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Useful Advices - Report Writing -- 7 Tips to Improve Your Editing
Report writing is not the easiest of jobs and one of the biggest mistakes made by many report writers is to neglect the final stage of their task - which is to edit and proof-read their report carefully.
It is almost inevitable that your report writing will contain textual er
It is almost inevitable that your report writing will contain textual er
According to USFDA, a combination product is one composed of any combination of a drug and device; biological product and device; drug and biological product
rors. It is far better for you to find and correct those errors than for your readers to spot them and possibly become irritated by them. So often this final task of editing is done casually, if at all, whereas it should be done carefully and systematically.
So, how do you ac
So, how do you ac
; or drug, device, and biological product and fixed dose combination would include two or more combinations of drug.
Examples of combination products may in
Examples of combination products may in
tually do it? Different writers will have different approaches, but most professional writers are likely to use the following seven techniques.
1. Print it! Read it! Fix it! Many people find it easier to edit a printed document than one still on the screen, so print an
1. Print it! Read it! Fix it! Many people find it easier to edit a printed document than one still on the screen, so print an
lude drug-coated devices, drugs packaged with delivery devices in medical kits, and drugs and devices packaged separately but intended to be used together.
d read it. If you stumble then your readers will almost certainly do so too. If you, the writer, cannot read your report without hesitating, then what chance have your readers got? Fix the obvious problems.
2. Shorten it! Draft reports are always too long. Remove anyth
2. Shorten it! Draft reports are always too long. Remove anyth
here is enormous increase in the number of combination products entering the market in the recent years. Combination products have proven advantages but fixe
ing that does not add value to your report. In fact, nothing like that should be in there but there will be something, maybe several things, so find them and delete them. Just because you sweated blood to discover a certain piece of information does not mean your reader needs
d dose combinations are still in the process of convincing regulatory authority on their advantages over the single ingredient formulations.
Combination pro
Combination pro
o know it. If they do, include it; if they don't, leave it out. Be ruthless about this.
3. Keep your paragraphs and sentences fairly short. Try to achieve average paragraph lengths of around 5 or 6 lines if printed on A4 paper and aim for an average sentence length of
3. Keep your paragraphs and sentences fairly short. Try to achieve average paragraph lengths of around 5 or 6 lines if printed on A4 paper and aim for an average sentence length of
ucts have become life saving products for the pharmaceutical companies who doesn’t have many innovative molecules in their product pipeline and have been inc
just under 20 words. Short paragraphs and sentences look more inviting and are easier to read than long ones. Obviously some will be longer and some shorter than these guidelines.
4. Try to use plain English when writing reports – if your reader has to get a dictionar
4. Try to use plain English when writing reports – if your reader has to get a dictionar
easingly used in the product life cycle management. Even the companies having product patents are trying to extend their product life cycle through the combi
y out to understand your report then you have not used plain English. When writing a report your job is to get your argument across to your reader, not to expand his or her vocabulary.
So replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, d
So replace unusual or obscure words with ones that are easier to understand. For example, d
nation products and maximize the revenues. But the companies involved in this practice are overlooking that they are burdening the patients both economically
on’t talk about a ‘paradigm shift’ unless you really have to, instead tell them about a different approach or change of attitude or process. Also, delete unnecessary words. A crisis is always serious and dangers are always real so you do not need to say ‘serious crisis’ or ‘re
and physically. They need to rightly judge the benefits of the combination products and they have to even look at the risks involved when combining the produ
al danger’. Are there trivial crises or imitation dangers?
5. Tighten up your writing by preferring active to passive sentences. This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas
5. Tighten up your writing by preferring active to passive sentences. This point of grammar can seriously improve your report writing! Active sentences will usually have a subject-verb-object structure whereas
ts. Some of the combination products were well accepted by physicians while others suffered. Companies involved in development of combination products are fi
passive ones have an object-verb-subject structure. Clear as mud? Forget the grammar and just look at some examples.
