“Life is a puzzle where we keep trying to fit pieces to be successful. But there is no one single move or mantra.”
As it brings forth equally-chances and struggles, opportunities, and failures, wishes and disappointments, it becomes imperative to choose our area of focus, wisely. Every science student, be it medical or academic, wishes to be part of the contributory chain towards growth of healthcare. However, more often than not, there emerges a gap between what you study and what the market demands as a professional. This empty space of unlearnt skills is filled by wonderful opportunities in the form of courses, webinars and specific skill-based workshops. Without a shadow of doubt, these options are a new look at the education system.
What makes Turacoz distinct from ordinary learning institutes?
By the face of it, Turacoz is well-known as a valuable medical communication partner in the healthcare industry but there is much more than what appears. Turacoz is not only a service- oriented organization but also through its regular courses and webinars, is a grooming and upskilling platform for learners with diverse age and experience spectrum. It is priming every aspiring science geek into a medical writer; exploring talent and polishing it with practical knowledge and technical skills is the best way Turacoz is giving to society the richness of knowledge
Turacoz has brought evolution from academic learnings to target based learnings. The courses based on medical writing, scientific publications, scientific documents etc. talks about the practical needs and not just theoretical writing skills.
Turacoz knows the healthcare market from its roots, and one gets to learn from the experienced and real evidence.
Being one of the very few organizations which envision empowerment of women, Turacoz encourages women to join the workforce and provides them opportunities to rebuild their career despite long gaps.
Turacoz does not impose qualification-based boundaries and hence bias is never part of its modus operandi. If you have a scientific background and interest in writing, you will be groomed without any judgment.
In the COVID era, when millions of people were losing jobs and colleges were shut down, education and growth was posed with a big question mark. But Turacoz never shut its doors. Turacoz being a wide spectrum stage never stopped offering jobs and mentorship and continued to cultivate their Skill Development Programs (TSDP) manifold
Turacoz gives a place to connect with like-minded people and increase your network in the professional world of healthcare research and communication.
Learning theperks of courses
The world is changing at one scroll, and it is really important to walk along with the change Is a certificate program a replacement for a degree? NO. Is it an addendum to your qualifications? YES. It is a flavor-enhancer if we can put it in a more aesthetic way! Webinars, workshops and courses are bettering the chance to fit the missing pieces in a professional boardgame. There are new streams of clinical and scientific research opening every day and these options are guiding you to supplement your knowledge-bank with skills and other perks as well.
Not so heavy on the pocket
For a medical writing course/certificate or a webinar, you certainly do not need a pocket as deep as you would for a master and diploma. The expenses entailed in these courses can be easily managed with work and personal life. So, why not choose something which is light on your pocket and adds weight to your resume at the same time.
Targeting the skills
‘By the books’ sounds as medieval as it can get. The need of the hour is to focus on what more we can think, innovate and contribute. You definitely need your fundamentals in place, but only to chaperone new skills. The short-term courses offered by Turacoz are by subject matter experts who freight real-time experiences and know in depth about the skills that can raise your chances to get a job.
Convenience
The biggest advantage of the short-term courses is the convenience they provide you in terms of time, venue and menu. While physical workshops undoubtedly render a more interpersonal leverage, advent of online options have made it more accessible. Professionals and experienced guides take you through a 8 by 8 window, into a world where you get to learn from real stories and facts. Through distance learning and online classes, certificate courses are letting you maintain your work-life balance like a boss.
Long-term benefits
With professional and targeted skill enhancement courses, you are planning a life ahead with surety. You add points in your resume and finesse in your work, and it helps you in raising your visibility at work.
Making your career and passion meet
You enjoy science and you love writing, but you never knew how to get these two shake hands! With a flair of writing along with good scientific knowledge, one can turn into an ace medical writer.
Diversity
Courses and workshops have a wide vision and no boundaries set and so you can get admission at any phase of your life. All you need is passion and hunger to learn. In Turacoz, be it a science graduate, or a healthcare professional or a PhD, anyone can learn medical writing.
“A decade back, someone doing a course was considered a hobbyist; nor was scientific writing considered an independent skill or profession. However, with unfolding layers of clinical research and its allies, medical writing emerged as an indispensable province. The role of such courses and workshops has hence evolved in widening the learning curve, imparting skill-based knowledge, upskilling and providing better employment opportunities.”
