• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Health Writer Hub

Health Writer Hub

Medical Writing Courses & Certification

  • Courses
    • Introduction to Medical Writing and Artificial Intelligence
    • AI-Driven Medical Writing
    • Breaking Into Health Writing
    • Medical Writing in Plain English
    • Introduction to Health Writing
    • Principles of Health & Medical Copywriting
    • How to Become a Freelance Health Writer
    • How to Write Patient Education Materials
    • Principles of Health & Medical Editing
  • Templates
    • Medical Writer CV Template
    • Health Feature Article + Pitching Templates
    • Health Blog Post Template
    • Health Blogger Starter Pack
    • Health Writing Template Package
    • Patient Handout Templates
    • Medical News Article Template
    • Article Pitching Guide
    • Freelance Health Writer Business Planner
  • Free Course
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • About
    • Accreditation
    • Contact
    • Subscribe

16 ways to add more detail to your writing

Adding more detail is a small yet significant tweak that helps to improve the quality of your writing.

LAST UPDATED August 29, 2023 | FIRST PUBLISHED February 16, 2017 | BY Michelle Guillemard

LinkedInFacebookTweetPinPrintEmail

The simple act of adding more detail to your writing – even just one extra sentence – is a small yet significant tweak that helps to improve the quality of your content.

Consider these sentences:

  • Dark chocolate is good for your heart.
  • The overconsumption of carbohydrates, sugar and sweeteners is chiefly responsible for the epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
  • Fad dieting leads to orthorexia.

In health writing, it’s a relatively huge no-no to make these claims without backing them up with evidence.

These health claims need proof or validation, as anyone who provides evidence-based writing services would know.

And, I’m not talking about dressing them up with ‘research suggests’ and calling it a day. Quite often, that approach can feel like, well, a bit of a cop out. (Research suggests drinking two pints a day helps to prevent stroke. Really. Now run along to the pub.)

I’m talking about adding more detail to your claims – beyond ‘research suggests’. Enough detail to at least help your readers pinpoint the study in question.

Claims without evidence may not necessarily be wrong, but they do lack value and depth.

Plus, as a health writer, you have a responsibility to elaborate on what that evidence found and consider it critically.

If you don’t fully understand it, you risk spreading misinformation and losing your readers’ trust. Both of which can lead to all sorts of harmful consequences.

Rule #1 – identify the study

I don’t know about you, but I find it frustrating when I’m reading a health article about new (or old) research and there’s absolutely no way of identifying the study in question.

All I need is a hyperlink to the abstract – which the writer could find with a simple PubMed search.

But, in many cases, I’m left in the dark, because there just isn’t enough detail.

If something piques my interest, I want to learn more about the findings. Or, maybe I just want to know the journal title, the number of people studied, or the author affiliations.

Now, I appreciate not every reader wants to know these things – but your savvy (and dare I say, cynical) readers do.

Others who are less interested in the detail may not even care about the study. Still, by including more facts, you have an opportunity to enhance these readers’ understanding and show them why they should care!

What’s wrong with ‘research suggests’?

Nothing’s wrong with ‘research suggests’ – but, when used in isolation, the phrase can raise more questions than it answers.

As I mentioned, even the simple act of including hyperlinked text to the original study (as in the abstract, not a press release or other news article about it) helps to build reader trust and confidence.

Beyond linking, though, writing ‘research suggests’ doesn’t bring enough added detail to address questions like:

  • What type of trial was it?
  • Who conducted the research?
  • Which journal published it?
  • When was it conducted?
  • Who sponsored it?
  • How many people were in the control and treatment groups?
  • What were some of the confounding factors?

Answering just a few of these questions is a highly effective way to enlighten your readers, heighten their understanding, and give them confidence in your writing.

Beyond building trust, the detail also helps to teach your readers about scientific evidence – and, ultimately, give them reasons why they should care about it.

If your readers don’t know a lot about research, you have an opportunity to educate them about the processes involved in conducting trials.

And, who knows – perhaps providing more detail will help your more sceptical readers to understand why they need to have more faith in scientific evidence.

When readers can truly appreciate how much time, effort and funding go into trials – and why the results are therefore so important – evidence is (hopefully) less easy to dismiss.

Discover how to write clearly about complex medical topics

Medical Writing in Plain English Course

Our Medical Writing in Plain English course is ideal for new and experienced medical writers who struggle to simplify complex medical content and ideas. You'll learn about plain English medical writing skills, career opportunities, techniques and tools.

With hands-on exercises, real-life examples, quizzes and expert writing feedback, you'll gain the confidence and clarity needed to write clearly for any audience.

Enter your email for a free course outline!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. Opt out at any time. View our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Loading

So, when you’re writing about research, use this as an opportunity to educate your readers about the process – as well as inform them about the findings.

New to all this? Read more on how to write about research here.

Adding more detail to your writing enhances the credibility of your arguments

Taking the time to explain about the research also means you’ve read it, understood it, and can easily explain it to someone else.

You don’t have to be able to pick apart the study in detail or consider how the design could be improved.