For example, ‘The dog chased the cat’ (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog’ (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences
For example, ‘The dog chased the cat’ (5 words) is an active sentence whereas ‘The cat was chased by the dog’ (7 words) is a passive sentence. Active sentences
ding difficulty in defining their combination products and facing various challenges from selecting a combination to marketing it.
Following aspects would a
Following aspects would a
are normally shorter and a bit more direct. It is usually a good idea to aim for about 70-80% of your sentences to be active when writing reports. In technical reports you may have to lower your sights a little. Here are two examples from real reports:
- Three sites were
dd to the challenges in developing combination products:
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
Which markets to tap where the combination products can do fairly well?
Which combination prod
visited by the inspectors. (Passive – 7 words)
- The inspectors visited three sites. (Active – 5 words)
- Children were encouraged to use exploratory play by their teachers. (Passive – 10 words)
- Teachers encouraged children to use exploratory play.
cts are meaningful and rational?
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
Which therapeutic categories to select?
Which Combinations can address unmet needs of the patients?
Do combin
(Active – 7 words)
6. Do the obvious checks. It is surprising how many people appear to skip the basic checks on punctuation, spelling and grammar. Grammar checkers are far from perfect but they will provide some help if used intelligently.
Most punctuation prob
6. Do the obvious checks. It is surprising how many people appear to skip the basic checks on punctuation, spelling and grammar. Grammar checkers are far from perfect but they will provide some help if used intelligently.
Most punctuation prob
tions increase the patient compliance?
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
What would be the developing cost?
How to tackle the risks encountered during combination product developmen
lems can be avoided if you use short sentences. Short sentences need fewer punctuation marks and the grammar checker is more likely to get things right too.
Set the spellchecker to the right version of English for your readers but do not rely on it. You must also check spelli
Set the spellchecker to the right version of English for your readers but do not rely on it. You must also check spelli
t?
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
As combination products don't fit into the traditional categories of drugs, medical devices, or biological products, the USFDA is in the process of devel
g by eye. A spellchecker cannot check your meaning. If you mistype a word so that it ends up as a correct English word it will not spot it (such as typing ‘work’ instead of ‘word’).
In grammar, ‘subject-verb-agreement’ usually means that you have muddled up singulars and plur
In grammar, ‘subject-verb-agreement’ usually means that you have muddled up singulars and plur
ping new procedures for reviewing their safety, efficacy and quality.
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
Professional from academic institutions, pharmaceutical industries, health care indust
als. Remember that 'collective nouns' such as ‘the board’, ‘the committee’ and ‘the industry’ are actually singular and take singular verbs despite referring to lots of people or organisations. So we write ‘the committee is very concerned,’ not ‘the committee are very concerne
y and representatives from various regulatory agencies are working out to design the regulatory requirements for manufacture and sale of combination products
d’.
7. Finally, take a good look at it. Does it look good? Adding some white space in sensible places (such as an extra line space after sections) can make a report look more inviting.
Editing any document, but especially when you are report writing, is an important
7. Finally, take a good look at it. Does it look good? Adding some white space in sensible places (such as an extra line space after sections) can make a report look more inviting.
Editing any document, but especially when you are report writing, is an important
.
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
As there is an increasing trend of the combination products companies manufacturing such products should be able to tackle the problems involved in the de
part of the production process, not an optional extra to be done if you have nothing better to do with your time. With any writing, especially a lengthy report, no matter how careful you are there will still be some errors. Careful and methodical editing can find most of them.
elopment. They need to be wiser in analyzing the market trends and the regulatory requirements.
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
Companies that provide selfless information through particip
It is far better for you to find them and correct them than for your readers to notice them and wince.
Report writing is not necessarily easy, but it can be rewarding and a good report can build your reputation. A bad one can too!
Author: Tony Atherton © Tony Atherton 200
Report writing is not necessarily easy, but it can be rewarding and a good report can build your reputation. A bad one can too!
Author: Tony Atherton © Tony Atherton 200
tion in industry events and feedback to regulatory authorities would be able to face the challenges and will be successful in developing combination products
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