“Not explaining science seems to me perverse. When you are in love you want to tell the world.” –Carl Sagan
From the corridors of laboratories, science has found its way to our mobile screens. Digital media and social apps have pulverized the boundaries between a published paper and the public. Today a scientist can communicate and share his progress with everyone on the planet irrespective of his background. During the pandemic, Twitter brought an evolution in the minds of people about research and science. Twitter allowed global communication between scientists on a scale never experienced before. The way to see progress in science has become a routine even for people who are not from a medical background. Social media changed the meaning and trends of scientific communication forever.
Unlearning the old rules
From Publish-or-Perish theory to Post-your-Publication concept, science has come a long way. Scientists and doctors are using common social media platform (Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.) to blog and post about new advancements. Pharmaceutical companies are forming patient advocacy groups to engage more lay audiences and connect with them. These small changes have brought in the quintessential butterfly effect to the way documentation is done these days. New types of documents like Lay summaries, etc. are bringing in considerable shift in the paradigm of scientific publications.
A look over perks
Walking behind time is not a wise decision. The present is expecting direct communication with lay audience and scientists outside the field. The traditional methods of publishing and communication only target people related to the field but with social media at our fingertips, scientific communication can reach everywhere, be it a patient or a student, a medical writer or a businessman. A few of various advantages of choosing social media:
Boosting professional profiles
Making science accessible
Rise in NSF Fundings
Educating patients and young doctors
Reaching the audience across the globe
Higher citations in coming years
Communicating and connecting can help in the development of medications and treatment.
Networking and marketing
If misinformed people are there spreading incomplete knowledge, then authorized documents must be there to correct the wrong guidelines.
Checklist before sharing on social media
Medical content is something that people trust and apply in their daily life, like dosage of a particular drug, mode of action, side effects, etc. Something that seems obvious to you can be a fact for your audience. So, put your words in right frame.
Here are some tips to improve your draft:
Address real-life issues which can change the behavior of readers like smoking, dietary habits, etc. Use standard details and facts.
Plan according to your goals and targets; be sure of what you expect out of it, like media coverage, collaboration, feedback, visibility for your research, or citations for your papers.
Make your audience feel like part of your research. Tell stories and use fiction to spread your message.
Keep yourself aware of how scientific communication will be interpreted by others and the media.
Presentation and design – the question and answers format can usually not go wrong and make sure that language is clear and comprehendible to a layman.
Images and graphs can create the big picture in front of an audience. So, provide visuals using graphics and statistics.
Convert results and conclusions of research in pdfs for better understanding.
The power in your words depends upon the trust of your readers. Use it wisely and with ethical standards.
Spark the curiosity in the audience by talking about the scientific process. Talk about the conclusion, future and answers the questions occurring in your reader’s mind.
Don’t use jargon and scientific terminologies. If you are using one, then explain it properly in clear terms. Abbreviations and acronyms will not make sense to a broader audience.
With more people getting involved in the progress of research and healthcare, scientific communication is becoming an influential part. The revolution in the publication field has arrived and the way to connect with people is changing with a distance of a click. Scientific communication and publishing make science an important section of society. To protect the thread of trust between people and the research world, the rules and guidelines are also expanding. To learn more about the new documents and guidelines visit https://turacoz.com/Scientific-Writing-Course/ Tell the world about all your discoveries and learnings because there are millions of science geeks waiting to read and learn.
“What is the side effect of paracetamol? Why can’t my kid get vaccinated? Which vaccine is more effective?” The patients and worried parents are looking all over on internet to treasure trove the answers to these questions. In such a scenario and many of its likes, Google becomes the go-to database for information, but it unfortunately leads to misinformation, misdiagnosis, spurious remedies, all heading to graver damage to health. And hence it becomes imperative to verify any scientific information from authentic databases and validated documents.
In an era of Covid, when every message, blog, news piece, article, all and sundry were talking about it, there was clearly a realization amongst the more aware ones, to lean on more scientifically accurate information. And it urged them to grab published articles for perusal. But the language and terminology of these documents made it arduous for them to comprehend and find what they were looking for. This informed curiosity and interest of laymen towards learning scientific facts and guidelines encouraged Patient Lay Summaries to find their place in the world of Publication and Research.
