formal training in writing or know the fundamentals of sentence structure. If you understand the basic components of a sentence, then you can more easily construct well-written sentences and clear, engaging content.

👓 Reading

Trends and Characteristics of Retracted Articles in the Biomedical Literature, 1971 to 2020
Researchers evaluated more than 5,000 articles retracted from biomedical journals. They found that scientific misconduct—most often duplication, plagiarism, and fabrication of data—was the most common reason for retraction. More than two-thirds of the articles were retracted for multiple reasons.

Good Presentation Skills Benefit Careers — and Science
"An individual might not want to spend 5 hours improving their hour-long presentation, but 50 audience members might collectively waste 50 hours listening to that individual’s mediocre effort....An effective presentation can enhance the research and critical-thinking skills of the audience, in addition to what it does for the speaker."

Preparing Accessible and Understandable Clinical Research Participant Information Leaflets and Consent Forms: A Set of Guidelines from an Expert Consensus Conference
"...these recommendations are informed by the current literature and have been ratified by expert stakeholders....[they] will help investigators and sponsors to consistently and efficiently produce more accessible clinical research Participant Information Leaflets/Informed Consent Forms."

Survey Finds Lack of Diversity Among Journal Editors
"Overall, more work clearly needs to be done to establish an inclusive environment for sexual and gender minorities in medicine and science; this applies for journals as well."

🧰 Tools

Hemingway Editor
If you find that even with superheroes, you still feel unsure of whether your sentence is passive, Hemingway Editor will highlight the passive phrases in your writing. The app will also point out unnecessary adverbs, long sentences, long words that can be replaced with short words, and more.

💬 Quote

"All research scientists know that writing in the passive voice is artificial; they are not disembodied observers, but people doing research." – Rupert Sheldrake, author and biologist

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Word Count, Biographical Sketches, and Co-Authorship

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

10 More Ways to Reduce Your Word Count in Academic Writing
As an academic author (regardless of your field), you will face the challenge of meeting a word, page, or character limit in your writing. I love this challenge and have already shared some of my tricks for cutting the word count. This article has become overwhelmingly popular, so I put together a list of even more ways to reduce the word count of your writing.

These Terms Best Describe Death in Your Scientific and Medical Writing
When some authors describe death, they use mild or indirect words to avoid words that might seem too harsh or direct. Although these substitutions may be preferred in social situations, direct language is preferred in the sciences. This article describes which words are best to use when describing death in biomedical research.

👓 Reading

Upcoming Changes to the Biographical Sketch and Other Support Format Page for Due Dates on or after May 25, 2021
The NIH is updating the format of biographical sketches for both non-fellowship and fellowship applications. This article outlines the specific changes that go into effect next week. If you would like some help revising your biosketch to meet the new requirements, please reach out.

How to Handle Co-authorship When Not Everyone’s Research Contributions Make It into the Paper
"We conclude that the ICMJE and other organizations interested in authorship and publication ethics should consider including guidance on authorship attribution in situations where researchers contribute significantly to the research process leading up to a specific paper, but where their contribution is finally omitted."

Plain-Language Summaries: An Essential Component to Promote Knowledge Translation
"At times, it might be challenging for researchers to make their work available [and] open for interpretation by the non-scientific audience, including patients, as it could lead to misinterpretation of their work. However, misinterpretation of scientific information should be considered as an opportunity by the researchers to understand and clarify the questions that arise among non-scientific readers."

Gender Disparity in the Authorship of Biomedical Research Publications During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Retrospective Observational Study
"Our findings document a decrease in the number of publications by female authors in the biomedical field during the global pandemic. This effect was particularly pronounced for papers related to COVID-19, indicating that women are producing fewer publications related to COVID-19 research. This sudden increase in the gender gap was persistent across the 10 countries with the highest number of researchers."

The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
"The PRISMA 2020 statement...includes new reporting guidance that reflects advances in methods to identify, select, appraise, and synthesise studies...this article...present[s] the PRISMA 2020 27-item checklist, an expanded checklist that details reporting recommendations for each item, the PRISMA 2020 abstract checklist, and the revised flow diagrams for original and updated reviews."

