Description
Plain English for Doctors shows how to write about medical science in a clear and vivid way. It can help a medical writer at any level, from beginner to veteran, since it gives specific, practical advice. Writing in plain English can help your writing reach a wider audience, including people in other specialties, levels of training, other fields, and other countries around the world.What makes medical writing hard to read? Is it complex science or complex grammar? This book shows how to keep good science but avoid complex grammar. It describes the symptoms of medicus incomprehensibilis, those over-used writing habits that tend to make medical writing hard to read. It shows how to treat each symptom using a proven plain English writing tip. Each tip is easy to apply and comes with exercises. The exercises are based on excerpts from articles published in leading medical journals. Model revisions vastly improve reading ease and grade level.The book looks at medical writing from three angles. Concept 1, Take charge of your reading ease score, shows how to manage reading ease. Concept 2, Write vividly, shows how to write more vividly by focusing on real world objects and actions. Concept 3, Present logical reasoning clearly, gives tips on how to choose a clear narrative pathway and forge a strong chain of logical reasoning.This book is a must for anyone who writes about medical science. The ability to express complex ideas in simple language is not a remedial skill. Rather, it can only be seen as a sign of mastery.
Table of Contents
Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductiona. Why bother to write in plain English?b. What do we mean by plain English?c. Medicus incomprehensibilisd. Using the tips in your writinge. Notes on the exercisesConcept 1 - Take charge of your reading ease scorea. Flesch reading ease & Flesch-Kincaid grade level testsb. WSEG scores - How we track key reading ease data1. Use normal sentence lengtha. Keep sentence length 15 words average, 25 words maximumb. Keep the subject and verb close together in the first seven or eight wordsc. Put the main point first. Then give commentary, detail or support2. Prefer the short worda. Keep essential scientific terms; minimize other long wordsb. Cite a common medical term once to avoid confusionc. Write a compound word to promote reading ease and show how you pronounce itd. Omit any unnecessary word endinge. Avoid the noun stringf. Don't be afraid to start a sentence with "and" or "but"g. Avoid using a high percentage of long words3. Omit any needless worda. Spot and omit needless wordsb. Omit the needless "of"c. Omit the needless "that"Concept 2 - Use vivid language4. Prefer active voicea. Identify active and passive voiceb. Revise passive into active voicec. When should you use active voice?d. Minimize forms of the verbs "to be" and "to have"e. Identify nominalizationf. Convert nominalization into a verb in active voice5. Prefer concrete languagea. Identify abstract and concrete subjectsb. Revise abstract into concretec. Use nouns & verbs to carry the weight of meaningd. Write in the singulare. Talk in terms of one doctor treating one patient6. Observe the 1066 principlea. Prefer the short word to describe the real worldb. Prefer "-'s" to show real-world possession or connectionc. Use terms consistently; avoid elegant variationd. Avoid using a long, Latin word to describe the real-world7. Statistical analysis of WSEG scores for exercises in Chapters 1-6Concept 3 - Present logical reasoning clearly8. Organize your narrative in a way that's helpful for your readera. Introduce and develop a single idea in each paragraphsb. Present two-dimensional data in a table, chart, or graph9. Choose a clear narrative pathwaya. Start with things knownb. Start by anchoring the discussion in the real worldb. Choose a good narrative pathwayc. Make a smooth transition between concrete and abstract10. Forge a strong chain of logical reasoninga. Explain each step of reasoningb. State the problem before you solve itc. State the problem in words before you state it in symbolsAfterword: Can things ever change?Appendices1. English users around the world2. Selected excerpts from medical science articles3. Exercise keyGlossaryReferences
