Welcome to the November 2024 chapter newsletter.

CHAPTER NEWS

• New Publications Committee Chair

• New Programming Committee Co-Chairs

• West Metro Medical Writers Social Hour

• Join our AMWA North Central LinkedIn Community

FEATURE ARTICLE

• Grammar Talk: American vs. Oxford English 

CHAPTER NEWS

New Programming Committee Co-Chairs

FEATURE

Grammar Talk: American vs. Oxford English

“All manuscripts must be written in Oxford English.” This seemingly innocuous sentence, tucked casually underneath a long paragraph on funding disclosures in the author’s instructions for a journal, almost made me spill my coffee. I had just a single week to complete edits for a manuscript. My client is an American company, the physician who authored the manuscript is American, and I, their American editor, was unaware of the distinctions between different types of British English.

Although books could be written unpacking the differences in written English, here is a primer on what medical writers can look for when “translating” between American and Oxford English. Most of the rules for Oxford English also apply to British English, with a few exceptions. 

Comparing “Z” vs. “S” in British and Oxford English

Although the United Kingdom includes less land than Oregon, it contains over 37 dialects.1,2 A Scottish accent sounds different than a Yorkshire, Cockney, or Welsh accent, and words are sometimes spelled differently too. In British English, the American English “-ize” often becomes “-ise.” However, in Oxford English, these words retain their “z,” at least for words of Greek origin:3

• British English: “Jacob agonised over whether to join the organisation.”

• Oxford English: “Jacob agonized over whether to join the organization.”

Oxford English uses similar spellings to British English for words that end in “-yse.” Because “analyse” falls under this rule, it is important to understand this rule for publication writing. The following examples illustrate this rule:

• American English: “We analyzed the samples.”

• Oxford English: “We analysed the samples.”

Spelling differences between American and British English

In addition to -yse, British English (including Oxford English) includes slight spelling differences from American English. The Open University of Catalonia describes the differences nicely on its style page. The table below illustrates a few of the differences you may find while working on medical writing projects.4

Note that the rules in the table apply to certain words, not every word. Therefore, I recommend checking any spelling you change against an online dictionary like the Oxford English Dictionary.

Omitting full stops in British English

In addition to some spellings, American and Oxford English also differ in punctuation. What Americans call “periods” are considered “full stops” in Oxford English. The Oxford style guide omits full stops in abbreviations, contractions, and acronyms:5

• American English: “Dr. Ahmed consults for Medtronic.”

• Oxford English: “Dr Ahmed consults for Medtronic.”

• American English: “Patients receiving the experimental treatment experienced fewer adverse events than patients receiving the control treatment (7.2% vs. 12.1%, respectively).” 

• Oxford English: “Patients receiving the experimental treatment experienced fewer adverse events than patients receiving the control treatment (7.2% vs 12.1%, respectively).” 

Omitting the full stop may feel counterintuitive to American medical writers, but it is worth paying attention to, especially when editing. For example, the manuscript I edited for the British journal contained dozens of abbreviations of “versus,” requiring frequent removal of periods. 

Resource recommendations

What happened with the editing story? I submitted the manuscript to a new team member, who, I learned later, lives in England. All of my research into Oxford English paid off, as the company has continued to send manuscripts my way. By understanding differences in written English, medical writers can ensure their manuscripts meet the required standards. 

If you’d like more resources on how to write in different English dialects, I recommend reading the references for this article as well as the following:

• British and American English, Cambridge Dictionary

• What are the differences between American and British English?, Babbel

• The Oxford English Dictionary

• GoTranscript American English to British English converter. Online translation tools can be convenient, but always check results against official sources and never enter confidential information (e.g., patient data).

References

1.     Which U.S. state is comparable to England in size? Reference.com. Updated August 4, 2015. Accessed October 11, 2024. https://www.reference.com/history-geography/u-s-state-comparable-england-size-2e236730e7d98a61  

2.     A brief guide to different British accents and dialects. Oxford House Language Courses. Published July 20, 2020. Accessed October 11, 2024. https://oxfordhousebcn.com/en/a-brief-guide-to-different-british-accents-and-dialects/

3.     Oxford spelling: What is it and how does it differ from British spelling? LanguageTool. Accessed October 11, 2024. https://languagetool.org/insights/post/ise-ize/

4.     UOC language and stye: Differences between British and American English. Open University of Catalonia. Accessed October 21, 2024. https://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/servei-linguistic/convencions/british-american-english/spelling/index.html 

5.     University of Oxford Style Guide. Oxford University. Published 2014. Accessed October 15, 2024.  https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/media_wysiwyg/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide.pdf