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July 2013
  Issue #46

Embrace Your Fears! 

 

As comfortable as we are in our freelance skin (and we've been doing this for a long time), there's always something to shake us up and put us out of our comfort zone. That's how we know we're alive and growing!

 


In this issue of Pencil Points we want to help you grow, too, by embracing your fears. Does the thought of using Excel to create an all-text document make your skin crawl? It did ours! But then we learned to get out of our own way and just do it. You'll find plenty of great tips to help you excel at Excel in [Not] Just For Newbies. Are you afraid that you don't have enough business coming in from your regular clients, but equally afraid of venturing into uncharted territory? We map out a plan to help you discover plenty of opportunity in an area of medical communications that may be more familiar than you think, in The Savvy Marketer (HINT: It's not a new therapeutic area, but a whole new category].

Do you find the thought of plagiarism horrifying? So do we. But in medical writing there is often only so many ways to say something and make it both clear and concise. Professors and publishers have been using software to thwart "copy-and-paste-ers" for years, but now we're seeing it with our clients as well. Trend or foe? We sort it out in Dollars and Sense. And if the thought of paying top dollar for Adobe Acrobat Standard scares you, we've found a possible alternative for you in On the Radar.

One of the scariest things a freelance medical writer can do is not invest in their own professional development. With that in mind, we want to take this opportunity to announce that registration has opened for the AMWA 73rd Annual Conference! We'll be there, and we think you should be there, too. Click to register online, and check out the programs we'll be presenting in Where in the World are Brian and Cyndy? Don't be afraid to join us!

 

Wishing you writing success,

 

Cyndy and Brian
The Accidental Medical Writer


PS. We offer more tips and have interesting discussions on our Facebook page. Come and join us.

 Newbies[NOT] JUST FOR NEWBIES
Information and Inspiration for New and Experienced Writers 

How to Excel at Excel


Over the past few years we've noticed more and more of our clients using Microsoft Excel to create spreadsheets filled with text rather than numbers. Have you noticed it, too? Our first inclination when creating comparative lists is to design a multicolumn table using Microsoft Word because we much prefer looking at rows and columns filled with words in a Word document rather than an Excel spreadsheet.

 

But it really doesn't matter what we like, does it? It's all about what our clients want. And since many of them want Excel spreadsheets, we had to learn how to use Excel as effectively as possible. Here are a few tips we'd like to share. 

  • Before you start a project in Excel, take some time to play around with an empty spreadsheet and explore the options. Click your mouse randomly on some of the commands just to see what happens. Doing this when you aren't under a deadline will relieve some of the unease you might be feeling about using the program.
  • We like to begin by making sure the spreadsheet is formatted to handle any kind of information. In the top toolbar go to Cells, Format, and at the bottom of the dropdown menu, click on Format Cells. Click on the Number tab at the top then highlight the General category. We use this whenever we are not inputting numbers. You can also get to the Format Cell command by highlighting the cell, then right clicking. The Format cells command appears about three-quarters of the way down in the dropdown menu.
  • When filling spreadsheet cells with words, you'll need to adjust column widths. One way to do that is to place your cursor on the vertical line between 2 columns in the column header at the top of the spreadsheet, for example, between columns A and B. You'll see that the cursor changes to a double-sided arrow. Left click and drag the mouse to the right to enlarge the column. You adjust row heights by following the same process in the row header on the left side of the spreadsheet.
  • You can also format cells to be a fixed size. Highlight the cells you want to change. In the top toolbar, go to Cells, Format, and you'll see a dropdown menu with options for row width and height. Click on Row Height or Row Width and a popup box with a number appears. Changing the number changes the dimension. The higher the number the bigger the cell.
  • When using Excel for words not numbers, be sure to wrap text so that no text in the cell is hidden. Highlight the cells you are interested in. In the top toolbar, go to Alignment. You will see several icons. In Excel 2007, the icon on the top far right is the Wrap Text icon. Click on it and all the content in those cells becomes visible as it is displayed on multiple lines.
  • If you want to change the copy in a particular cell, highlight the cell, and double left click it. You will then be able to revise the text.
  • Need to insert a row between rows that are already there? Highlight a cell in the row BELOW where the new row will go. Right click, choose Insert from the menu, and follow the commands. Once a new row is inserted a paintbrush icon appears to allow you to format the cells the way you want.