Patient Lay Summary Explained
Lay Summary is an abstract-like content or summary where complex scientific/medical/clinical information from published research articles is represented in a lucid way to cater to an audience who may or may not have any subject knowledge or scientific background. The difficult terms and methods are made easier to understand and implement and ensure that correct information goes to the reader. According to EMA, all clinical studies need to have a lay summary and should be prepared within one year.
Call for Lay Summary
The main aim of a lay summary is to answer questions of the public regarding studies or research. The basic need of lay summary is awareness to the widest possible audience. If the correct information reaches people in their own language, they can relate to it. This will increase the quality of medical research as patients will be encouraged to contribute and be partners in decision making. Talking about risk management of medicine and trials, these documents provided transparency and a clear vision to the public and are highly appreciated by patient advocacy groups. A lay summary is not only beneficial for the public but also for researchers as a way to take their work out of the room of the scientific fraternity and reach a broader generic audience. A brilliant chance to go out of the box and get attention!
But these documents are themselves a dare to write and this dare is given to medical writers.
Writing for Lay
The medical writers hold the responsibility of informing and educating patients in a way that can alter their decisions. Words can direct a reader on the journey of good health and wise choices. But how to find a midway between writing a The medical writers hold the responsibility of informing and educating patients in a way that can alter their decisions. Words can direct a reader on the journey of good health and wise choices. But how to find a midway between writing a simple and educational document? Try to seat yourself in the mind of a patient and imagine what he or she needs to learn.
Here are some key points you need to follow while drafting
A good Lay summary should be able to answer questions like:
What was the study about?
Who Participated in the study?
What were the main results?
Detail about the side effects etc.
Writer can use words or terminologies which are more homespun to patients like using brand names and not the salts.
Use of infographics, charts, tables, and graphs to make the data more understandable as the images will easily attract them and look at more key facts.
Lay summary will be a map for the patients and decide what to choose or not. So, the data and details should be relevant and not just a random collection of facts.
Patients are reading something to find -what after that? So, don’t forget to explain the impact of your research or review.
Specialized language, jargon should be avoided as it will only confuse the reader.
Start using the first person in your sentence formation as if you are conversing with a reader like ‘we decided’ and not ‘that was decided’.
A well-written lay summary should be published in a way that there should not be any wall between your work and readers. From social media to sponsor’s website, where all to publish this new type of publication document, should be on your list. To know more visit https://lnkd.in/dQuHWhHH
Down the Road
In a world where every piece of information is one click away, documents like lay summaries are catching momentum; it is the new face of Publication. According to surveys and reports, maximum internet searches encompass health-related guidance. Thereby, it is the need of hours to provide correct, complete and accurate educational information to patients. Social media plays a crucial role in transporting whatever comes in front, right or wrong and medical-writers are in a way, guards of true and authorized knowledge. In the coming years, publication will be all about reaching every corner and a lay summary is not just a right of patients but also the only route to read the right.
“We are sorry to inform you that your submission is rejected”- This is something you never want to hear or read but this is most often experienced. These words are disheartening. When we start research, it becomes a dream to see that work turning into pages of a journal. But after so much hard work and research what is something that we lack? This blog will unlock your mysteries and let you know the reasons behind that NO, that rejection. Let’s find out what goes wrong and what one should do.
Technical Screening turning into a failure
The first problem can be in your basic check. From plagiarism to figures, something has gone wrong. In technical Screening, manuscript is rejected if: –
There is some issue with language
Imprecise hypothesis
Main titles, references, list of authors etc. crucial elements are missing
There is no proper conclusion
Flaws in study design
2. Deviation from aim and outlook of journal
The biggest and smallest mistake we can do is not finding the perfect journal. Before sending your submission, one must know what the aim and scope of the journal is. If your manuscript is not adding any value to the journal, they will reject it. To learn how to find where to publish and how to find that right key visit https://lnkd.in/drKKnPHe
3. Do not Put your feet in two boats
Journals usually mention that if your work is under review at some other place then they will not consider it. So, do not submit your work at two journals, you might sink. Find the journal interested in your research and focus in one direction.
4. Format it before sending
Journals have their own writing style, their way of transforming the manuscript. It begins from font size, font style and can never end because definitive amount of margin is also essential for a journal. So, it is especially important to meet the standards set by a journal and follow the instructions about guidelines.
