This comprehensive explanation of medical writing has been recently updated and is a comprehensive overview for anyone interested in medical writing or editing. Especially useful is the resources list at the end.
Good job, AMWA!
Recently released: The Copyeditor’s Handbook (a great resource)
February 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The Copy Editor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 3rd edition, is a comprehensive resource for both new and experienced editors. The preface acknowledges the author’s intent to help new copyeditors: “This handbook is addressed to new and aspiring copyeditors who will be working on nonfiction books, journal articles, newsletters, and corporate publications. . . [because style manuals] assume that their readers already understand what copyeditors do, why the rules matter, and how and when to apply, bend, or break the rules.”
I would argue, however, that even established editors would benefit from this text as an overview and reminder of our complex tasks and decisions. It was good to see an acknowledgment of the intricacies of editorial judgment and to watch a professional walk through the research that informs her judgments. Even after years of editing, I learned something in every chapter I read.
My other argument with Amy Einsohn, the author, is that she has based the book on The Chicago Manual of Style, whose explicit purpose is to set style for academic publishing (specifically at the University of Chicago), not necessarily for “book publishing and corporate communications” as Einsohn has specified. I also wonder why she fails to mention The Gregg Reference Manual, my favorite style manual for all things business because it addresses far more relevant issues than does Chicago.
Nevertheless, Einsohn redeems herself with 15 editing exercises sprinkled throughout the chapters (the answers alone take up 66 pages). The richness of this book almost makes me wish that I would experience a very minor injury or illness that would sideline me for just one day so that I could curl up, finish the book, and take the quizzes.
The Copy Editor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, 3rd Edition
Amy Einsohn
University of California Press
2011
About $15
Breaking through the fog: How NOT to kill your presentation with your slides (Webinar)
February 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment
I will be presenting an international webinar on Thursday, February 28 at 1 pm Eastern:
PowerPoint presentations have become a vital part of both internal and external communications at pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Whether you are from regulatory affairs, charged with presenting information on how to comply with new requirements to the manufacturing team or you are from a small medical device company presenting your product to possible investors, your presentation could mean the lifeblood of your organization. Not only do executives use presentation slides to make pitches to stakeholders, but doctors also use them to present information at meetings and conferences too.
The truth is that most presentation slides are deadly, if not fatal. In order to get your message across you need to know how to break through the fog by creating effective presentations.
During this webinar expert Dr. Elizabeth Frick, will help you streamline your next presentation and polish your presentation skills. You will learn how to structure and organize your message for a PowerPoint presentation, combine effective verbal and visual message, avoid common PowerPoint pitfalls, and use the technology to your advantage.
In 90 minutes, you will discover how to:
- Better structure and organize your message
- Synthesize your visual and verbal messages
- Avoid the deadliest sins of PowerPoint®
- Navigate through your slide show and manage the technology to your advantage
- Avoid the most common presentation mistakes (where to stand for maximum impact; how to handle questions; how to provide yourself with maximum backup in case of equipment failure)
- Handle questions and provide yourself with maximum backup in case of equipment failure
For one low price, you and your entire team can take part in this fast-paced, insightful webinar. Best of all, you’ll be able to connect personally with our speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Frick , when we open up the phone lines for live Q&A.
To learn more or register, visit the Elsevier page for this webinar, or e-mail me at efrick@textdoctor.com.
Tour de Style Manuals
February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
If you’d like a demonstration of democratic unproductivity, try settling writing style issues like the serial comma or the hyphenation of the word “e-mail” in a group. Months later, you’ll still be arguing (and the national debate on health care will look tame by comparison).
That’s why I recommend that each work group, department, division, or company adopt a published style manual and mandate strict adherence to that particular style to increase the consistency of their written messages. (To see a comprehensive matrix of 12 style manuals, visit www.textdoctor.com/stylemanuals.)
If necessary, each group can create a personalized style sheet to document where style choices differ from the adopted style manual. This process, however, can be costly and bloody.
Of course, everyone can play Frank Sinatra’s “I did it my way” at review meetings, but for those who want a coherent, consistent style, these steps outlined above will be helpful.
Read upcoming blog entries for more information about each style manual, including my opinions on each .
How do you feel about the Chicago Manual of Style?
February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The choice of a style manual can be more political than you might imagine. Just as people choose their style of dress, hair, and food and remain loyal to their choices, language and style preferences become entrenched, and few individuals welcome change.
I experienced this when I taught a technical writing seminar at a small testing firm. A learner in the class asked me for a recommendation for a published style manual. I answered, “In the absence of a corporate requirement to use a specific industry style manual like the AMA Manual of Style (American Medical Association) or the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style), I think a great choice for your company for good general business style is The Gregg Reference Manual.”
One seminar member reacted very strongly, grumbling that The Gregg Reference Manual was for secretaries and demanding that members of the class should use The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS). After a rather heated discussion about the pros and cons of each, we dropped the issue, but when I came to teach my class the next week, I found a box of CMS manuals (a $1000 investment) on my desk to distribute to the class.
After that, learners would e-mail me with questions like “How does Gregg handle XX?” or “We’re having an argument here about how to format YY, and it’s not listed in Chicago. Could you look it up for me in your copy of Gregg?”