If you've never worked in Excel, it can be daunting, but don't worry. This program is just like any other. Once you've used it for a while, you'll become more confident and skilled. And, of course, there are several books and You Tube videos on how to use Excel, including Excel 2007 For Dummies and Excel 2010 All-in-One For Dummies. 

 ON THE RADAR
Resources for Medical Writers

An Alternative to Adobe, Maybe         

 

We use Adobe Acrobat Standard all the time because of the types of projects we work on. But it is an expensive program, priced at around $300.00. We learned recently of a file-management software program, FileCenter Standard 8, that some writers are using as an alternative to Adobe Acrobat Standard. Some reviewers have even called it the "software you didn't know you needed." And at $50, it seems like a bargain.

 

FileCenter Standard 8 allows you to open, view, highlight, edit, and annotate PDFs. You can also scan and create PDFs. The program includes integrated optical character recognition (OCR), which automatically makes scanned documents searchable. That's a real time-saver. Another feature enables you to share electronic document cabinets on the Internet, which could be quite useful. We definitely plan to test drive this software and see how it compares to Adobe Acrobat Standard.

DollarsDOLLARS & SENSE

Advice on the Business of Freelancing 

Plagiarism-Detection Software--Trend or Foe? 

 

Professors and publishers have long been using plagiarism-detection software to ensure the integrity of submitted works. In the scholastic environment, such software is needed to keep naive students from copying and pasting their way to a degree. Among professional communicators, we believe rare instances of plagiarism are more likely to be accidental. For example, how many different ways are there to write "Patients receiving drug X experienced a statistically significant reduction from baseline in inflammation versus placebo"? You can change a couple of words or restructure the sentence, but the information is what it is and to change it dramatically could impede both the accuracy and the efficiency of the message.

 


As professional medical writers, we always strive to produce original works. This can sometimes be challenging because we must dutifully cite line and verse of our reference sources to facilitate fact checking by reviewers--typically without deviating too far from what is written in those sources.

One of our clients, a medical communications company, recently began experimenting with a plagiarism-detection-and-prevention technology to help avoid any issues that might arise when a manuscript is sent to a journal that is likely also using such software. We think this is an excellent idea because it helps to further enhance the quality of the first draft. However, as we discovered, using plagiarism-detection software is not without its own challenges.

A notable challenge to using plagiarism-detection software is that the analysis assigns an objective number to what is ostensibly a subjective process. Stating the name of a clinical study in a manuscript is instantly flagged, as are citations in the reference list. Who among us has not written "Results suggest patients with disease X may benefit from earlier diagnosis and more aggressive initial therapy"? So is that plagiarism or coincidence? Purposeful or unavoidable?

We're thankful to our client for giving us the opportunity to delve with them into this exploration of how plagiarism-detection software might help during the early stages of document development. So far, we have learned that like the final score in Drew Carey's hit improvisational TV show "Whose Line Is It Anyway," the points don't matter. What does matter is the ability to review what is revealed when you run a document through one of these programs. It gives you the opportunity to identify passages that are questionable or too similar to their sources in a meaningful way, so they can be revised ahead of time.

Will plagiarism-detection software become a trend among our freelance clients? Right now it's too soon to tell. But we should all keep an eye on it because if our clients start using it, we might want to start using it, too. In doing so, we may also need to consider the potential additional layer of cost for the time it will take to subjectively review and revise documents based on the software's findings. Of course, if the software does become popular among clients, adopting it ourselves may be a way to gain another competitive advantage and further reinforce the value of the service we provide.

If you're interested in learning more about these programs, we invite you to check out Turnitin, which is one of the most popular checkers used in academia, and  iThenticate, which is a highly rated program used by publishers. There is also PlagTracker, Academic Plagiarism Tracker, and Grammarly. In addition, there are a number of free programs available including Viper, Plagiarism Software, and The Plagiarism Checker.

