534
ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA . . . Current Researches VOL.55, NO.4, JULY-AUGUST, 1976
Editors share the belief that medical writing is capable of vast improvement. This article is one of a series of personal communications from Charles G . Roland, M.D., former Senior Editor of JAMA, to John T . Martin, M.D., Associate Editor of Anesthesia & Analgesia . . . Current Researches. Dr. Roland is Chuirmun, Department of Biomedical Communications, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55901.
Thoughts About Medical Writing XXXVI. Writing an Edito ria I
Dear Tom: Some time back I wrote about the case report and the letter-to-the-editor. So now, I thought I might write about that powerful medium, the editorial. We need more editorials, and more effective editorials, in our journals. Through editorials we can disseminate informed opinion without immobilizing it in the plaster cast of the conventional medical article with its fixed format and rigid demand for statistical significance and controls. You don’t have to be an editor to write an editorial. Journals often request editorials from authors outside their staff. Moreover, the old idea that an editorial must express the official viewpoint of the editorial board or of the society or association that owns the journal has largely disappeared. Consequently, the editorial “we” is becoming archaic. Most often, editorials clearly express the opinions or sentiments of one person; and most often, editorials now are signed.
I believe that identifying the author of an editorial advances the cause of responsible medical journalism. But that policy puts extra pressure on the author because he or she cannot use anonymity as a shield. And you should keep this fact in mind; if you write an editorial and you are challenged, you may find opinion harder to defend convincingly than you would dry but verifiable fact.
What is a medical editorial? It is a brief article-typically 400 to 1,000 words-that expresses opinion or interprets the facts or opinions of others; the subject matter can be any aspect of medicine (or of any related subject approved by the journal’s editor). A former colleague of mine once said that an editorial was whatever an editor wrote for the editorial page. Adding the clause “or asked to have written” would satisfy me. Suppose an editor asks you to write an editorial but doesn’t specify the topic. What should you write about? Davidsonl identified 10 “tangential items” that would lead to suitable editorial themes; I have taken his list, revised and reworded it, and added the 11th item, which I believe is one of the commonest sources of editorial ideas. 1. Historical material 2. Public relations 3. Legislation and governmental activities 4. Economic considerations 5. Ethics and morality 6. Professional organizational matters 7. Relations with related groups 8. Semantic and terminologic problems 9. Philosophic excursions 10. Research and training 11. Critical commentary on scientific articles or books
535
Thoughts About Medical Writing
You probably can supplement this list, but it makes a suitable starting point. Using the list, plus your daily newspaper or the latest issue of this journal, you should have no difficulty creating a substantial list of potential topics for editorials. An invitation to write an editorial carries with it the opportunity to write more imaginatively and creatively than you can when writing a journal article. Certainly, you should try. The opportunity to use metaphor, humor, and other rhetorical devices awaits you. But remember not to overdo it. Ration yourself to one metaphor per editorial. Don’t bore your reader with humor by straining too hard.
As is true for most kinds of nonfiction writing, editorial writing can be improved by studying the work of the experts. The journals I would recommend are the Annuls of Internal Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA-but remember that not everything you find there will be top quality; that would be expecting too much. You must read selectively. Singling out particular editorial writers carries even more danger, although the editorsin-chief of the first two journals I mentioned regularly achieve a high level. I identified a few others in an anthology that appeared a few years ago.? You should be able to state the message of your editorial in one sentence. Indeed, I believe that you should make yourself do that before you actually begin writing the editorial. Once you have that statement in hand, the editorial itself should present a reasoned and logical argument to persuade your readers to accept your view or, at least, to acknowledge its plausibility. Please remember the special importance of the opening sentence.3 Your first sentence plays an enormous, if immeasurable, role in convincing your reader that he needs to take the time to read what you have written. Consider these opening sentences: “Perhaps the most important sequel to the Arab oil embargo has been movement toward widespread adoption of nuclear energy.”4 (This plain but direct and effective
sentence began an editorial on the recent rush to produce nuclear energy.) “We live in a ‘mammoriented’ world.”“ (In this editorial, the writer discussed the FDA control of silicone materials proposed for use in augmenting the size of the female breast.)
“A little over a year ago my Aunt Martha died, but under the circumstances no one sent any flowers.”G (This essay dealt with the burgeoning number of life-support devices available and the questions their use introduces about life and death.) Your critical reading will reveal many additional examples. Once you can epitomize the gist of your editorial message in a thematic sentence, and once you have written an interesting, attention-gaining opening sentence, you are a long way toward preparing a good editorial. Now let’s hope some editor has the good sense to invite you to write it. Regards,
[Charles G . Roland, M.D.]
REFERENCES 1. Davidson HA: Guide to Medical Writing: A Practical Manual for Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Pharmacists. New York, Ronald Press Company, 1957, p 231 2. Roland CG: Good Scientific Writing: An Anthology. Chicago, American Medical Association, 1971 3. King LS: The opening sentence. JAMA 202: 535-536, 1967
4. Abelson PH: A global rush toward nuclear energy (editorial). Science 191:901, 1976
5. Editorial: Abreast of the times. JAMA 195: 863, 1966
6. Barnes AC: RIP. Obstet Gynecol 26:599-600, 1965
ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA . . . Current Researches VOL.55, NO.4, JULY-AUGUST, 1976
Editors share the belief that medical writing is capable of vast improvement. This article is one of a series of personal communications from Charles G . Roland, M.D., former Senior Editor of JAMA, to John T . Martin, M.D., Associate Editor of Anesthesia & Analgesia . . . Current Researches. Dr. Roland is Chuirmun, Department of Biomedical Communications, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55901.
