5 Tips for Writing Effective Medical Articles
Medical writing is one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. This expansion has been driven by pharmaceutical companies and educational institutions looking to establish themselves as authorities in the market. Of course, this has ultimately led to a broader range of medical content than you would see in other industries.
For instance, some articles are written by physicians, researchers, and scientists, conducting research and publishing the findings. These scholarly articles advance the author’s career or improve their institution’s reputation. Alternatively, healthcare marketing agencies and pharmaceutical companies may craft advertising articles, whitepapers, and other content to promote a product.
Whatever the purpose behind the article, it is essential to note that not all authors can clearly and concisely communicate their findings. Regardless of their expertise or knowledge in their field, these researchers and marketing specialists must ultimately rely on medical writers to produce effective medical articles.
Understanding Who Performs Medical Writing
Medical writers are tasked with creating technical, informative, and educational articles. This requires a certain level of versatility, proficiency with the written word, and – depending on the nature of the content – some familiarity with the subject matter. Medical writers could be part of the academic team conducting the experiments or contract writers hired by organizations or institutions.
These individuals can be physicians, researchers, journalists, marketers, or freelance content writers. Moreover, they can have all manner of relationships to the original content, ranging from none at all to direct, firsthand experience. Whatever their title, they are nonetheless motivated to deliver the best possible medical article necessary to progress the academic conversation, establish their scholarship credentials, or satisfy the needs of their clients.
5 Tips for Crafting Better Medical Articles
No matter their background, there is no ignoring the fact that medical writers have a responsibility to generate accurate, informative articles that can benefit the reader. To that point, there are several ways they can assure they accomplish this without putting an undue burden on themselves or their teams. For instance:

1. Be Original
When it comes to academic papers, originality is essential to the process. Before doing anything, authors should take some time to ensure that their ideas and analyses are unique. Both publishers and readers will find well-tread topics uninteresting and stale. If you want to improve how your content performs and entice potential readers to take action, you need to be original from title to conclusion.

2. Know and Conform to Industry Standards
This is especially true of research papers, which should always stick to a set structure. This lends validity and authority to the content, which will resonate with the well-educated audience. Specifically, medical research papers should include the following sections:
• title page
• abstract
• introduction
• patients and methods
• results
• discussion
• summary
• references
• tables
• figures
• acknowledgments
Remember, these requirements were developed to improve readability, and they remain a prerequisite for many publishers. When in doubt, you can always review similar articles in your field and match the tone, style, and format.

3. Create a Well-Organized Structure
Medical writers should structure their paragraphs to maximize reader comprehension. For instance, paragraphs should always begin with a topic sentence describing the purpose of the information to follow. Typically, the following information would support or expand on the topic sentence. The paragraph would finally conclude with a restatement of the topic sentence.

4. Carefully Copyedit Your Manuscript
The first draft will always have room for improvement. Once you complete the initial attempt, set your manuscript aside to allow for some mental distance from your composition. This will put you in a frame of mind to better evaluate your writing. It will be easier to identify obfuscating sentences, unclear structures, and more with fresh eyes. Additionally, you should enlist other parties to further evaluate your work for comprehension and concision.

5. Finish the Process With a “Fine-Tooth Comb”
The initial copyedit will likely focus on more considerable revisions of entire paragraphs or even pages. At this point, you could be handling everything from restructuring and deleting to rephrasing. However, even after these more significant errors are corrected, the document will likely require more minute changes. As your responsibilities transition from copyediting to proofreading, consider reading the document aloud to yourself or reading the document in reverse. This will help you isolate sentences for more concentrated evaluation.
Medical writers need to generate technical and informative content, but they often need to be both educational and persuasive. By focusing on originality, you can ensure that the final version of your article will be compelling and worth reading. Conforming to industry standards and formats can legitimize your work. Finally, by paying attention to structure and editing at both macro and micro levels, you can ensure you are submitted your best work.
Want to guarantee that your article is truly ready to be seen by the rest of the world? Have it evaluated by the experts at EdiPro. Not only can this drastically cut down your editing time, but it can prevent mistakes related to “self-editing fatigue.” In the end, you and your organization’s reputations depend on the final product. Professional copyediting and proofreading from EdiPro can help protect it.