Thursday, October 17, 2013

AMWA Is Not Just for Writers

One of my biggest challenges as an editor is demonstrating my knowledge, ability, and worth. Medical writers have writing samples, but how do medical editors make themselves stand out? The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has been my toolbox for several years, giving me what I need to become a better editor and help me stand out among others. It’s true…AMWA is not just for writers, and this year’s AMWA Annual Conference offers a wide variety of sessions designed to help you be a better medical editor.

In “Leveraging the Talent in the Editorial Freelancers Association: What Editorial Professionals Can Do for You,” expert editors will focus on levels of editing, differences between editing and proofreading, and other editorial tasks. You’ll come away armed with tools and websites to help you improve and streamline your editing and proofreading.

Are you a medical journal editor? Learn about podcasts in “Scientific Podcasts: Why, When, What, Everywhere?” This seminar is an encore presentation by two managing editors who discussed this topic at the Council of Science Editors (CSE) annual meeting earlier this year. In another session, “The Rising Tide of Plagiarism in Medical Writing,” you can learn about plagiarism from an editor’s perspective and about how to use plagiarism detection software and evaluate and share the subsequent results.

Are you one of the many editors and content planners who are afraid of or confused by new media? Then you need “Tweeting, Blogging, SEO, and Strategy: Online Content Planning for Medical Editors.” You will learn how to integrate online content planning and social media marketing into the editorial process to promote content in search engines, improve quality, and increase user engagement.

Another panel presentation, “Holistic Strategies for the Biomedical Manuscript: Collaboration of Art, Editing, and Journalism,” provides an overview of an approach to translate biomedical manuscripts into news releases and subsequent media coverage.

You can also hone your skills in using technology for your editing projects. Take advantage of Hands-on Demonstration sessions in using Adobe X, EndNote, and Word.

Bring your biggest editing questions to the conference, where you can get help from an experienced editor. This year’s new “What’s Your Problem? Problem-Solving Discussions” is designed to help you answer that nagging editing-related question (as well as writing, freelancing, and regulatory writing). Jennifer Maybin, a leader in the EFA and AMWA, will help you face your biggest editing challenge! (Other problem-solving discussions are led by experts in writing, freelancing, and regulatory writing).

And if all this is not enough, the 2013 AMWA conference gives a special shout-out to medical editors. This year’s Alvarez Award winner is Gregory D. Curfman, MD, executive editor of the New England Journal of Medicine. In a recent survey of AMWA members, 85% of respondents said they used NEJM as a regular resource, so it is a particularly relevant honor to have Dr. Curfman address the AMWA membership. He will deliver his keynote address on the first day of the conference.

So what are you waiting for? Register now for the AMWA Annual Conference. And be quick: Advance registration ends on Friday, October 18. After that, you’ll need to register on-site, which is more expensive. You can get more details on conference sessions in the registration brochure.
—Keightley Amen, BA, ELS, AMWA Annual Conference Committee

No comments:

Post a Comment