Thoughts About Medical Writing XXXVI. Writing an Edito ria I
Dear Tom: Some time back I wrote about the case report and the letter-to-the-editor. So now, I thought I might write about that powerful medium, the editorial. We need more editorials, and more effective editorials, in our journals. Through editorials we can disseminate informed opinion without immobilizing it in the plaster cast of the conventional medical article with its fixed format and rigid demand for statistical significance and controls. You don’t have to be an editor to write an editorial. Journals often request editorials from authors outside their staff. Moreover, the old idea that an editorial must express the official viewpoint of the editorial board or of the society or association that owns the journal has largely disappeared. Consequently, the editorial “we” is becoming archaic. Most often, editorials clearly express the opinions or sentiments of one person; and most often, editorials now are signed.
I believe that identifying the author of an editorial advances the cause of responsible medical journalism. But that policy puts extra pressure on the author because he or she cannot use anonymity as a shield. And you should keep this fact in mind; if you write an editorial and you are challenged, you may find opinion harder to defend convincingly than you would dry but verifiable fact.
What is a medical editorial? It is a brief article-typically 400 to 1,000 words-that expresses opinion or interprets the facts or opinions of others; the subject matter can be any aspect of medicine (or of any related subject approved by the journal’s editor). A former colleague of mine once said that an editorial was whatever an editor wrote for the editorial page. Adding the clause “or asked to have written” would satisfy me. Suppose an editor asks you to write an editorial but doesn’t specify the topic. What should you write about? Davidsonl identified 10 “tangential items” that would lead to suitable editorial themes; I have taken his list, revised and reworded it, and added the 11th item, which I believe is one of the commonest sources of editorial ideas. 1. Historical material 2. Public relations 3. Legislation and governmental activities 4. Economic considerations 5. Ethics and morality 6. Professional organizational matters 7. Relations with related groups 8. Semantic and terminologic problems 9. Philosophic excursions 10. Research and training 11. Critical commentary on scientific articles or books
535
Thoughts About Medical Writing
You probably can supplement this list, but it makes a suitable starting point. Using the list, plus your daily newspaper or the latest issue of this journal, you should have no difficulty creating a substantial list of potential topics for editorials. An invitation to write an editorial carries with it the opportunity to write more imaginatively and creatively than you can when writing a journal article. Certainly, you should try. The opportunity to use metaphor, humor, and other rhetorical devices awaits you. But remember not to overdo it. Ration yourself to one metaphor per editorial. Don’t bore your reader with humor by straining too hard.
As is true for most kinds of nonfiction writing, editorial writing can be improved by studying the work of the experts. The journals I would recommend are the Annuls of Internal Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, and JAMA-but remember that not everything you find there will be top quality; that would be expecting too much. You must read selectively. Singling out particular editorial writers carries even more danger, although the editorsin-chief of the first two journals I mentioned regularly achieve a high level. I identified a few others in an anthology that appeared a few years ago.? You should be able to state the message of your editorial in one sentence. Indeed, I believe that you should make yourself do that before you actually begin writing the editorial. Once you have that statement in hand, the editorial itself should present a reasoned and logical argument to persuade your readers to accept your view or, at least, to acknowledge its plausibility. Please remember the special importance of the opening sentence.3 Your first sentence plays an enormous, if immeasurable, role in convincing your reader that he needs to take the time to read what you have written. Consider these opening sentences: “Perhaps the most important sequel to the Arab oil embargo has been movement toward widespread adoption of nuclear energy.”4 (This plain but direct and effective
sentence began an editorial on the recent rush to produce nuclear energy.) “We live in a ‘mammoriented’ world.”“ (In this editorial, the writer discussed the FDA control of silicone materials proposed for use in augmenting the size of the female breast.)
“A little over a year ago my Aunt Martha died, but under the circumstances no one sent any flowers.”G (This essay dealt with the burgeoning number of life-support devices available and the questions their use introduces about life and death.) Your critical reading will reveal many additional examples. Once you can epitomize the gist of your editorial message in a thematic sentence, and once you have written an interesting, attention-gaining opening sentence, you are a long way toward preparing a good editorial. Now let’s hope some editor has the good sense to invite you to write it. Regards,
[Charles G . Roland, M.D.]
REFERENCES 1. Davidson HA: Guide to Medical Writing: A Practical Manual for Physicians, Dentists, Nurses, Pharmacists. New York, Ronald Press Company, 1957, p 231 2. Roland CG: Good Scientific Writing: An Anthology. Chicago, American Medical Association, 1971 3. King LS: The opening sentence. JAMA 202: 535-536, 1967
4. Abelson PH: A global rush toward nuclear energy (editorial). Science 191:901, 1976
5. Editorial: Abreast of the times. JAMA 195: 863, 1966
6. Barnes AC: RIP. Obstet Gynecol 26:599-600, 1965