But, you should be able to understand who conducted the trial, what has been investigated (and by whom), what the key finding was, and how it fits in the body of evidence.

There are no rules about exactly what detail you should include, though – because every piece of writing is different.

You need to make decisions about the most suitable facts to include in your stories based on the overall purpose of your writing – as well as who you’re writing for, and who your target audience is.

So, this is not a checklist-style approach to writing – it’s more about helping you to begin to understand the variety of ways you can enhance your writing through providing more detail.

Beyond ‘research suggests ‘– tips to help you add more detail to your writing

Here are some strategies you can use to add extra detail next time you’re writing about medical research.

1. Link out

I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again – linking out is a simple yet effective strategy to enhance your health writing. The savvy reader who wants to learn more can easily read on. It still surprises me that articles on mainstream science websites summarise studies without even including a link to the paper!

2. Talk about the authors

Where are the authors from, which institutions do they represent, what is their role and what does this have to do with the finding?

3. Talk about the study design

Is it a ‘gold standard’ trial or an experimental one, and therefore how your readers should interpret the results?

4. Explain the study design

In addition to stating the design, give some detail about what the design entails and why your readers should care.

5. Explain how many people were in the study

Listing the number of participants has the power to change the way your audience will view the results.

6. Talk about demographics

Beyond numbers, you can also discuss other demographics like age, culture, gender and health status.

7. Bring up the journal

Link to the journal – and, if it’s a highly-regarded journal with a high impact factor, mention this.

8. Discuss the hypothesis

Don’t just write about the finding, write about the researchers’ original intention which you can find in the introduction.

9. Discuss how the theory fits in the broad health condition

Tell the story behind why researchers are investigating this condition at a deeper level.

10. Mention how the study fits into the body of evidence

Do the results support existing findings, or is there something new and noteworthy about this research?

11. Ask for an expert perspective

If you’re unsure what the study means, ask an expert or researcher for their thoughts on the significance of the results.

12. Include a quote from the paper

The discussion and conclusions are great places to find useful quotes.

health feature article template + pitching template

Health Feature Article + Pitching Templates

My Health Feature Article + Pitching Templates explain how to structure a health feature article and write an effective pitch about a health feature article. Use these templates when you’re writing health feature articles to pitch to websites, magazines and health brands or businesses.

BUY NOW

13. Email the author for a unique perspective

You can usually get author correspondence details on the main journal page, and authors are often happy to be contacted (this is also a good way to get yourself a copy of the paper if it is behind a paywall!).

14. Juxtapose the findings with a similar recent trial

Are they comparable or different, and what does this mean?

15. Look to the future, and consider the next steps

Could clinical recommendations be made from the results of this trial one day, or is much more research necessary?

16. Look at a historical trial and explain how the issue has evolved

The research could be changing what we previously knew about a treatment or condition in new and exciting ways – there could be a story in the evolution of the theme.

What do you think?

Do you have any other tips to add more detail to your writing? Share them below.

LinkedInFacebookTweetPinPrintEmail

Filed Under: Health writing

About Michelle Guillemard

Michelle Guillemard is the founder of Health Writer Hub, the Past President of the Australasian Medical Writers Association and a freelance medical writer with 16+ years of experience. Blogging about health & medical writing since 2012, Michelle teaches health writing courses and communication workshops to students and corporations around the world. Michelle is passionate about creating better health outcomes and changing lives through effective health communication. Connect with her on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Discover how to write clearly about complex medical topics

Medical Writing in Plain English Course

Our Medical Writing in Plain English course is ideal for new and experienced medical writers who struggle to simplify complex medical content and ideas. You'll learn about plain English medical writing skills, career opportunities, techniques and tools.

With hands-on exercises, real-life examples, quizzes and expert writing feedback, you'll gain the confidence and clarity needed to write clearly for any audience.

Enter your email for a free course outline!

You'll also join 20,000+ others who receive our regular emails. Opt out at any time. View our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Loading

Primary Sidebar

BROWSE BLOG TOPICS

  • 30-day writing challenges
  • AI for medical writers
  • Digital tools
  • Freelance health writing
  • Getting started as a health writer
  • Growing your career
  • Health & medical editing
  • Health blogging
  • Health communication research
  • Health copywriting
  • Health writing
  • How to be a more confident writer
  • Readability and plain english
  • Writing about COVID-19
INTRODUCTION TO HEALTH WRITING COURSE
INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL WRITING AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE COURSE
BREAKING INTO HEALTH WRITING COURSE
Health writing courses

Not sure which course is right for you?

Get in touch, and let's have a chat about your skills and experience.

HELP ME CHOOSE

Footer

Join 20,000+ writers who are learning now. Get the latest health writing advice and course news.

Opt out at any time.

SUPPORT

Contact
FAQ
Payment
Disclaimer
Terms
Refunds

ABOUT

About us
Student feedback
Alumni
Accreditation
Subscribe

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Courses

Health writing
Freelancing
Medical copywriting
Medical editing
Health marketing
Career course
View all courses

Health Writer Hub © 2023. All Rights Reserved. I acknowledge the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where I live, learn and work.

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!