Substantive scientific letter writing is a cost-effective mode of complementing observational and experimental research. The value of such philosophically uncommitted and unsponsored well-balanced scientific activity has been relegated. Critical letter writing entails the abilities to: maintain rational scepticism; refuse to conform in order to explain data; persist in keeping common sense cent...

Writing for peer-reviewed research journals is difficult and requires specialized skills and knowledge—in language, logical argumentation, data presentation, publication ethics and more. The task is especially challenging for researchers who use English as an additional language. In this discussion paper, I illustrate how research writing in non-anglophone settings can usefully be supported by ...

Wikis, as one of the Web 2.0 social networking tools, have been increasingly integrated into second language (L2) instruction to promote collaborative writing. The current study examined and compared summary writing abilities between students learning by wiki-based collaboration and students learning by traditional face-to-face collaboration. The experimental research was conducted with student...

Seth Gordhandas Sunderdas Medical College and King Edward VII Memorial (KEM) Hospital were established in the year 1926 and in a short span of two decades the twin institutions had created a reputation not only for offering selfless and quality medical service but also for excellence in teaching, research and medical writing. The staff and faculty of the institutions met regularly to discuss th...

Each year, in an attempt to stimulate journalism students' interest in medical writing, CMAJ sponsors the Amy Chouinard Memorial Essay Prize. The $750 award is in memory of Amy Chouinard, a longtime and valued contributor to CMAJ and the Canadian Journal of Surgery. Students from any recognized journalism program at a Canadian college or university are eligible to enter, and the deadline for 19...

The case report, which has a long history in medicine, has seen its fortune wax and wane with time. We discuss the challenges facing the continued survival of the case report, including the inability of journals to cope with the increased load and increased cost of publication, ethical issues, the impact factor and the rise of evidence-based medicine. We highlight the important role that the ca...

Competitive behavior has often been presented as the ultimate engine of economic, technological, and scientific progress. Since all such progress is likely to imply some measure of social benefit, competition has been widely praised in modern western culture. However, competition can have very negative effects on social wellbeing. An early example is known as the "tragedy of the commons." The c...

Authors of articles published in medical journals are often busy researchers who cannot afford time devoted to writing. Though they are experts in their own therapeutic area, more often than not, researchers find it difficult to actually write and publish their research. Professional medical writers with their expertise in writing clear, concise, comprehensible, and coherent content are often a...