🎧 Listening

All About Grants Podcast: Loan Repayment Program - An Overview
"If a researcher can commit to performing research for at least two years in areas that NIH considers to be absolutely mission critical, then we can commit to repaying up to $50,000 per year of their qualified educational debt as well as covering resulting federal taxes..."
iTunes | MP3 | Transcript

🧰 Tools

Storytoolz
This website is my favorite tool to assess readability, especially if I am working on a lay summary. I like this tool because it measures readability with several formulas, so you can get a more accurate estimate of the readability of your writing.

💬 Quote

“Be grateful for every word you can cut.” – William Zinsser, author of On Writing Well
 

💭 Thoughts

The right solution might be expensive, but the wrong one costs a fortune.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Journal Choice, Post vs After, and Jargon

I have exciting news! We reached an important milestone this past week. More than 500 people have joined the Redwood Ink community! I am delighted to have so many scientists, clinicians, and other academics who want to learn more about writing through this newsletter.

Do you know anyone who might be interested in joining our community? If so, please forward this email and ask them to join.

Now onto my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources...

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How to Choose the Right Journal for Your Manuscript
Choosing a journal can be challenging for prospective authors. Where they publish can affect their professional reputation, funding opportunities, and career advancement. With these tips and resources, you can ensure you have the best chance of publishing in the best possible journal.

Why “Post” is Not a Synonym for “After”
Correct word usage can reflect your knowledge and professionalism. Lately, I've noticed more authors are incorrectly using the word post as a synonym for after. Read on to discover the difference between these terms and ensure you are using them correctly in your writing.

👓 Reading

The 17 Kinds of Hyphens You Must… Wait, Seriously, 17?
This article is educational and entertaining. "Hyphens are like little screws that hold words together. Now, if you’ve ever gone to a hardware store to buy screws, you know that there are a lot of different kinds of screws. But hyphens?"

Acknowledging professional writing support in publications – are we doing enough?
"...medical writers [and editors] should be personally acknowledged if they have: made a substantial contribution to drafting the outline or full first draft of a publication, or provided a substantial intellectual contribution to publication development."

Are You Confused by Scientific Jargon? So Are Scientists
"...papers containing higher proportions of jargon in their titles and abstracts were cited less frequently by other researchers. Science communication — with the public but also among scientists — suffers when a research paper is packed with too much specialized terminology...."

Does Your Office Have a Jargon Problem?
"...jargon sometimes functions like a fancy title, a conspicuously displayed trophy, or an expensive, branded watch — people use it to signal status and show off to others....[In the study], participants were significantly more likely to use the high-jargon pitch when they were in the lower-status condition."

Publishing at any cost: a cross-sectional study of the amount that medical researchers spend on open access publishing each year
"Medical researchers in 2019 were found to have paid between US$0 and US$34676 in total APCs [article processing charges]. As journals with APCs become more common, it is important to continue to evaluate the potential cost to researchers...."

🎧 Listening

All About Grants Podcast: Diversity Plans for Conference Applications
"The diversity plan is going to allow applicants to really focus on strategies to increase overall diversity in all aspects of the conference, including selection of the organizing committee, the panelists, [and] composition of the audience..."
iTunes | MP3 | Transcript

🧰 Tools

MeSH Database
The MeSH Database was designed to improve searches by eliminating (or accounting for) variant terminology used for the same concept. If you work in biomedical research, this tool is a great resource to help you use indexed words in your title, keywords, and other aspects of your manuscript.

💬 Quote

"A research journal serves that narrow borderland which separates the known from the unknown." – Prasanta Mahalanobis
 

💭 Thoughts

It's not what keeps you up at night, it's what gets you up in the morning.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Compelling Titles, Shortcuts, and Research Plans

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources related to scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up 

💻 From My Desk

How to Write a Compelling Title for Your Manuscript
The title is a critical part of your manuscript. It is your reader’s—and reviewer’s—first introduction to your paper. With a strong title, you can help people find your article in a search and pique their interest in reading your work.

