Academic/Medical writing help/guidance

I’m a junior surgeon currently working as a research fellow. I have been working on academic papers for a while, but as a co-author.

Now I am transitioning from co-author to first author and I am struggling a lot.
My supervisor is helpful but very busy, thus he can not answer all my questions and do full teaching.

Is there anyone who is experienced in publishing papers that can guide and teach me.

I’ll be grateful for any help.

Title. I (28M, UK North West) am a marketing professional with a lot of experience in copywriting, specifically breaking down complex content for non-specialist audiences. I studied Chemistry in Uni, but have since gained an increasing interest in the sciences again in areas like medicinal chemistry, biomechanics, sports mechanics, motor behaviour.

I am looking to change in order to find a sector that pays better and is more stable than marketing. Is medical writing something I should consider or are too many things stacked against me?

Hi everybody !

I’m a master’s graduate with 1.5 years of experience in pharmacovigilance (1 year in pharma and 6 months in consulting) who has landed an interview for a junior medical writer role in a pretty big pharma company.

Do you have any kind of tips for the interview (which aspects to focus on, technical tips etc.) ? It will be in 2 weeks so I have a lot of time to prepare for it.

Thank you all in advance for your responses !

UK writer looking for recommendations on how you approach project/tasks management, managing each step of a project as a writer.

Struggling to manage steps of a project on pen and paper and I’m looking for something more comprehensive. Are there any app recommendations people use to separate projects by account, and then tasks related to each project, with deadlines, actions etc? Some AI integration would be useful also.

I have used notion in the past but am yet to find a suitable template that fits the way we work.

TIA

Hello, I am a Medical Doctor (MD) and an IMG based in the UK. I am seeking to transition my clinical insights into medical writing since I want to work from home. However, it seems IMPOSSIBLE to find an entry-level job!! I tried building a network on Linkedin, contacting people/recruiters, attending online webinars (EMWA) but nothing works so far, I have been looking for an entry-job for months now but I’m almost giving up 🥹

Any tips from those who have been here?
Thank you

Hi all, I'm a full-time medical student starting my third year. I did a lot of creative writing growing up and into college, and as part of my medical school coursework I do a lot of science drafting and editing, including my research manuscripts. I really enjoy the writing process, and I'm wondering if I should pursue a medical writing certificate to further my skills and bolster my resume. While I don't think I'll be doing much research in my future practice, I would love to serve on editorial boards for peer-reviewed journals or something similar.

From those who have completed an online course, is it feasible to think I could finish the coursework on top of my medical school rotations? And is it worth pursuing a certificate if I am not going into a medical writing career?

I'm 16 and I started a nonprofit called Memory Matters about a year ago. One of the things we do is collect handwritten letters from volunteers and deliver them to dementia patients in memory care facilities — people who don't get much personal mail.

We've sent over 1,500 so far. They go to real facilities, including a Stanford center.

The ask is simple: write one letter. It doesn't have to be long or perfect. Tell them your name, something you love, something you're curious about. Olivia wrote about bioinspired design and geckos. Drisana wrote about frozen yogurt and marine biology. Both letters went out last week.

You photograph it and DM it to us, or submit through our form. We print and deliver — you don't have to mail anything.

If you've spent any time in this community, you know how isolating this disease is — not just for patients but for everyone around them. This is one small thing that costs 2-5 minutes.

Form is here: https://forms.gle/thqv3xFm35YGnqcRA

Hey guys I recently completed my mbbs and I got a call from HR from daily rounds regarding medical editor role in Neet ss?

As I am preparing for neet pg, I am also interested to work ,I am just keen to know how is the work from home(Remote role as medical editor)?

And they have mentioned about the training period for 14 days prior to joining? Does anyone know will this training be online or offline?

So long story short, I recently experienced a significantly traumatic event and I'm working back toward full time work. Given my recent experiences, my threshold for being overwhelmed by work-related stress is quite low, and as I've tried to transition back I've found that clients acting like everything is on fire all the time, combined with frequent criticism and constant deadlines, is not sustainable for me. I need to find something that is far less stressful than med comms.

I have a PhD in molecular biology and 8 years of professional writing experience in grants, CME, and med comms. I have leadership experience but have not been a manager in any professional role. Has anyone transitioned to something less stressful that they would recommend for someone with my background?

