Welcome to the June 2024 chapter newsletter.

CHAPTER NEWS

• All-member Annual Chapter Meeting

• News from National: A Report from the May 2024 Chapter Advisory Council Meeting

• West Metro Medical Writers Social Hour

• Join our AMWA North Central LinkedIn Community!

FEATURE ARTICLES

• Grammar Talk: Title Case vs. Sentence Case

• Exploring the Use of AI for Medical Writing: Insightful Talk by Andrew Crim 

CHAPTER NEWS

All-member Annual Chapter Meeting

The all-member annual chapter meeting kicked off on the evening of Wednesday, May 29. Board members started with quick introductions while a slide with all of the current Board members was presented. Senior Co-Treasurer, Anna Hayes, reported a brief financial update. The current chapter account is just over $10,000, which is used to pay for online subscriptions, speaker fees, and venue costs associated with some in-person events. The chapter is in good financial standing.

Current Chapter President, Laura Chapin, shared a list of recent activities and a couple of upcoming events, while encouraging members to look for new events in the newsletters and in their emails. Webmasters Tess van Ee and Carmen Peterson ended the annual chapter meeting by sharing a new chapter website! The current website will sunset soon and will be replaced with a more visually appealing and efficient website driven by Google.

We thank all of the members who were able to attend the annual chapter meeting!

News from National: A Report from the May 2024 Chapter Advisory Council Meeting

By Naomi Ruff, CAC representative

Hello North Central Chapter! As a reminder, the mission of the CAC is as follows:

The CAC serves to maintain a connection between chapter leaders and the AMWA Board of Directors by advising the AMWA board on the organization’s strategic direction as it affects the chapters and acting as a sounding board about issues that have an impact on chapters and the national organization.

It also serves as a way to bring news from the national organization to chapter members and for the chapter (and its members) to bring issues of concern to the national board. Have an issue that you want discussed? Let the chapter board know: bod@amwanorthcentral.org.

Notable news

1.     The Medical Editing Certificate is now available. It consists of 11 activities and is designed for beginning to mid-level medical communicators who want to enhance and fine-tune their medical editing skills.

2.     Look for information coming soon about the 2024 Medical Writing & Communication Conference. The Schedule at a Glance is posted on the website, and registration and the hotel room block will open in mid-June. Chapter dinners will be on Thursday, October 24. Don’t forget to make reservations early because the Swifties will be in town for concerts on October 25, 26, & 27.

3.     The board continues to work with a consultant on a DEI strategic plan and will launch an initiative, including resources for volunteer leaders, later this year.

West Metro Medical Writers Social Hour

Please join us for an informal get-together on June 12, 2024, at 7:00 pm. We will meet at Duke's on 7 at 15600 MN-7, Minnetonka, MN, 55345. Although this event is in the west metro of the Twin Cities, everyone is welcome. Please email Michael Franklin (franklin.editing@gmail.com) if you’d like to attend.

FEATURES

Grammar Talk: Title Case vs. Sentence Case

By Tess Van Ee

In September 2023, Merriam-Webster announced 690 new English words. Although this rapid growth may sound excessive, it’s a sign that the language is healthy. Minting original words, borrowing from other languages, and assigning words new meanings all show English is flourishing and not going the way of Latin or Old Norse.1,2

Although the words of the English language are changing quickly, we often treat grammar, the rules defining the use of those words, as set in stone. While many aspects of grammar are unchanging, such as word order or subject-verb agreement, other aspects are open to change. It’s these aspects where tug-of-wars play out, such as with the Oxford comma or, in the case of this article, the use of title case vs. sentence case in headings and subtitles.  

Sentence case offers a more conversational tone and informal look than title case and is easier to implement consistently. Writers and editors using sentence case don’t have to decide which words should be capitalized or not—rules that can vary significantly by style guide and publication. Also, multiple studies on dyslexia and readability have found that people with dyslexia struggle to differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters. Using sentence case over title case helps to avoid confusion for this specific set of readers.3 

Whereas title case is confined mainly to use in the United States, sentence case is used internationally. For some languages, like German, title case cannot be used because capitalization changes word meaning (e.g., verbs become nouns when capitalized). But in other scenarios, such as with other English-speaking nations like the United Kingdom or Australia, sentence case is simply the preference.4-6

Choosing between sentence case and title case

American medical writers are used to seeing title case in headings and subtitles, and our flagship style guide recommends it. However, if we want to appeal to an international audience (and not risk looking stuffy), sentence case may be a better option. 

During a recent website rehaul, the content team at USA.gov had to choose between sticking with title case or using sentence case, which they sensed was more on-trend. Instead of flipping a coin, they researched the subject heavily, considering tone, audience, readability, accessibility, and credibility. They also conducted user testing to see which case resonated with their audience.7

USA.gov ultimately chose sentence case and has not seen any red flags since introducing it in April 2023.6 But that doesn’t mean sentence case is best for everyone—it just shows that research and testing pay off for small things like style changes.

