The Editor's Half Hour Medical Editing
9 snips
Mar 1, 2026 
Barbara Gastel, physician, professor, and seasoned medical editor who wrote Medical Editing, discusses the nature and myths of medical editing. Short takes cover what medical editors do, how diverse backgrounds fit, ethical challenges like inadvertent plagiarism, practical ways to gain skills, and the collaborative, service-oriented mindset the work demands.
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Diverse Paths Into Medical Editing
- Medical editing benefits from diverse backgrounds, not a single correct degree or path.
- Barbara Gastel emphasizes rounding out skills (editing or medical knowledge) and learning on the job to build competence.
Introduce Resources Early
- Put core resources front and center because editors draw on them daily.
- Gastel placed style manuals and organizations early in her book so they can be referenced throughout chapters and teaching.
Medical Metaphors To Teach Writing Flaws
- Barbara uses medical metaphors to teach writing flaws, like acne for mechanical errors and anemia for lack of details.
- She developed these while teaching preprofessional students writing professional school application essays.