5. Finding Originality and Significance
If your submission is extension or another version of some research paper, you have high chances of getting a NO. If the journal does not find any significance in what you are trying to convey then also your submission is rejected.
Take Away Points
For the buds of researching world, it is challenging to get their manuscript accepted. But if you know the secrets and tips to the road, this world is welcoming. The world of publishing and medical writing is a place where you need to know what, why and where. Planning matters here.
To turn the “NO” into “YES”, Turacoz is conducting a webinar on Publishing Planning, and this is your chance to track https://lnkd.in/drKKnPHe
Peer Review is the process of evaluation of manuscripts submitted for scientific publication in journals/books, pre-clinical or clinical study reports, research progress reports etc., by experts or peers with similar competence as manuscript authors. It plays a pivotal role in scholarly publications with objective to ascertain quality, reliability and credibility of the work reported in the manuscripts and reports through qualitative scrutiny. This contributes to the acceptability of scientific work as authentic, rigorous and coherent for the intended purpose. Also, it widens networking opportunities within the scientific fraternity.
Types of Peer Review
Single blind review: This is the traditional and most common type of review in which the reviewer’s name is hidden from the author.
Double-blind review: In this kind of review, there is anonymity of both the author and the reviewer to each other.
Open review: The identity of the author and the reviewer are known to each other and there is more transparent communication during the review process.
Peer-review is a golden practice to improve the quality of publications but comes with its own set of disadvantages and shortcomings. Table 1 details the various featural pros and cons of different types of peer-review.
Table 1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Peer-Reviewing [1]
Ethics of Peer Review
As the reviewing experts are essentially from the same area or field of the study as of the authors of documents under review, some conflict of interests or differences in viewpoints may introduce bias that might come in the way of a fair peer review. For instance, a reviewer may not accept the manuscript/report under review if the author’s hypothesis is different from that of the reviewer. Indeed, many journals take this possibility into account and allow the authors submitting manuscripts to give the name(s) of reviewers to whom the manuscript should not be sent for review in addition to names of reviewers the authors would like to recommend. But then, peer review by reviewers recommended by the authors may also occasionally lead to undeservingly favored evaluation.
To avoid undesirable contentions, it is a prerogative for a peer-reviewer to adhere to ethical guidelines outlined by the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), which categorises the ethical responsibility of a peer-review into confidentiality of the data reviewed, objectivity of the review process and diligence towards their competency, following processes, policies and conduct [6].
A few ethical practices that should be incorporated in peer-reviewing are as follows:
Maintaining objectivity and diligence in assessing a document
Avoiding any favoritism or likewise, negative bias
Respecting confidentiality of the manuscript
Avoiding giving any personal or derogatory remarks
Refraining from disrespectful tone of criticism
Maintaining timeliness
Adhering to the rationales, norms, policies and specific scope of the journal
Promptly reporting any unethical duplication or data fabrication/design
Staying discrete from the author during the review process to avoid any unwanted confrontation
Essential Components of Peer-Reviewing
Studies conducted by scientists/experts/professional are rendered into a detailed article or manuscript, a draft of which is then sent to the journal editor. The article is sent by the journal editor to peer reviewers before publication. The reviewers then assess the manuscript and extend their comments focusing on the following aspects:
Adequacy of the background information (literature survey) justifying the necessity and purpose of the study reported
Appropriateness and adequacy of the materials and methods employed to generate the data
Compliance to national and international regulatory requirements [e.g. Good Laboratory/Manufacturing/Clinical Practices (GLP/GMP/GCP), Animal ethics, OECD/ICH/USFDA guidelines etc.]
Analysis of data using appropriate (statistical) methods
Proper interpretation and discussion of the data/results and the conclusions drawn.
Originality of the study
Presentation of the manuscript relying on legible and comprehendible language that is grammatically, technically and scientifically correct
Innovations in Peer Review
Any advancement or innovation in a process primarily requires recognition of the prevalent roadblocks. “Necessity is the mother of invention”, Plato’s misattributed proverb reflects the rationale of some compelling advancements that peer-reviewing attributes to the share of challenges it had faced.” Addressing some fundamental conundrums, there are many driven groups across the scientific fraternity who have offer valuable innovative answers.
