Medical writing. A prescription for clarity.
NW Goodman, MB Edwards. Medical writing. A prescription for clarity. Cambridge University Press, third edition, 2006. ISBN 10-0-521-85857-7. 250pp. £XXXX.
However much we want evidence, we get it from reading papers in medical journals, or summaries provided by someone who conveys a meaning through writing. Writing lacking clarity, or capable of being read with different meanings, obscures our understanding. Writers should pay attention to those things that might get in the way of clarity, and this book helps them to do just that.
The importance of clarity is emphasised at the very start by use of a series of quotations - always a good way of expressing a thought pithily. Two quick ones: "It is remarkably easy not to say what you mean", and "People who write obscurely are either unskilled in writing or up to some mischief" (from Appleton and Medawar, respectively).
Those of us who write articles about medicine or research, particularly for scholarly journals, tend to copy styles of writing we have read previously. If those styles are turgid, formulaic, passive, and circumlocutory, then that is what we will do because that, obviously, is what we have to do to get papers published. And for us pointy-headed academics for whom publication means so much, publication these days means prizes. We are not, in the main, writing to be understood. Rather we are writing to be published. There is also a sense in which the more difficult or arcane or specialist a topic becomes, the more research money is needed to sort it out.
Perhaps it is time to change. There is no one who would not benefit from the wise words in this book. The English language is deceptively simple, but has underlying currents of complexity. It has spent centuries stealing words from other languages, modifying spellings, and glissading the meaning of words from one thing to something else. It is comforting that experts do not always agree about the finer points of grammar.
But you don't need to worry about finer points of grammar if you have this book by your side. It will help you avoid making daft mistakes, and will help you produce your own direct and clear style. It will free you from the compulsion to do what was done before. Any book with an early rant about the use of prior to rather than before finds a kindred spirit in Bandolier (we did once find a correct usage of prior to; the author held Regius chairs in Oxford and Cambridge).
The comprehensive examples of potential errors provided by Goodman & Edwards might seem daunting to those beginning their writing career. They should not be put off. We are all affected by some or all of these blunders, especially as we find our thoughts overwhelming the finer points of style as we write. Revision will be so much easier when we revise for style and clarity because we know what to look for.
Only a single quibble. Amongst the suggested further reading, otherwise generous and interesting, we could find no mention of The Economist Style Guide, which would be a useful companion.