WhereWHERE IN THE WORLD ARE BRIAN AND CYNDY?
The Accidental Medical Writer Calendar

 

The AMWA Annual Conference is the ultimate resource for medical communicators around the world, offering educational and networking opportunities beyond compare in the field. Registration opened on Wednesday July 10th at 3 p.m. Be sure to peruse the registration brochure so you can choose from the many workshops and seminars that are being offered. We'll be presenting 2 seminars: How to Write a Manuscript from a CSR and Freelances: Use a SWOT Analysis to Rejuvenate Your Career and Better Market Your Business. We hope you join us.

 

If you'd like us to come and speak at an event you're organizing, don't wait too long to contact us. Our schedule is filling fast!

 

Be sure to check out Brian's interview in Breaking Into Medical Writing and Editing by Kristen Fischer that was published online on January 6 by mediabistro.com, a top site for communication professionals who create or work with content. If you're a member of AvantGuild you can access the article for free. If not, there's a $55 annual subscription fee, which gives you access to all the exclusive content the site offers. If you recall, Kristen interviewed Cyndy last year for the Freelance Switch blog, which you can read here. Thanks, Kristen.

 

For all our upcoming activities and appearances, keep an eye on The Accidental Medical Writer In Person.

We frequently speak and teach at medical writing conferences and seminars; we've also been interviewed online. Check out our Webcasts. Brian's interview with Danielle Hampson of The Business Authors Show is also available right on our website!

We would love to present at your next upcoming meeting or event, so invite us!

 

SavvyTHE SAVVY MARKETER
Marketing Tips to Build Your Business 
It's Raining Cats, Dogs, and Opportunities!

Medical writing has many facets. There are so many different therapeutic areas, so many different audiences. But here's an idea you may not have thought of--writing for veterinary medicine. That's where Brian got his start as a medical writer, and it's an area filled with opportunity.

Nearly every, (or do we dare just say every?) drug on the market was first tested in animals. So even if you've never before written for veterinary audiences, you probably have written about the results of clinical research conducted in animals. Many of the same drugs that eventually become approved for use in humans are also marketed for animal health.

Furosemide is a diuretic indicated for the treatment of congestive heart failure in dogs and cats. In humans, furosemide is used to treat hypertension, prevent stroke and heart attack, and treat other cardiovascular conditions and complications. Why not use your cardiovascular experience to broaden your freelance business into veterinary medicine? Plenty of other drugs are repurposed back to the animals that helped them gain FDA approval in the first place. The cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, and topical and systemic antibiotics, are other great examples.

The market for medical writers in veterinary medicine is a bit different from human medicine. For example, although drugs are tested in animals before reaching humans, the physical and economic sizes of the human medicine marketplace is much larger than the veterinary medicine marketplace. We have found the financial potential for medical writers isn't any different on a project-by-project basis, but there are fewer opportunities overall because there is less money being invested in communications for veterinary medicine than for human medicine. However, the opportunities for medical writers in veterinary medicine are quite diverse.

Just think of all the different species of animals for which healthcare is provided. There are companion animals including cats, dogs, horses, birds, reptiles, fish, ferrets, and even the occasional pot-bellied pig. There are food animals including cattle, poultry, goats, pigs, and sheep. There are more exotic animals like ostriches, and an entire specialty for zoos. Now think of the possible audiences who need to know about the treatments for all these animals--veterinarians, vet techs, pet owners, farmers, performers (think race and performance horses), and drug sales reps, to name the most obvious.

The marketing opportunities broaden further when you consider all the veterinary specialties. There are veterinary surgeons, podiatrists, dentists and pharmacists, as well as specialists by species. A good friend of ours and AMWA colleague cuts across all these areas. She was Editor-In-Chief of the 8th Edition of the Merck Veterinary Manual and she is currently working on a new edition. The Merck Veterinary Manual is a must-have for your medical reference library.

As you can see, opportunities for medical writers in veterinary medicine abound. Get out there and see where you can apply your experience and expertise!

THE FINE PRINT

 

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