Interlude: Compounding Ideas, Levels of Evidence, and AI in Trial Design
I've worked with many researchers who feel hesitant to share their ideas before they are published. It's understandable. The research enterprise can make them view others as competitors, and the fear of being scooped is pervasive.
Still, I've come to believe that the rewards of sharing ideas far outweigh the risks—because ideas compound.
I was recently reminded of insight from George Bernard Shaw: “If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”
I think this quote captures the magic of openness in research. When we share our ideas, we multiply them. Collaboration and shared thinking can move science forward in ways that isolation and secrecy can't.
When ideas compound, discovery accelerates.
What’s one idea you’ve been sitting on that could spark progress if you shared it?
Now onto this week's round-up...
💌 Round-up
🎉 Featured
Most Downloaded Paper
I was delighted when the managing editor of the Journal of Maine Medical Center shared that my article, "Inclusive Language Matters: Recommendations for Health Care Providers to Address Implicit Bias and Equitable Health Care," is the most-downloaded paper from the journal's website.
...Oh, and if you want to learn even more about inclusive language, you can enroll in my Inclusive Language Fundamentals course—for free!
💻 From My Desk
How the “Level of Evidence” Signals Study Quality
Do you treat every paper you read as “good evidence” because it’s been published? It turns out that some published studies have more weight and dependability in medical science than others. In this video, I share the different levels of evidence so that you know which studies are the highest quality, how to choose the best sources to cite in your writing, and even what level you want to aim for in your own work.
👓 Reading
10 Things Writers Should Know About Medical Editing
In this article, the medical editing legend Barbara Gastel shares 10 things she thinks wordsmiths need to know about medical writing and editing. I also highly recommend checking out her new book, Medical Editing.
The Role of AI in Clinical Trial Design and Scientific Writing
"This review explores applications of artificial intelligence in patient matching, endpoint design and predictive trial outcomes, and real-time patient monitoring. It also discusses its role in assisting with literature review, generating content, and refining language in scientific writing, especially for nonnative English speakers. Challenges such as data standardization, explainability, and ethical concerns are highlighted alongside emerging regulatory frameworks to ensure transparent and responsible artificial intelligence integration."
💬 Quote
"Writing is nature's way of telling us how lousy our thinking is." – Leslie Lamport
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
