{"id":44,"date":"2015-03-30T18:02:16","date_gmt":"2015-03-30T18:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepublicationplan.com\/?page_id=44"},"modified":"2026-01-07T11:33:01","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T11:33:01","slug":"publication-planning-resources","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thepublicationplan.com\/publication-planning-resources\/","title":{"rendered":"Publication Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"

The following\u00a0resources have been identified as being relevant to professionals involved in medical publishing, publication planning, and medical writing. We welcome contributions (please contact us<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Medical writing and design support for medical publication professionals<\/span><\/h2>\n

Medical writing support for your publications and presentations<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Aspire Scientific Ltd<\/a> is a proudly independent medical writing and communications agency that believes in putting people first. Aspire Scientific was founded and is led by medical writing and communications experts with a scientific background. The Aspire Scientific values of Culture, Talent, and Excellence<\/a> define who we are and what we believe in.<\/p>\n

Design support for your publications and presentations<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sparked into life<\/a> kindly designed and provided The Publication Plan logo. They are a creative group with many years of combined experience in both digital and traditional media for the healthcare communications sector, and provide a broad range of targeted services from identity and theming through to campaigns and brand communication.<\/p>\n

Associations,\u00a0groups, initiatives and societies<\/span><\/h2>\n

AllTrials Campaign<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/span>The AllTrials campaign was launched in January 2013 and calls for all past and present clinical trials to be registered and their results reported. It is an initiative of\u00a0Ben Goldacre<\/a>,\u00a0BMJ<\/a>,\u00a0Centre for Evidence-based Medicine<\/a>,\u00a0Cochrane Collaboration<\/a>,\u00a0James Lind Initiative<\/a>,\u00a0PLOS<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Sense about Science<\/a>\u00a0and is being led in the US by Sense About Science USA<\/a>,\u00a0Dartmouth\u2019s Geisel School of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nAMWA provides extensive continuing education activities, including a Certificate Program, for professionals in medical communication via its conferences and local meetings. It also runs a quarterly journal.<\/p>\n

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)<\/b><\/a><\/span>
\nCOPE was founded in 1997 with the objective of providing a ‘sounding board for editors who were struggling with how best to deal with possible breaches in research and publication ethics’. It provides support for journal editors in dealing with ethical problems in publication. Its website provides guidelines and a code of conduct, as well details of cases concerning publication ethics reported to COPE.<\/p>\n

Council of Science Editors (CSE)<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nThe CSE (formerly the Council of Biology Editors) was founded in 1957 by the National Science Foundation and the American Institute of Biological Sciences. Its mission statement is ‘CSE’s mission is to promote excellence in the communication of scientific information. CSE’s purpose is to serve members in the scientific, scientific publishing, and information science communities by fostering networking, education, discussion, and exchange and to be an authoritative resource on current and emerging issues in the communication of scientific information’.<\/p>\n

EQUATOR Network<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nThe EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network is an international initiative that seeks to improve the reliability and value of published health research literature by promoting transparent and accurate reporting and wider use of robust reporting guidelines. It is the first coordinated attempt to tackle the problems of inadequate reporting systematically and on a global scale; it advances the work done by individual groups over the last 15 years.<\/p>\n

European Association of Science Editors (EASE)<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nAn internationally oriented community of individuals from diverse backgrounds, linguistic traditions and professional experience who share an interest in science communication, writing\u00a0and editing.<\/p>\n

European Medical Writers Association (EMWA)<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nEMWA offers training and networking opportunities to its members who are mainly medical writers and medical editors. It produces a regular magazine and holds two educational conferences a year, at which members can gain professional development credits by attending workshops and successfully completing post-workshop assessments.<\/p>\n

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nThis highly influential group consists of representatives from a number of general medical journals including The Lancet, BMJ, NEJM and others (see website for a full list). Their key activities include the development of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals and statements on registration of clinical trials.<\/p>\n

International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP)<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nISMPP is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to support medical publication professionals through education and advocacy. It has members from all sectors of medical publishing, and key benefits of membership include the annual meeting and web-based seminars on a range of topics. ISMPP also has several committees focusing on issues relevant to medical publication professionals, including Ethics, Standards and Best Practices, Education and others.<\/p>\n

MedComms Networking<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nThis global initiative facilitates networking and dialogue amongst individuals working in and around the pharmaceutical industry and MedComms, focussing on specialist medical education, medical communications and medical publishing activities. MedComms Networking started in 2007 as a primarily UK-based community of MedComms agency specialists but has since evolved to ecompass a much broader remit.<\/p>\n

