Med Comms SIG

• Key subgroup members: Andrea Bucceri, Thomas Schindler, Lisa Chamberlain James, Art Gertel, Andrea Rossi, Chris Winchester, Martin Delahunty, Sampoorna Rappaz, Slavka Baronikova.
• Putting plain language summaries into perspective https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03007995.2022.2058812
• What terminology are health journals using to refer to plain language summaries of peer reviewed manuscripts? A new open access study published last week shows 18/27 (66.7%) journals with plain language summary information in author instructions are using the term “plain language summary”. See the full study here, and key results in Table 2.
  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40271-022-00606-7

Objectives

Plain Language Summaries of Scientific Publications

• Development, best practice, accessibility and discoverability of scientific peer-reviewed publications-associated plain language summaries
• The activities of this group include the identification of, and update on, best practice concerning writing for patients and the general public.
• This group is working on the development of the CDISC glossary as well as interacting with EMA for the development of the EMA glossary.

Links to relevant documents

• CDISC glossary
• Open Pharma recommendations for plain language summaries of peer-reviewed medical journal publications

Open Science and Open Access

• preparation of ESS and seminars at EMWA conferences and developing articles for MEW

Predatory publishing and congresses

• development of seminars at EMWA conferences, webinars, articles for MEW as well further educational materials
• JPS with AMWA and ISMPP, liaison on educational activities with these associations with aim to enlarge the JPS impact, knowledge and training

Links to relevant documents

• 2020 webinar to be added
• AMWA-EMWA-ISMPP Joint Position Statement (JPS) on predatory publishing and available translations
• Why do authors publish in predatory journals?
• Defining predatory journals and responding to the threat they pose: a modified Delphi consensus process- BMJ Open
• Predatory journals: no definition, no defence - a Nature article.
• Predatory publishing presentation
• Survey on predatory publishing: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/5949743/Combatting-Academic-Predatory-Journals-and-Conferences

Predatory Publishing Seminar

• Key subgroup members:  Claire Harmer, Paolo Rega, Ana Sofia Correia, Laetitia Paris, and Miyuki Tauchi

Objectives

The activity of this group includes writing articles on medical translation to show the common processes between medical writing and medical translation. The aim also is to raise awareness on the medical translation among medical writers. For now, the articles are either theoretical (e.g. articles on the Latin and Greek origin of medical terms) or practical (e.g. actual examples in medical translation).

It does not include any topic on writing for regulatory authorities, but the articles might explain what a medical translator needs to be aware of when translating for health authorities.

Links to relevant documents

• Medical Translation for Medical Writers
• Aurélie Gobet Section Editor - Gained in Translation
• Paola Rega - Gained in Translation

• Key subgroup members: Andrea Bucceri, Catherine Hill, Tim van Hartevelt

Objectives

The activity includes the identification of best practices to disclose RWE data, data transparency (including the registration and publication of observational trials) and the levels of evidence.

An SBB is under preparation for next congress.

Links to relevant documents

• EMWA 2019 symposium slides to be added
• STROBE guidelines

• Key subgroup members: Sampoorna Satheesha Rappaz, Slavka Baronikova, Miyuki Tauchi, and Silvia Soffia

Objectives

Activities include instructions for EMWA members involved in fact checking initiatives are under development.

Links to relevant documents

• ESS: Medical Journalism

The 8th EMWA symposium day explored the challenging topic of research integrity. Research integrity is at the core of the research endeavour. It is the basis for researchers’ trust in each other and in the research record and, equally importantly, society’s trust in research.

To address mounting concern about research transparency and reproducibility, researchers, funders and journals need to work together to deliver practical solutions. Addressing research integrity is a shared task and we, as medical communicators and publication planners, have an important role to play.

At the first virtual EMWA symposium, researchers, journal publishers, the pharmaceutical industry and medical communications agencies provided their perspectives, gave their recommendations and fostered real-world discussion on research integrity – why it matters to all of us, and how we can work together to strengthen it.

• Session 1 - Click here
• Session 2 - Click here
• Session 3 - Click here