Sentence case is not always the best choice, however. I recently switched from sentence to title case in headings and subtitles for a healthcare technology client. They had been using cases differently throughout their content for years. It was time to decide, and because their audience is mostly US-based and my client preferred title case, we ultimately settled on title case.

Like so many other little decisions in grammar, the decision between sentence and title case boils down to the best way to convey meaning to the reader. 

References 

1. We added 690 new words to the dictionary for September 2023. Merriam-Webster. Accessed May 23, 2024. https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/new-words-in-the-dictionary

2. ShareAmerica. America’s dictionaries add words reflecting modern life. U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Russia. Published January 8, 2024. Accessed May 28, 2024. https://ru.usembassy.gov/americas-dictionaries-add-words-reflecting-modern-life/

3. Yoliando FT. A comparative study of dyslexia style guides in improving readability for people with dyslexia. Atlantis Press. Published December 3, 2020. doi:10.2991/assehr.k.201202.050

4. Coleman C. Headline capitalization for UX: Title case vs. sentence case. Herosmyth. Published June 16, 2020. Accessed May 23, 20204. https://www.herosmyth.com/article/headline-capitalization-ux-title-case-vs-sentence-case

5. Jarrett C. Sentence case or title case in forms? Effortmark. Published November 5, 2021. Accessed May 27, 2024. https://www.effortmark.co.uk/sentence-case-or-title-case-in-forms/ 

6. Capitalization. Open University of Catalonia. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.uoc.edu/portal/en/servei-linguistic/convencions/majuscules-minuscules/index.html

7. USAGov Content Team. Making the case for sentence case on USAGov’s websites. Published September 5, 2023. Accessed May 27, 2024. https://blog.usa.gov/making-the-case-for-sentence-case

Exploring the Use of AI for Medical Writing: Insightful Talk by Andrew Crim

By Michael Franklin

In a recent talk, Andrew Crim, Director of Education and Professional Development at the American College of Osteopathic Obstetricians and Gynecologists, delved into the world of AI and its impact on medical writing for members of the North Central Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association.

Crim’s presentation focused on how human instructions, or prompts, can be effectively used to coax AI tools to generate useful information. To get AI to provide detailed, relevant responses, the prompts used need to be refined and specific. Crim outlined the key elements of effective prompt construction:

• Role Definition: Define the AI system's role to provide context and tailor responses.

• Target audience: Define the target audience to elicit appropriate level of detail and complexity.

• Specific Instructions: Use explicit language to specify the AI's tasks.

• Chained Prompts: Use stepwise instructions for complex tasks.

• Use of Examples: Include specific examples to guide the AI's analysis or exploration.

• Appealing to AI's Emotional Capability: Add a personal or emotive appeal to improve AI performance. Research shows that an emotional touch, such as stating the task's importance to one's career and expressing appreciation for thorough analysis, can result in an average 10.9% improvement in performance.

• Defining Tone and Style: In tasks involving writing or content creation, specify the desired tone and style. For example, indicate if the response should be in layman's terms or professional medical jargon.

One example Crim showcased was the use of AI to critique and compare medical studies. He presented a situation where AI analyzed two distinct endometriosis studies. Crim began by giving AI the context of being a physician expert and an expert in CME and medical writing. By assigning this role, the AI was tasked with delivering a strong medical analysis. Next, the AI was directed to compare the articles and then to identify potential knowledge gaps that weren't explicitly covered in either study. This clear directive focused the AI's attention on a specific task. Once this task was complete, Crim asked the AI to create a one-page narrative summarizing these findings. This approach to interacting with AI is called a chained prompt. This multi-step process breaks a complex task down into individual tasks that are manageable for AI.

Crim also demonstrated how AI can be used to personalize content. He asked AI to imagine a scenario where an existing medical proposal needed to be reoriented for two different companies—Pfizer and Astellas. Each company had specific interests in separate symptom management techniques. The AI system adapted the proposal to highlight the unique priorities of each company.

Crim advised medical writers to treat AI platforms as tools to improve the efficiency and quality of medical writing. As he noted, and I paraphrase, “AI won’t replace medical writers, but someone who knows how to use it will.”

Additional resources

• arxiv.org/: Current literature on AI maintained by Cornell

• whataicandotoday.com/: Searchable repository of AI tools

• www.oneusefulthing.org/: Prof. Ethan Mollick’s newsletter

• tldr.tech/a i: Daily summary  of AI news and developments

• www.superhuman.ai/subscribe: Weekly AI newsletter with tools/tips