Medical Affairs Professional Society (MAPS)<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\nMAPS is the premier non-profit global society of Medical Affairs professionals across a spectrum of fields, experience, and locales. The mission of MAPS is to advance the Medical Affairs profession and increase its impact across the Life Sciences industry by promoting excellence across Medical Affairs functions, developing guidelines to\u00a0support industry standards and best\u00a0practices, fostering advocacy for Medical Affairs position, and providing education and encouraging professional collaborations that support the
\npractice of Medical Affairs.<\/p>\n

Medical Publishing Insights and Practices (MPIP) Initiative<\/a><\/span><\/strong>
\nThe MPIP<\/span> Initiative was founded in 2008 by members of the pharmaceutical industry and the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) to elevate trust, transparency, and integrity in publishing industry-sponsored studies. The major goal of MPIP is to promote more effective partnership between sponsors and journals to raise standards in medical publishing and expand access to research results.<\/p>\n

World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)<\/a><\/strong><\/span>
\nOrganisation consisting of editors of biomedical journals from around the world. It has developed a number of policy statements and useful resources which it provides freely on its website.<\/p>\n

Key guidelines relating to medical publications<\/span><\/h2>\n

EQUATOR Wizard<\/span><\/a><\/span>
\n<\/strong>The EQUATOR Network provides this tool for selecting the correct reporting guideline\u00a0 to help you plan and report your research.
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)<\/b><\/a><\/span>
\nThe CONSORT statement provides recommendations for reporting randomised, controlled trials, including a 22-item checklist and a flowchart showing the progress of study subjects through the trial. Extensions of the CONSORT statement for different trial designs, herbal and non-pharmacological interventions, harms and abstracts are also available on the website. The CONSORT group has also produced other guidelines, including ASSERT to help with monitoring of clinical trials by ethics committees and QUORUM for the reporting of meta-analyses (to find these on the CONSORT website, click on the Resources tab followed by a link on the left to Related guidelines and initiatives).<\/p>\n

Good Practice for Conference Abstracts and Presentations (GPCAP) recommendations<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/a>The GPCAP<\/a> recommendations address the specific challenges of developing abstracts and presentations for academic conferences. The recommendations cover authorship and contributorship; transparency; development, review and approval of abstracts and presentations; guidance on re-presentation of data (encore abstracts); copyright considerations, and appropriate citation of conference presentations. The recommendations are designed to help industry professionals, authors and conference organisers to improve consistency, transparency and integrity of publications submitted to conferences worldwide.<\/p>\n

Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/a>The GPP3 guidelines provide recommendations for individuals and organisations that contribute to the publication of research results sponsored or supported by pharmaceutical, medical device, diagnostics, and biotechnology companies. The recommendations are designed to help individuals and organisations maintain ethical and transparent publication practices and comply with legal and regulatory requirements. These recommendations cover publications in peer-reviewed journals and presentations (oral or poster) at scientific congresses. The International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) has also set up a page dedicated to the guidelines, which can be found here: http:\/\/www.ismpp.org\/GPP3<\/a>.<\/p>\n

PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/a>PRISMA is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PRISMA focuses on the reporting of reviews evaluating randomised trials, but can also be used as a basis for reporting systematic reviews of other types of research, particularly evaluations of interventions.<\/p>\n

STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology)<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/a>STROBE is an international, collaborative initiative of epidemiologists, methodologists, statisticians, researchers and journal editors involved in the conduct and dissemination of observational studies. The STROBE checklist<\/a> specifies items that should be included in articles reporting observational research.<\/p>\n

Upcoming events<\/span><\/h2>\n

2026 European Meeting of ISMPP<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The\u00a02026 European Meeting of ISMPP<\/a> (International Society for Medical Publication Professionals) will be 26-28 January in London. The #ISMPPEurope meeting theme, “Evolving with Purpose: Excellence in an Era of Efficiency,” explores how professionals can meet growing demands for timely, relevant, and accessible medical communications without compromising quality or ethics.<\/p>\n

Three pre-meeting workshops are offered a day before the official start of the meeting on Monday, 26 January. Workshops<\/strong><\/a> are limited on a first-come, first-serve basis. Here\u2019s a brief look at some of the topics on the meeting agenda:<\/p>\n