Effective written communication in biomedical sciences

The written word is the biomedical scientist's most important and most enduring communication tool. Nevertheless, the development of writing skills receives little attention in most scientific disciplines and the ability to conduct research is often viewed as more important than the ability to communicate the results of that research. Consequently, many scientists lack the writing skills necessary to effectively convey essential aspects of their research. In this paper, we will discuss the importance of good writing skills, give examples of common mistakes that are made in biomedical science writing and offer suggestions on how to improve written communication.