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Medical writing on the web
Alan S. Brody, MD, Editor
Medical Writing on the Web
The World Wide Web is a valuable resource for aspiring and experienced scientific writers. Web sites abound with information ranging from basic composition and organization to advanced grammatical constructions. The following summary represents the most useful and user friendly of the sites I recommend for the Web-surfing author. "Writing for Scientific Journals" at www.hms.harvard .edu/fdd/comm/one.html is an exhaustive writers' resource sponsored by E. W. Campion, MD, and P. Schaeffer, PhD, at Harvard University. Topics covered include a succinct overview of the composition process, including the prewriting state, writing stage, postwriting state, authorship issues, summary, and editorial comments. The site is of particular value to the novice author who is in need of compositional guidance and basic organizational assistance. A concise guide to the composition of abstracts can be found at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute site, www.rpi .edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/text/abstracts.html. This site covers' salient issues surrounding the often frustrating task of expressing your complex research in 200 words or less. First-time and experienced authors can benefit from the guidelines offered. A brief organizational overview is offered by John Bishop and others at "Writer's Web." Log on to www .richmond.edu/~writing/wweb.html for the basics. Many hyperlinks here cover a diverse subject matter. The greatest challenge that many authors face is the inevitable quagmire of grammatical correctness. My residents and fellows bristle at the very utterance of the word "grammar." However, put your fears and uncertainty aside and surf your way to sentences constructed with ease. My personal favorite for writing assistance is the exhaustive site provided by Capital Community-Technical College. The site, which can be found at webster.commnet .edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm, is a fun-to-use guide
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to sentence, paragraph, and essay writing. Included at the site is "Ask Grammar!," a forum for submission of your queries concerning grammar or usage. You may tackle one of the interactive quizzes to assess your grammatical acumen or refer to the "bookshelf' for reference recommendations from the Webmaster. The site links to a related Web page, "A Guide for Writing Research Papers," which is based on Modern Language Association documentation. Follow www. edunet, com/english/grammar/fram-gr, html to "On-line English Grammar" for a well-organized and surprisingly exhaustive examination of parts of speech. "Hypergrammar," which is located at www.uottowa.ca /academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar, provides an interactive resource where the Web savvy can navigate specific topics to "create and follow their own lines of thought." Pennsylvania State University sponsors an excellent site that examines the elements of form, style, usage, and grammar at www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/n/p/npcl03 /DStyle.html. Succinct recommendations are offered by the Webmaster regarding syntax, basic grammar, and organization. The bibliography contains three of my favorite nonelectronic resources: Shall's Style for Students: Effective Writing in Science and Engineering, Shertzer's The Elements of Grammar, and the classic Strunk and White's
The Elements of Style. Excruciatingly correct grammar and brilliantly constructed compositions are only a few clicks of the mouse into cyberspace. Our virtual offices at our computers make Web-based references convenient. I hope you find these resources valuable, accessible, and entertaining. David E. Blews, MD Scottish-Rite Children's Medical Center Atlanta, Ga
Medical Writing on the Web
The World Wide Web is a valuable resource for aspiring and experienced scientific writers. Web sites abound with information ranging from basic composition and organization to advanced grammatical constructions. The following summary represents the most useful and user friendly of the sites I recommend for the Web-surfing author. "Writing for Scientific Journals" at www.hms.harvard .edu/fdd/comm/one.html is an exhaustive writers' resource sponsored by E. W. Campion, MD, and P. Schaeffer, PhD, at Harvard University. Topics covered include a succinct overview of the composition process, including the prewriting state, writing stage, postwriting state, authorship issues, summary, and editorial comments. The site is of particular value to the novice author who is in need of compositional guidance and basic organizational assistance. A concise guide to the composition of abstracts can be found at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute site, www.rpi .edu/dept/llc/writecenter/web/text/abstracts.html. This site covers' salient issues surrounding the often frustrating task of expressing your complex research in 200 words or less. First-time and experienced authors can benefit from the guidelines offered. A brief organizational overview is offered by John Bishop and others at "Writer's Web." Log on to www .richmond.edu/~writing/wweb.html for the basics. Many hyperlinks here cover a diverse subject matter. The greatest challenge that many authors face is the inevitable quagmire of grammatical correctness. My residents and fellows bristle at the very utterance of the word "grammar." However, put your fears and uncertainty aside and surf your way to sentences constructed with ease. My personal favorite for writing assistance is the exhaustive site provided by Capital Community-Technical College. The site, which can be found at webster.commnet .edu/HP/pages/darling/grammar.htm, is a fun-to-use guide
454
to sentence, paragraph, and essay writing. Included at the site is "Ask Grammar!," a forum for submission of your queries concerning grammar or usage. You may tackle one of the interactive quizzes to assess your grammatical acumen or refer to the "bookshelf' for reference recommendations from the Webmaster. The site links to a related Web page, "A Guide for Writing Research Papers," which is based on Modern Language Association documentation. Follow www. edunet, com/english/grammar/fram-gr, html to "On-line English Grammar" for a well-organized and surprisingly exhaustive examination of parts of speech. "Hypergrammar," which is located at www.uottowa.ca /academic/arts/writcent/hypergrammar, provides an interactive resource where the Web savvy can navigate specific topics to "create and follow their own lines of thought." Pennsylvania State University sponsors an excellent site that examines the elements of form, style, usage, and grammar at www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/n/p/npcl03 /DStyle.html. Succinct recommendations are offered by the Webmaster regarding syntax, basic grammar, and organization. The bibliography contains three of my favorite nonelectronic resources: Shall's Style for Students: Effective Writing in Science and Engineering, Shertzer's The Elements of Grammar, and the classic Strunk and White's
The Elements of Style. Excruciatingly correct grammar and brilliantly constructed compositions are only a few clicks of the mouse into cyberspace. Our virtual offices at our computers make Web-based references convenient. I hope you find these resources valuable, accessible, and entertaining. David E. Blews, MD Scottish-Rite Children's Medical Center Atlanta, Ga