15 Helpful Keyboard Shortcuts to Save You Time While Writing
Did know that you lose an average of 2 seconds per minute of work by switching back and forth between your mouse and keyboard? Learning just a few keyboard shortcuts could save several hours over the course of a year.

👓 Reading

Write Simply
"I try to write using ordinary words and simple sentences. That kind of writing is easier to read, and the easier something is to read, the more deeply readers will engage with it. The less energy they expend on your prose, the more they'll have left for your ideas."

Standardizing Terminology for Text Recycling in Research Writing
Researchers often find that they need to repeat some material (eg, methods, background) from their previous articles, a practice called ‘text recycling." But different journals use different language to outline their policies around this practice. This article aimed to develop a new taxonomy to bring consistency to these policies.

New, More Inclusive Journal Policies Ease Author Name Changes on Published Papers
"The new policies allow authors to change their names without public notification of any kind. That marks a break from previous practices, which generally either didn’t allow for a name change or required a correction notice and co-author approval if a change was made."

Citation of Retracted Publications: A Challenging Problem
"...many articles cite retracted publications, with the majority of these references occurring before the retraction. However, very few publications assess the impact of the retracted citations, even though the findings of many might be altered, at least in part, by removal of the retracted citation."

Estimating the Prevalence of Text Overlap in Biomedical Conference Abstracts
"...meeting organizers have an ethical obligation to develop proper guidance in their call for papers and/or submission guidelines about what ethical parameters are expected and what steps will be followed should conference guidelines be grossly violated."

Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown 
For those of you who teach or study, this book is for you! The author looks to research as he discusses how to structure courses to improve long-term learning, why weekend conferences and intensive workshops are only beneficial in the short term, and what learners can do to improve their study habits.

🎧 Listening

All About Grants Podcast: Considerations for Developing a Research Pla‪n
In this episode, two program officers from the NIH share their advice on developing a research plan, drafting the specific aims page, and how to avoid common pitfalls in your application.
iTunes | MP3 | Transcript

🧰 Tools

Calendly
I finally joined the bandwagon and signed up for Calendly. I wish I had joined sooner. With this automated program, you can save time by avoiding multiple back-and-forth emails to schedule a meeting.

💬 Quote

"Any fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. –Albert Einstein
 

💭 Thoughts

Give the gift of time. Schedule meetings that are 25 minutes or 40 minutes instead of 30 minutes and 60 minutes.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Introductions, Methods, and Time

Here's my latest curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

💻 From My Desk

How to Structure the Introduction Section of Your Manuscript
The Introduction helps to orient your reader to your study. By following a standard structure, you can "funnel" your reader to the specific question you address in the manuscript. Learn more about this structure and download the free checklist to ensure you include all the essential information.

Word Choice: Methodology vs Methods
Many authors think that methodology is a synonym for methods. But these words have distinct meanings. Learn which term to use when describing your general approach or specific methods.

👓 Reading

The effect of peer review on the improvement of rejected manuscripts
From the article: "...authors often disregard advice from peer reviewers after rejection. Authors may regard the peer review process as particular to a journal rather than a process to optimize dissemination of useful, accurate knowledge in any media. Specialty journals might consider collaborating by using a single manuscript submission site that allows peer reviews to be transferred to the next journal, which helps [with] holding authors accountable for making the suggested changes."

Authorship inequality: a bibliometric study of the concentration of authorship among a diminishing number of individuals in high-impact medical journals, 2008–2019
This study looked at author inflation—the increased size of the author list—and practices around granting authorship on peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. The study proposed that honorary authorship is a growing (and unethical) practice that authors may use to help with promotions and allocation of research funding. To know whether granting authorship is appropriate, learn more about the ICMJE guidelines for authorship.