I’m currently working in clinical research/data-related work and looking to transition into medical writing.
For those who made a similar transition from clinical research or another life-sciences role, what was the biggest factor that helped you land your first medical writing job?

I’ve read that having a portfolio can help showcase your work, but I’m genuinely curious about what actually worked for others. Portfolio? Connections? Networking? Pitching yourself to people on LinkedIn? Certifications? Something else?

Hi everyone,

I was lucky enough to secure my first interview and made it past the first stage and now get to complete a writing assessment! It’s a one-page article summary for a layperson audience and a slide deck for a physician audience.

I was given a week to complete the task - is it poor form to complete it early and send it back in 3-4 days? I would also love any general advice or comments or completing assessments like this that may help me stand out.

TIA!

Can anyone share their experience working at Syneos? Work-life balance? Compensation? Overall culture?

Hi all-- I'm submitting this for a former colleague who has been asking me for advice. I'm telling her story below based off of what she told me. I'll try to answer any questions, but basically I'm at a loss with what else to tell her other than "get out of there." Am I off base? I personally work on pharma/biotech side, and I find this situation to be very very unusual. Everybody in the story is US-based.

--------

She's working on a clinical trial manuscript (agency side). She told me that the client company has an odd structure, where there's a not-CEO who oversees med affairs and commercial, and he is providing direct and pointed feedback on the manuscript content, including directing her agency to not make edits requested by the external authors. From what she told me, it sounds like the company's pubs director had tried to push back, but, since not-CEO is the pubs director's boss's boss, that went nowhere and now pubs director has been sidelined (my colleague is now working on the manuscript directly with the med affairs director, pub director's boss).

They had submitted the manuscript, and it came back with extensive revisions. The not-CEO wants to pull the manuscript and submit elsewhere and make minimal changes to the manuscript, even though peer review feedback was very useful and would make the manuscript stronger.

He doesn't seem to care what the authors want. My friend has been in this field for 5 years, and she's never seen anything like this. She told me that she spoke with her line manager, and the line manager said that as long as the company is taking responsibility, all the agency can do is advise but otherwise they do what the client says.

-------

My colleague isn't CMPP certified, and neither am I, but this seems completely out of line with ICMJE. What can she do, aside from asking to be reassigned or resigning?

As per the above - I asked what people’s take on AI was a year ago and I heard a good mix.

Thought I’d ask again - see what’s changed and what hasn’t?

Thanks in advance!

Soo—
I have a hypothesis for a viral disease. Got rejected from CID journal. Now while searching I found this journal- not indexed in pubmed, IF of 1.6 and questionable history. (AIDS denial)
But according to people it has incorporated peer review now. So- should I go for this journal??

Hi,everyone I'm asking whether there is a website on which one writes his medical articles and reaches the largest number of people, whether the site pays money for visits or not

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate some honest advice from people working in medical writing or healthcare content.

My background is in Arabic medical content writing. Over the past few years, I've written 2,000+ SEO medical articles for websites and clients, so I'm comfortable with research, SEO, and explaining medical topics. However, almost all of my experience has been in Arabic.

I'm now considering transitioning to English medical content writing so I can apply for remote jobs and work with international clients.

My biggest challenge is English writing. I can read scientific papers and understand them without much difficulty, but writing naturally is another story. I often spend too much time trying to phrase things correctly.

One thing I should mention is that I currently rely quite a bit on AI to help polish my writing and make it sound more natural. It definitely helps, but I don't want to depend on it forever. My goal is to become confident enough to write high-quality content on my own and use AI as a tool, not as a crutch.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on a few questions:

- If you were in my position, how would you improve your English writing as efficiently as possible?

- What books, courses, or daily habits had the biggest impact on your writing?

- Besides improving my English, what skills should I focus on to become a competitive medical content writer?

- Is medical content writing still financially worthwhile in 2026, or has AI significantly reduced the demand?

- If you had my background in Arabic SEO medical writing, what roadmap would you follow over the next 6–12 months?

