Interlude: Nurturing Relationships, Clinical Terms, and Preprint Models
A few days ago, I was scrolling on Instagram and came across a quote from Simon Sinek:
"Strong relationships are based on trust and communication. But if there is no communication, there can be no trust."
Although Simon's words broadly apply to everyone, they made me think about the relationships between authors and readers.
We often think we are writing to readers or, better yet, for readers. But both of those mindsets focus on a one-way relationship.
What if we reframe that thinking to focus on a two-way relationship between authors and readers? That we're not just writing to readers (to serve ourselves) or for readers (to serve them), but to nurture the relationship we have with them.
So the next time you sit down to write, think about how you can strengthen the relationship you have with your readers—one word, one sentence, one shared understanding at a time.
Now onto this week's round-up...
Round-up
From My Desk
5 Clinical Terms Writers Constantly Confuse
Commonly confused words in medical writing can quietly sabotage your papers—and even be detrimental to patients. In this video, you'll learn what I think are the 5 most confused pairs of clinical words in medical writing. You'll also learn their definitions and see practical examples so you don’t confuse these words again.
Reading
Over 100 institutions back eLife’s reviewed preprint model
“As reported in Research Information, eLife surveyed over 100 institutions and funders to assess how their publishing model is viewed. Over 95% of respondents endorsed non-traditional publishing approaches like eLife’s, confirming publications will continue to be factored into hiring, promotion, and funding decisions.”
A new preprint server welcomes papers written and reviewed by AI
“At most scientific publications, papers co-authored by artificial intelligence (AI) are not welcome. At a new open platform called aiXiv, they are embraced. The platform goes all in on AI: It accepts both AI- and human-authored work, uses built-in AI reviewers for baseline quality screening, and guides authors through revisions based on the chatbots’ feedback.”
Watching
My #1 rule for reading books
I have a process for remembering what I read in books. But I love the idea of intentionally taking action while you read. In this 1-minute video, Vinh Giang shares how he plans to take action after he reads every chapter in a book.
Quote
“Rejection isn’t a verdict; it’s data. Use it.” –Shane Parrish
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
