What does a medical editor actually do?

Many people assume that medical editing is simply correcting spelling mistakes or tidying grammar. In reality, the role is much broader – and much more nuanced – than that.

At its core, a medical editor’s job is to refine medical documents so they are accurate, clear, consistent and suitable for their intended audience. But achieving that involves far more than surface-level corrections.

Beyond spelling and grammar: the scope of medical editing

While correct spelling and punctuation are important, a medical editor’s work goes well beyond these basics. The focus is on the meaning, logic and usability of the content. For example:

• ensuring terminology is precise – using the correct medical terms in the right context

• maintaining consistency in abbreviations, units, references and style throughout a document

• checking internal consistency, such as names, dates, numbers and cross-references

• clarifying ambiguous phrases or sentences so they are unmistakable to the intended reader

In short, editing ensures the text communicates exactly what the author intends, without leaving room for misunderstanding.

Aligning medical documents with standards and guidelines

Medical and medico-legal writing often needs to comply with strict standards, whether clinical, regulatory or legal. Part of the medical editor’s role is to align the document with relevant guidelines and ensure the language meets professional expectations.

This could involve:

• adhering to journal submission requirements

• following institutional style guides

• ensuring references are correctly cited

The goal is to make the document fit for purpose, whether it’s a research manuscript, an expert witness report or a patient information guide.

Why judgement matters in medical editing

A key aspect of medical editing is judgement. Decisions are constantly being made about when to intervene and when to leave text unchanged. For example:

• A sentence may be grammatically correct but misleading – should it be clarified or left to the author?

• A reference may be formatted correctly but is inconsistent with its cited text – should it be corrected?

• A term may be used differently depending on the intended reader – should it be changed or preserved?

• A term in a medico-legal report could be worded better, but it might have legal implications if altered – should it be left alone or flagged?

These decisions rely on experience, knowledge of medical conventions and understanding the audience and purpose of the document.

The end goal: clear, accurate and usable documents

Ultimately, a medical editor’s work aims for documents that communicate effectively and stand up to scrutiny. The goal is simple: clear, accurate, consistent and usable content.

The journey to that goal, however, is far from simple. It’s a careful balance of checking, clarifying and sometimes changing – all done without altering the author’s voice or expertise.

For anyone commissioning or reviewing medical content, understanding this distinction can make a big difference in the outcome.

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A note on terminology: The terms medical copyeditor, medical proofreader and medical editor are often confused and used interchangeably. To add to the confusion, there are yet other terms used for different niches such as plain-English editor, medico-legal copyeditor or editorial assistant (the latter is commonly used in medical communications). I personally use medical editor to describe my role, and medical editing to describe both medical copyediting and medical proofreading, as this suggests a hybrid approach as per my own clients' preferences ... plus, it's simpler! See here for more detail on the traditional differences between proofreading and copyediting.

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