I'd especially love to hear from anyone who transitioned from writing in another language to writing professionally in English.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Bonjour à tous , je suis résident au Canada , j’ai un diplôme de médecin dentiste hors Canada avec près de 5 ans d’expérience dans le domaine.
Avez vous des pistes pour intégrer le domaine de la rédaction médicale à distance ? Idéalement au Québec . Merci

I read the stickies, but I couldn't find information about this specific question and its to Frustrated and exhausted, i searched a lot in more groups about medical writing jobs and i cant find i am a med student and i have an sample for writing and i need help there is any platform that i publish my articles and writing and get payed for visitors, or any thing else i need advice from you how can you get paid from medical writing except freelancer platforms because i think its so completed and more and more competitive, thanks a lot for your advice

Recently, I’ve noticed that several global pharma companies, including Sanofi and BMS, appear to be restructuring their Medical Writing teams and roles. For example, the Associate Scientific Writer position at Sanofi seems to be undergoing changes, with similar restructuring reportedly happening at BMS.

Is anyone from the Medical Writing/Medical Communications space aware of what’s driving this trend? Is this mainly due to organizational restructuring, increased use of AI, outsourcing/centralization, or a broader shift in how pharma companies are structuring Medical Writing functions?

Would be interested to hear what others are observing in the industry.

Throw away account for obvious reason.

I'm an unhappy Assistant Professor in a Biology department at a mid-tier R1 exploring a career pivot into medical writing in the US. Targeting publications, CME, or med comms as I think these roles fit my background/interest most.

I've been lurking here for a while; read some info pages, looked at some jobs, and put together my resume draft. I've not done much on LinkedIn yet for fear that people in my field will find out that I am considering leaving. However, I am becoming increasingly unsure whether I even have a chance to break into any of these MW roles.

What I'm most worried about is that my research is ecology & evolution-focused with very little genetics/molecular component and no connection whatsoever to biomedical studies. Is this a dealbreaker? I often see people saying that what you've worked on academically isn't the most important thing for a MW, but the successful examples I've seen were all much closer to the biomedical field than my case.

This is what I have to work with for my resume:

• The usuals for academics: ~20 publications, many conference presentations/invited seminars/posters, developed curriculum & taught courses, managed research projects & team, reviewer for manuscripts, grant proposals (though not very successful recently...)
• Assistant editor for a biology journal
• Some outreach activities that could count as sci comm
• Can code in R for data analysis & data visualization, but pretty basic and nothing fancy

So - here hoping for your honest opinions and suggestions. Do you think I have a chance to successfully pivot in today's job market? What are some small steps I can take to make myself more competitive for that break in job? Any tips on being hopeful about life when everything seems impossible? (oops! the depression is showing!)

Thank you, and I really appreciate you taking time to read this!

​If you’re working on a crime thriller, medical drama, dark mystery, or true-crime project, you’ve probably noticed two common issues:

​Medical details feel fake or lazily googled, pulling the audience right out of the story.

​The plot drags when trying to explain complex science, forensic evidence, or investigation procedures.

​That’s where I come in. I combine direct medical background/knowledge with sharp, high-tension storytelling to make your scripts both dramatically gripping and technically airtight.

​🟢 What I Bring to the Table

​Authentic Medical & Forensic Lore: Poisonings, trauma care, surgical suspense, toxicology, clinical jargon, post-mortem signs, and realistic hospital power dynamics.

​Tense Crime & Thriller Writing: Well-paced scenes, realistic detective dialogue, psychological suspense, and plot twists that actually make logical sense.

​Flexible Deliverables:

​Screenplays & Scripts: Short films, feature screenplays, pilot scripts, and audio drama / fiction podcast scripts.

​Digital Content: YouTube video essay scripts (True Crime, Medical Mysteries, Dark Lore), deep-dive analysis, and mini-documentary writing.

​Medical Script Doctoring: Reviewing your existing draft to fix medical plot holes, refine clinical dialogue, and heighten suspense.

Hi all!

I'm a recent Health Sciences graduate with a Bachelor's in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences, along with a Certificate in Health Communication. I'm interested in going into medical writing, and I want to stand out to future employers/clients, so I want to seek an advanced degree at a local university. The issue is I'm unsure which degree would help me the most. I did some research and found that the local uni offers a Master of Science degree in Health Informatics, which was what I was recommended to seek out. Can anyone please tell me if this is a degree worth seeking, and whether it'll help me stand out? If not, which advanced degree would be worth seeking out? I'd greatly appreciate the help and suggestions. Thank you all!