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BALAJI RAVICHANDRAN
Editor, studentBMJ
http://www.studentbmj.com
Whoever tells the truth, sooner or later will be caught doing it Oscar Wilde
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
The importance of communicating science What is (bio)medical journalism? The role of scientific publications Reading well Writing well And, very well Multitude of opportunities
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Open discussion
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Imagine a bridge
Whoever tells the truth, sooner or later will be caught doing it Oscar Wilde
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
The world
Scientific research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Whoever tells the truth, sooner or later will be caught doing it Oscar Wilde
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Reading well
The only demand I make of my reader is that he should devote his whole life to my works James Joyce
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Finally, it is worth remembering that medical journals convey information, information that is power, and power in the noblest sense of the word: power to change things and to influence attitudes, behaviours, and decisions. And, most importantly, power to help your fellow human beings.
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Writing well
Science exists because scientits are writers and speakers Scott Montgomery
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
The basics
Clarity of writing usually follows clarity of thought. So think what you want to say, then say it as simply as possible. Keep in mind George Orwell's six elementary rules ("Politics and the English Language", 1946): 1. Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. 2. Never use a long word where a short one will do. 3. If it is possible to cut out a word, always cut it out. 4. Never use the passive where you can use the active. 5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. 6. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
Source: The Economist Style Guide
Dont believe people who tell you that writing is easy Alex Paton
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Type of articles
Scholarly writing Original research articles Review articles Editorials Art/Book reviews Popular writing News items Feature articles Personal views and analyses Columns
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
The world of medical journalism is small, varied, and bitchy and is probably not for the faint hearted Stella Lowry, Richard Smith
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Submitting to a publication
Some points to remember Pitch the idea to the editor, where appropriate Read their instructions to authors Look at their style guide Write a covering letter to sell your article Give them adequate time to process your submission Be prepared for rejection Do not hesitate to appeal or to resubmit Always learn from your mistakes
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Example One.
An abstract from a research paper, which you ought to summarise for a magazine/journal:
Using adoptive transfer of lymphocytes given after host immunodepletion it is possible to mediate objective cancer regression in patients with metastatic melanoma. However, the generation of tumorspecific T cells in this mode of immunotherapy is often limiting. Using a retrovirus encoding a T cell receptor, we report here the ability to specifically confer tumor recognition by autologous lymphocytes from peripheral blood. Adoptive transfer of these transduced cells in fifteen patients resulted in durable engraftment at levels exceeding ten percent of peripheral blood lymphocytes for at least two months post infusion. We observed high sustained levels of circulating, engineered cells at one year post-infusion in two patients, that both demonstrated objective regression of metastatic melanoma lesions. This study suggests the therapeutic potential of genetically engineered cells for the biologic therapy of cancer.
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Example One.
Heres how we have transformed it The enemy within The vertebrate immune system, in a limited way, can recognise and destroy cancer cells arising from within the host by recognising them as foreign (or non-self). However, many tumour cells escape this immune detection, and do go on to cause cancer. Scientists have been looking for a way to improve this defence mechanism, and gene therapy seems to be a possible solution. T lymphocytes were extracted from the blood of patients who had malignant melanoma. They were infected with genetically modified retroviruses carrying the gene for receptors that can recognise melanomatous cells. Once infected, the retroviruses created double stranded DNA from their RNA, and incorporated the DNA into the host T cell. In effect, the T cells now began to express the genes that would enable them to recognise cancer cells as foreign. The experimental treatment was tried on 17 patients with advanced melanoma, who had a life expectancy of 3 to 6 months. Two of the patients had complete remission after 18 months of treatment. Although the modified T cells survived in the remaining 15, the expression of the crucial gene for melanoma receptors gradually waned. Further research is needed to extend and improve this therapeutic modality to other forms of cancer. Source: studentBMJ 2006;14:355
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Example Two.
A press release reads: Over 250 people have registered their intention to take part in Europe's very first sponsored Masturbatea-thon in London today, reports organiser Marie Stopes International. People from all walks of life and social class and every shade of sexuality are expected to attend the specially converted photographers' studios in Clerkenwell. The Masturbate-A-Thon is the brainchild to two American sexologists, Dr Carol Queen and Dr Robert Lawrence, and has run in the US for the past six years raising over $25,000 for women's health initiatives and HIV prevention, education and treatment organisations. This event will also benefit HIV and sexual health charity Terrence Higgins Trust. At the Masturbate-a-thon, participants get loved ones to sponsor them for a certain amount of money for every minute they masturbate during the Masturbate-A-Thon, the number of orgasms they achieve or simply for having the courage to turn up and take part! In aid of global sexual and reproductive health agency Marie Stopes International, and sponsored by ID Lubricants (UK), the leading UK brand of personal lubricants, the event also aims to act as a public education device to increase the use of self pleasure as a strategy for safer sex and to dispel the shame and taboos that still persist around the subject of masturbation. Source: www.masturbate-a-thon.co.uk
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Example Two.
Heres how the studentBMJs version for our humourous section, Eyespy, reads:
In support of (arguably) the safest form of sex, Marie Stopes International organised Europe's first ever "masturbate-a-thon" on 5 August in London. Their aim was to dispel the shame and taboos that still persist around this form of sexual activity. Participants were sponsored by friends and loved ones, and the event took place in an (arguably) welcoming environment, with dedicated areas to suit all tastes - from solo booths for the more nervous to mixed sex areas for the adventurous. That the adventurous were not allowed to venture beyond their allotted territory should not come as a surprise.
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Multitude of opportunities
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Write for us
Five simple steps to get published in the studentBMJ Pitch the idea to the editor (studenteditor@bmj.com) Consult the author guidelines available on our website studentbmj.com Write the article, with an expert, if necessary Submit the article at http://submit.bmj.com Wait for a decision after peer-review
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
MEDICAL JOURNALISM
The quintessential arm of biomedical research
Recommended reading
Greenhalgh, Trisha. How to read a paper. BMJ Books, Blackwell Publishing Albert, Tim. Medical Journalismthe writers guide. Radcliffe Medical Press, Oxford Sackett, David and colleagues. Clinical Epidemiology.A basic science for clinical medicine. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, Massachusetts The Economist Style Guide/Oxford Style Guide Turner, Barry. Writers Yearbook. MacMillan Montgomery, Scott. The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.