Raising the satisfaction quotient of the author-reviewer-editor trilogy by ‘Volunpeers’
Lack of familiarity with the subject matter causes many reviewers to decline from reviewing. To overcome this challenge, the journal of Molecular biology enabled a Reviewer Recognition Platform, that facilitates reviewers, christened as ‘Volunpeers’ (to represent the rationale of this platform), to register for their area of expertise and receive manuscripts for reviewing according to their preference. The outcome of this platform was impressive! It proudly flaunted a high rate of involvement and satisfaction from both the reviewer and the editor and establishes a faith that peer reviewing indeed has not reached an intimidating stagnancy. Figure 1 indicates the promisingly positive impacts of Volunpeer-ing on various critical aspects [2].
Figure 1: Impact of Peer-Reviewing through the Reviewer Recognition Platform ‘Volunpeer’
Expediting the process of review and making it less cumbersome and time‑consuming
The dichotomy of time versus quality lead many to attempt to address long and tiresome process of reviewing. Recently, The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery (JBJS) has initiated below mentioned tiny steps to upgrade their overall peer-review process [3].
Automated and weekly reminder emails to editors
Weekly reminder emails for editor queue statistics
Monthly emails delineating acceptance rates and transfer rates by editor
Shortened deadlines for peer-reviewing
Addition of manuscript Xtract in Editorial Manager that reduces manual entry for basic data like manuscript title, author-names, abstract and affiliations
Refining the review process by spotting errors and maintaining quality standards of review
The quality of any manuscript proportions directly to the errors established during review and editing process. A keen study conducted on ‘Improving the peer-review process and editorial quality by studying key errors escaping the review and editorial process in top scientific journals [4]. Figure 1 shows the common trend of errors encountered during review.
Figure 1: Proportion and types of errors during review/editing process [4]
The recognition of these error-patterns led to the application of a novel mistake index, independent of the journal’s impact factor. Mistake Index Total (MIT) represented the fraction of corrections published by total number of items published in a year and Mistake Index Paper (MIP) represented the fraction of corrections published by the total number of papers (categorised by articles) published in a year. These were then statistically analysed and applied on scientific journals of diverse disciplines to determine the type, rate of occurrence and severity of errors encountered. It is hence recommended that a detailed guideline based upon MIT and MIP be provided to reviewers, authors and editors, which can help them minimise error redundancy, reduce time-to-correction and reinforce quality of published manuscripts [4].
Ensuring recruitment of competent reviewers and providing visibility, value and appreciation for their efforts by R-index
On a more humane level, getting good reviewers and providing visibility, value and appreciation for their efforts stays a huge contributing factor to optimising the quality and efficiency of peer-review. Lack of recognition of time and valuable expertise of the reviewer often is a big dampener for review quality. A simple yet cutting-edge R-index (Reviewer index), has emerged as an essential metric to quantify and credit a scientist’s contribution as a reviewer, regardless of his/her stage of career. Based on the list of reviewers for any particular journal, number of papers reviewed, total number of words against the journal’s impact factor, and eventually fostered by the editor’s feedback on individual review, a score ranging from 0 to 1 is credited to the reviewers. Widely being accepted and implemented, this index is open doors to a wider academic productivity and increased transparency within the scientific community and works reciprocally towards maintaining and enhancing the quality of reviewing [5].
Conclusion
With a fair share of recognition as well as criticism that it comes with, peer-review is undoubtedly an essential component of the publication world. Although an overall positive impact and effectiveness of peer review mechanism to improve upon quality in biomedical journals has been observed in clinical trial and other comparative study publications, it is still difficult to ascertain its tangible impact, considering the aforesaid challenges [7]. Nevertheless, the brighter side shows that the existing peer-review paradigm is inevitably treading towards innovations; profoundly embedded into the process of scientific progress, its indispensable purpose gives reasons enough to boost its operations and we hope to witness more streamlining, transparency, efficiency, robustness and inventive tableaus in its modus operandi.
Turacoz Healthcare Solutions aims to provide information on the latest trends, updates and advances to help researchers stay abreast of important innovations in peer-review in the field of scientific publications. Turacoz Healthcare provides an end-to-end support for scientific communications, clinical trial documents and disclosures, regulatory documents writing and submissions, and medico-marketing writing along with e-modules & e-books on healthcare and research.
