Interlude: Introductions, Publishing Fees, and Smart Jargon
This week's intro will be short and sweet (like a mini cupcake).
I'm currently connecting with other word nerds, wordsmith wizards, and communication gurus at a conference hosted by the American Medical Writers Association. If you're attending the conference, and you see me out in the wild (or you attend one of my sessions), come on over to say hello.
Now onto this week's round-up...
💌 Round-up
💻 From My Desk
Nail Your Next Self-Introduction in Science and Medicine
Crafting a confident introduction pitch can help you make new connections and find new opportunities—whether you’re at a conference, networking event, job interview, or just meeting new colleagues. In this video, you'll learn a practical formula for introducing yourself so you can highlight your expertise, maximize your impact, and connect meaningfully with others.
📆 Upcoming
Ask Me Anything Series
I've been getting a lot of great questions lately, so I've decided to host a series of Ask Me Anything sessions. Each session will have a theme to guide the discussion, so you can join the session that best meets your needs right now.
November 18, 2025 – Grants
November 25, 2025 – Manuscripts
December 2, 2025 – Writing Fundamentals
Join one or all sessions. And feel free to forward this email to anyone you think might be interested in joining a session.
👓 Reading
NIH decision looms about caps on scholarly-journal publishing fees
". . . it would be better for funders to bar researchers from using their grants to publish in hybrid journals . . . if funders decline to pay for hybrid-journal fees, researchers may turn to their institutions, a move that would favor well-funded universities that may be willing to foot the bill for the clout of publishing in prestigious outlets."
". . . the foundation policy requires that researchers publish wherever they like, as long as they make near-final versions of their manuscripts freely available online. . . prestigious journals are a bad fit for open-access publishing because they reject most papers and have high overhead costs to manage the large numbers of submissions they receive."
Smart jargon makes the incomplete complete
". . . jargon is a tool for masking weaknesses rather than enhancing strengths. Using it strategically, as opposed to unintentionally, will likely backfire as the average reader prefers simple writing over technical formulations. This preference is not always evident to professional writers, who typically read more and accept complex writing more than the average reader.
"Complex writing may increase audiences’ satisfaction and perhaps boost our own perceived expertise, but it also alienates and disengages readers from the topic. For example, charlatans or pseudoscientists use complex, technical language to boost their credibility or perceived expertise artificially. But while their audiences may look up to these characters and even spend money on their products, they rarely become independent, critical thinkers on the topic.
". . . If we want to educate and engage our audience, which I argue lays the foundation for trust in science and sound decision-making, we’re better off simplifying the content as much as possible. That doesn’t mean we should all start writing at a level a nine-year-old can understand. It means we know our audience and write intentionally in line with our goals."
💬 Quote
“Experimentation risks failure, but also opens the door to the future.” –Dorie Clark
Thank you so much for reading.
Warmly,
Crystal
