Health writing skills

If you’re planning to write a summary of a published journal article from a peer-reviewed medical journal, consider these suggestions to help guide your writing.

The appeal to authority implies that an expert’s opinion is a universal truth, and it’s a tactic many writers use – often in the absence of evidence – despite it being somewhat of a logical fallacy.

Although it’s ideal to aim to read the latest news and developments in research on a daily basis – or at least a few times per week – you may feel you’re not able to keep up with research if you don’t have clear strategies in place.

As medical writers, we have to balance what we can and can’t say in terms of legal guidelines and patient information.

Learn what a disease is and how it differs from a disorder, syndrome or condition.

Keeping your medical knowledge up to date can be difficult – and it’s even more daunting if you don’t have a background in health or medicine.

Working as a health writer not only means spending many hours writing but also involves countless hours reading medical literature.

When you’re writing health content for websites, it’s important to do keyword research before you start the writing process.

If you can work on trying to avoid these mistakes, you’ll be on your way to producing a fantastic feature article.

Many writers tend to favour particular words and phrases. Sometimes we never realise how strong this subconscious trend is until we see the final, published product – or worse, until we receive an editor’s feedback.

If you’re a health writer who produces sales and marketing content, chances are you’ll be marketing to doctors at some point during your career.

Health bloggers need to understand their content has the power to influence the health choices that their readers make.

If you’re required to conduct an interview with a medical specialist, how can you ensure you get the most useful information and commentary?

Plagiarism in medical writing is one of the most important ethical issues for writers.

Having access to a library of top medical journals is essential if you care about producing quality medical writing.