Academic-medical authors produce scientific documents aimed at specific readers. Writers need to convey complicated medical information in a way that suits the intellect of this target audience. So, these authors require the penmanship skills necessary for this momentous task. Not every medical researcher is a champion in communication capabilities. But scientific discoveries need to be promoted and talked about in public. Here medical writers can bring their literary expertise to the table. Do you want your diligently-scribbled piece to get published in a world-renowned journal? Well, you need to work on your writing skills to make this wonder happen with the following tips:

Improving Your Medical Penmanship Skills

Presenting complex medical discoveries in simplistic and easily-comprehensive form is no child’s play. It doesn’t just require content-writing abilities or language skills. One needs to read extensive medical documents and research papers, summarize their contents, and then translate them for readers. Medical writers have to develop specific skills to convey this information efficiently to the target audience. Some of these skills are like this:

• Accuracy of facts and statistics
• Conveying info in a readable manner
• Thorough research about the subject matter
• Working independently and with team members
• Time-management skill and meeting the deadlines

Let’s deeply discuss some suggestions to bolster your medical writing abilities:

1. Impeccable knowledge:

You can improve your writing skills by acquiring a deeper understanding of the medical subject at hand. Getting familiar with different specialties in medical science allows you to present healthcare-related information in front of an audience effectively. This knowledge builds a strong foundation for ambitious authors; it enables writers to discuss necessary medical information with their contacts. And research is the key to gathering an extensive amount of required medical know-how.

2. Follow instructions:

Following the writing guidelines determined by your editor/s is mandatory. It may seem like an unnecessary reminder. But some writers forget about how their employers want them to inscribe a particular article. Journals pay academic authors handsome salaries, so they’d obey these literary instructions. In 2020, the median medical writer salary reached $71,470, while freelancers still make more than $150,000 on average. Let’s see more ways for writers to improve their penmanship skills.

3. Be conversational:

You’re writing to convey important information to your audience. So, avoid needlessly including technical terms and medical jargon in your articles. It’s not appreciated using archaic or flowery language that doesn’t contribute to the reader’s education. Just keep your writing simple, readable, informative, and grammatically-accurate. Write while keeping your readers in mind. Create the content from their perspective. Add information to help them thoroughly understand your findings.

4. Connect and listen:

Contrary to a widespread belief, authors aren’t introverts. And they shouldn’t become hermits because connecting with the public is a crucial aspect of their job. They need public skills to interview and extract information from people. Also, they must be good listeners so they can focus their attention on acquiring knowledge. Ask relevant questions and clarify the person’s responses. You can’t produce quality content merely by jumping to conclusions without full comprehension.

5. Be up-to-date:

Ambitious writers need to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the field of medical science. This practice enables you to produce accurate and pertinent material for your readers. How to keep in constant touch with your industry? You can subscribe to medical journals, attend international conferences, and connect with relevant people. Medical science is a perpetually expanding industry. You can’t write valuable articles without staying abreast of this broad field.

6. Bring consistency:

Consistency throughout your manuscript is the key to produce well-written content. Ensure a professional-looking article without grammar or punctuation mistakes and use the same bullet style in the document. Work with either the British or the American version of English. Provide the abbreviation of a difficult term first, and then don’t use the full form again. Provide links to websites and research papers. Double-check your references before putting them in your precious article.

7. Tolerate criticism:

If you wish to become a published medical author, you must be well-prepared to face the music. Not every writer gets published by scribbling an initial draft; you must tolerate the criticism over your material and literary skills by multiple editors. Many reputable journals will reject your article or convey a negative perception of your penmanship. Some editors may want you to ditch your initial ideas or adopt a completely different approach. Be tolerant enough to accept these suggestions.

8. Keep it short:

An acceptable content-writing trick is to include synonyms or explaining the same concept by using different wordings. But academic-medical authors don’t write to a word count. So, the practice of unnecessarily stretching your articles isn’t appreciated. Don’t provide the same data twice, and avoid repeating the piece of information you’ve already mentioned. Keep your writing short and to-the-point. In short, add accurate and relevant material that is educationally beneficial to your readers.

9. Add infographics:

A content-writing practice is to furnish the text-dominated article with audio-visual elements. Charts, videos, and infographics make your writing more interactive to your audience. This practice is preferable in medical presentations as well. Including simple tables/figures will help readers easily comprehend even complex academic problems. Relying merely on text to explain a massive amount of data can be confusing and awkward for a medically-naïve audience.

10. Be skilled with stats:

An author’s genius lies in his/her ability to collect complex data and present it in a concise and readable manner for native readers. A writer can improve his/her literary skills by strengthening the necessary analytical and statistical skills. Remember that your articles will have a diverse audience ranging from learned doctors to ill-informed laypeople. As a medical author, you must be capable enough to read multiple documents and then translate this information into crisp, quick reads.

Conclusion

Medical science has grown considerably in the past 200 years as human beings discovered aseptic and antiseptic treatment methods. Researchers discovered antibacterial drugs and found the process of vaccination to prevent deaths from deadly diseases. This research hasn’t stopped in the 21^st century. But researchers need to communicate their latest discoveries if they wish stakeholders to invest in life-saving products. They want investors to know about the revolutionizing work they’ve been doing.

That’s why they hire academic-medical writers’ services so the target audience can learn about the benefits of their research. No wonder the BLS expects the demand for technical writers to increase7% during the period 2019-29. These authors use their literary marksmanship to communicate complex medical findings in a comprehensive but readable format. To become a successful medical author, you must improve your writing skills and make them lucrative enough to be heavily demanded.