Main description:

Effective communication is the ultimate, but often daunting, purpose of any piece of medical research. Medical Writing: A Prescription for Clarity provides practical information enabling first drafts to be turned into clear, simple, unambiguous text, without loss of individuality. Written by a medical consultant and an experienced medical editor, it is sympathetic to the problems and needs of medical writers. Like the preceding two editions, this expanded third edition deals with the basic craft of writing for publication, from spelling and grammar to choosing the best word or phrase. Whether writing a simple clinical report or thesis, wanting to supervise others, or wanting just to develop greater skill in effective writing, this book is the ideal guide and reference. Clear, simple and precise, and illustrated with apt cartoons, this is an invaluable handbook.

Contents:

Part I. Problem: the illness: 1. Introduction; 2. The malaise of medical manuscripts; Part II. Solution: Symptomatic relief: 3. Guidelines to clearer writing; 4. Is there a better word?; 5. Superfluous words; 6. Imprecise words and phrases; 7. Superfluous phrases; 8. Trouble with short words; 9. Use of the passive voice; 10. Consistency: number and tenses; 11. Circumlocution, metaphor and cliché; 12. Word order and pronouns; 13. Punctuation; 14. Constructing sentences; 15. Drawing clear graphs; Part III. Practice: recuperation: 16. Some examples rewritten; 17. Do the experts agree?; Appendix: examples to rewrite.