By Rajesh Gururaghavendran
Drafting a research protocol for my postgraduate dissertation posed several challenges other than the impending deadline. We were all scampering to put together a bunch of words that not only made sense, but also attempted to solve a major oral health problem. Internet had just arrived in its nascent stage, and it was a luxury to be able to afford using it. A majority of my work was centered within the premises of the library, trying to sift through hard-bound copies of articles. This was my first shot at formal writing, and I had clearly pressed the panic button!!
Writing is an integral and inseparable part of public health endeavors. As public health professionals, we will be writing for a wide variety of audiences addressing a plethora of public health issues. The present blog is to discuss the most common mistakes that one makes in public health writing.
Not knowing your audience:
One of the most common mistakes made during writing is not knowing or not focusing on our target audience. Does the audience comprise of all public health professionals or will only a specific group of them will be interested in reading your material? Grant applications will be specifically for the funding agency. Sometimes, we will be writing about a public health problem that is addressed to a common man. Each of this audience is different and unique. Writing without being mindful of the needs and requirements of the target audience will make writing vague and non-specific.
Not knowing the context:
Writing can be utilized as a means of communicating information about a serious health issue at hand. Writing assignments will have a different context compared to a press release about the need for vaccination. Based on the context, the nuances of writing will be different. Understanding the context will help the author to get the right content for their message.
Not reading all relevant information/articles:
Review of literature is one of the most underestimated aspects of scientific writing. It is highly preferable to read all the relevant articles before one starts writing. It helps us understand the work that is already accomplished in our area of interest. It also helps us to highlight the most unique and important aspect of our work.
Not reading instructions to authors:
All writing assignments come with instructions to the authors. Student project assignments have specific instructions. One must familiarize oneself thoroughly with these instructions before embarking on one’s writing journey. This is most often overlooked by students, and it can be a source of frustration over a period of time. There may be word limits, limits on the number of articles to be cited, limits on the number of tables that can be included, limits on color photographs that can be published. Many times, the instructions might also include critical information about publication fees. Turning a blind eye to these details might lead to re-writing the entire draft all over again.
Not highlighting the need for the study:
One must make a very strong case for our writing, highlighting the new information/knowledge that our work generates. Students often tend to touch very briefly about this aspect in their writing. Not stressing upon the knowledge lacunae that our work addresses underscores the importance of our work and delegates it to the realm of the routine and mundane.
Not focusing on objectives:
Straying away from the objectives outlined in the paper is one of the seminal mistakes in public health writing. Very often, the authors are too keen to share tables with complex statistical analysis and secondary results. One should always fall back on the objectives of the study, which will act as a guiding source for writing. Adding additional information in the write-up can render the paper too cluttered and confusing for the readers.
Not writing about public health implications:
Any scientific writing will have some important public health inferences. This can be in the form of policy changes, changes in clinical practice, curriculum implications. This involves taking the research findings forwards to bring about meaningful impact on the health of populations. Students tend to miss this critical piece in their public health writing. Including these aspects can increase the value of their scientific work immensely.
Not keeping it simple and sticking to basics:
Students tend to think that public health writing must be very complicated to make it look important. This is far from truth and effective public health writing usually involves sticking to the basics and keeping the writing very simple. One must finally remember that the target audience should be able to read and comprehend the information being provided by the authors.
Not Proofreading, not proofreading, not proofreading:
Reading the contents again and again is a very important for effective public health writing. One can take the help of peers, friends, and acquaintances who might be interested in proofreading your write-up. Sharing your work with others will bring in a fresh perspective that can add a lot of value.
Finally,
There are no shortcuts for effective public health writing, nor are there any magical recipes. One has to be patient and persistent to hone one’s skills in putting across the public health message. Avoiding the pitfalls outlined in this blog will be a step in the right direction in our journey towards effective public health writing.
You can email me at: rajeshg@bu.edu
