STYLE GUIDES, free

Much medical writing is done in AMA style. But nursing, psychiatric, and behavioral science journals require APA style. Natural and physical sciences like chemistry and computer science use CSE style. Media advisories require AP style. When you don’t want to purchase a costly, thick manual for writing you do less frequently, you usually can find the right format for citations in a free quick reference guide. Here are the most prominent ones.

• AMA (American Medical Association) Manual of Style, 11th edition
• CSE (Council of Science Editors) Style Guide, 8th edition
• APA (American Psychological Association) Manual of Style, 7th edition
• Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition
• AP (Associated Press) Manual of Style, 57th edition
• MLA (Modern Language Association Style), 9th edition

MEDICAL DICTIONARIES

The most commonly used medical dictionaries are Stedman’s and Dorland’s. Both are available online but require a subscription. The National Cancer Institute dictionary of cancer terms is available free online.


ORGANIZATIONS

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) – Their guidelines are considered the “bible” of medical writing.
• American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
• Council of Science Editors (CSE)
• European Medical Writers Association (EMWA)
• National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
• National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE)
• Society for Technical Communication (STC)
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)