This is why it’s valuable to know which style manual is best for which industry or purpose. CMS was developed for the University of Chicago’s academic faculty and is best today for authors of scholarly works. It is also used in social science publications and most historical journals.
In contrast, the Gregg Reference Manual states that it is “the business writer’s survival manual” and, as such, includes many items not found in CMS. I own both, but I find myself referring to Gregg at least ten times as much as I refer to the CMS for business and technical writing purposes.
Check out these links:
The Chicago Manual of Style Online
Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
CMS Crib Sheet
Frick and Frick’s matrix comparing 12 current style manuals
Publication information:
The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers, 15th edition, 2003.
(New editions released about every 10 years)
University of Chicago Press
984 pages
ISBN: 978-0226104034
List price: $55.00 (about $30 on Amazon.com)
Amazing list of 2012 Banished Words from Lake Superior State University
December 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Just kidding about the use of the word “amazing” in the headline.
Lake Superior State University just released its 37th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse, and General Uselessness.
(The Queen referenced above is Queen Elizabeth, not me…)
Arguing in favor of the serial comma
November 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Yesterday, I finished editing a proposal using the client-mandated style guide that followed the Associated Press Stylebook’s requirement. My client’s style guide said: “Use commas to separate elements in a series, but do not put a comma before the conjunction in a simple series (no serial commas)… Use a comma before the conjunction in a complex series.” The style guide provided just a few samples of “simple series” and “complex series.”
OK, fine. Since the client can set the style, I tried to follow their prescription.
What a waste of time it was to have to stop my forward motion to analyze whether each series was “simple” or “complex,” given the limited examples offered by AP and my client. I had to decide whether to insert a serial comma or not in sentences like these:
- We define policies that include a delegation agreement, policies and procedures, file review if applicable for UM, credentialing/re-credentialing, and complex case management.
- This will achieve cost-effective, measurable and compliant outcomes.
- However, we have already made noticeable progress through streamlining workflows for information sharing, defining outcome determinations, and standardizing internal processes to ensure that we meet timeliness targets.*
Imagine 400 pages with about 8 series per page. When I automatically plunk a serial comma before every final conjunction, I move through each series in an average of 15 seconds. In this nightmare scenario, I had to assess each series for simplicity or complexity, and I estimate that this cerebral effort required an average of 45 seconds. At 30 seconds more per series, that’s 26 hours more over the entire 400 pages. (Feel free to check my math.)
Is it any wonder that ALL American style guides except for the Associated Press require writers to use the serial comma? Don’t you wish everyone did?
To read my newsletter article about the serial comma, visit my Constant Contact archive.
*Note: I followed the client’s rules here; I would have used the serial comma in sentence #2.
Why bother to field-test your documents?
October 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I recently taught a class in procedure writing. To engage learners, I usually have them build a product with folding rulers that I give them, and they write a procedure to instruct others to build their product. (A procedure is a series of numbered steps that someone must follow to produce a specified outcome.)
After each group finishes writing their steps, they field-test their procedures on potential end users (another group in the class). In most cases, those users can perform the procedures without a hitch. Sometimes, however, the procedure writers have forgotten to specify if the ruler is to be placed on the table with the numbers up or down; in other cases, they have completely left out a step.
Such omissions occur because when we write, we sometimes unconsciously leave things out that are perfectly obvious to us. When we actually see users engage with our documents, we realize that we need to add, subtract, substitute, or reorder our text.
Of course, field-testing a document takes time, but so does ineffective, confusing, poorly written communication that confuses readers!
All writers need to field-test their documents. Recently, my home-town newspaper reported on a local author, Nancy Mervar, who field-tested her first children’s book, Nana’s Silly Goats, on a third-grade class. “When I have kids do the editing and revisions with me, I can do the best job on the story,” she said. “It’s really coming from the kids rather than an adult’s viewpoint of what the kids want to hear about.” An added bonus of this experience is that the students learn more about the writing process, especially since Nancy will share her revisions with them.
Want your own folding ruler? Send me a story about your experience with field-testing your documents to improve them, and if I use it in a future column or blog, I’ll send you a folding ruler; you can even pick your color!
Sarcasm punctuation mark: A failsafe way to show your ironic intent
October 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A student in my Best Buy punctuation course last week sent me a link to an exciting new punctuation mark: the SarcMark. Designed to be used as you use an exclamation or question mark (at the end of a statement in English), the downloadable version is free at the present time. The new punctuation mark will allow you to make it clear that your statement in an e-mail or text message is ironic, avoiding smiley faces.
From Matthew Moore’s blog post in The Telegraph:
“The symbol – a dot inside a single spiral line – can be installed onto any PC running Windows 7, XP or Vista, as well as Macs and Blackberry mobile devices. It can then be used in Word documents, instant instant messenger conversations, Outlook email and other programmes, just by pressing Ctrl and the full stop button.”
Oral questioning skills for the technical communicator
September 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The WritersUA (User Assistance) website will soon publish my STC conference proceeding (Oral questioning skills for the technical communicator). This site is visited by approximately 20,000 users each month. When it is published, I’ll send a link.
I love thinking about questioning skills. I realize that whenever things go wrong, it’s usually because I didn’t ask the right questions before moving ahead.
I’m offering a webinar today on oral questioning skills for STC (the Society for Technical Communication) and will soon offer my readers a webinar on this important topic, too.
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