Change as the Only Constant: How Will the Role of Medical Communication Professionals Evolve by 2025?
This article dives into five areas that may change in medical communication over the next 5 years: multichannel communications, broader audiences, open access, digital expertise, and conferences. Learn what skills you might need to be successful in 2025 through five informative infographics.

🎧 Listening

Ten Percent Happier - A New Way to Think About Your Time
In this interview, Ashley Whillans, author of Time Smart, talks about shifting from "time poverty" to "time affluence." She shares how to do a time audit; funding time, finding time, and reframing time; and the value of canceled meetings. Personally, I found the time audit and the idea of reframing time really helpful.
iTunes | Spotify | Website

🧰 Tools

BioRender
I was recently introduced to this software, which can help you create quality schematics for your manuscripts, grants, presentations, and more. Try the free version (with a few tips from us) to see whether this program will work for you.

💬 Quote

“Sit down to write what you have thought, and not to think about what you shall write.” - William Cobbett
 

💭 Thoughts

Put your cell phone in another room when you need to focus on a task. The mere presence of your phone—even turned off—can negatively impact your self-control and cognitive processes.

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal

Interlude: Discussions, Symptoms, and the Science of Communication

Welcome to the first edition of the refreshed newsletter from Redwood Ink. Every couple of weeks, I will reach out with a curated round-up of the best tips, tools, and resources on scientific and medical writing.

💌 Round-up

🎉 Featured

3 Grant-Writing Advice Gems for the New Year
I am delighted that my blog was featured in this article. The author discusses the importance of blending research and emotion, nailing the specific aims page, and writing a winning title.
 

💻 From My Desk

How to Draft the Discussion Section of Your Manuscript
The Discussion section is the most important—and difficult—part of writing a manuscript. Fortunately, this section typically follows a standard structure. Learn more about this structure and download the free outline to help you efficiently draft this challenging section.

Putting Signs and Symptoms into Perspective
Many writers default to using the term symptoms. But in some cases, signs is the more accurate term to use. Read on to learn how the perspective will help you know which term is the correct word to use in your writing.

👓 Reading

How a torrent of COVID science changed research publishing — in seven charts
The COVID-19 pandemic has made a big impact on research publishing, starting with the sheer volume of papers submitted and published. In seven graphic charts, Nature tells an interesting story about how the pandemic has changed research publishing.
 
Watch Your Language!—Misusage and Neologisms in Clinical Communication
From the article: “Given that those seeking to join the medical community are likely to adopt the language they see and hear every day while in training, it falls on us to choose our words deliberately and with purpose. We need to recalibrate our language. Conscious efforts on our part can redefine the standard learners seek to achieve.”
 
Opinion: Being Scientists Doesn’t Make Us Science Communicators
As I transitioned from working in a lab to a career in editing, I learned that being a successful scientist or clinician does not guarantee expertise in communicating the science. From the article: “Science communication is a science in and of itself, one that requires rigorous training and instruction.”
 
A new mandate highlights costs, benefits of making all scientific articles free to read
This article offers an in-depth look at the open access movement in science. The author covers how open access benefits authors, affects publishing fees, and will change the future of scientific publishing.

🎧 Listening

All About Grants Podcast: Human Subjects Research Post-Award
If you work with human participants, this episode offers tips about what is needed for progress reporting, reaching out to your IRB when a protocol change is needed, the difference between adverse events and unanticipated problems, and more.
iTunes | MP3 | Transcript

🧰 Tools

The Writer’s Diet
I was recently introduced to this free online tool that helps you find “zombie nouns” and “flabby” phrases in your writing. I find this tool most helpful when I’m making final tweaks to lay summaries.

💬 Quote

“When you write a manuscript, it feels like being in a relationship with someone. You'll hate it, get bored with it, be pissed off, like you just want to break up. But, just like any relationship, you will fall in love again and again, like you don't want to lose it.” - Alvi Syahrin
 

💭 Thoughts

Keep your workspace bare. Every object is an imposition on your attention. A workspace is not a place for distractions. It is a place for accomplishing things. 

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal