Jennifer Holmes Medical Editing Services, LLC
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On Rescuing Words: An Editor’s Act of Resistance

1/31/2025

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Sometimes when I’m copy editing, half of my edits are taking commas out

and the other half are putting commas in.


In the final draft, the commas I deleted are not gone. They are simply existing in a more welcoming sentence.


This got me thinking about the words that the new administration has dictated be removed from government websites

and that instead of allowing these words to disappear, I wanted to capture them.


​The words aren’t gone. They are existing here in this little post of resistance.


Sit by the fire, gender identity, and I’ll make you a cup of tea.
 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion
will be stopping by for cake.
 

Racial equity
is resting in the guest room.
 

Climate change
, you’ve sure been busy wreaking havoc for something that doesn’t exist.
 
The spring migration is starting, and I’ve put out some birdseed. Sit on the porch and watch for a while.
 
Chill.
 
Like, literally.


Regroup and reset, environmental justice. There is work for you still.


I will shelter these words. Tend to them. Keep them safe and strong.
 
These words are not gone. They are simply resting for a while in a more welcoming space.


Join me in rescuing some words today?


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A to Z of Medical Misspellings Pulled From My Style Sheets

11/14/2024

 
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As a freelance medical editor, I create a style sheet for each new job. The style sheet is where I keep track of preferred spellings of medical terms and usage notes specific to the field or client. 
The “misspellings” I’ve pulled from my style sheets here include easily confused, incorrectly capitalized, and misused words. I recognize that different fields apply different styles. The preferred spelling or usage I've listed is according to the AMA Manual of Style and/or Merriam-Webster’s unabridged dictionary (if these sources diverge, I’ve given the AMA style, which I refer to most).
Here are a few medical misspellings to add to your style sheet. If you use PerfectIt software when editing, you can customize your style sheet by adding the misspelling as a spelling variation or phrase to avoid.

A to Z

  • Not artefact but artifact (be on the lookout for chiefly British spellings)
  • Not blood-born disease but blood-borne disease
  • Not Caesarean section (or c-section) but cesarean delivery
  • Not doppler ultrasound but Doppler ultrasound
  • Not EKG but ECG (the preferred abbreviation for electrocardiogram)
  • Not flow chart but flowchart
  • Not Guillain-Barre but Guillain-Barré
  • Not healthcare but health care
  • Not indigenous people but Indigenous people (AMA style says lowercase is OK when referring to objects, not people)
  • Not jack knife (as in the statistical test) but jackknife
  • Not Kruskal Wallace (so many ways to misspell this statistical test) but Kruskal-Wallis
  • Not long term (as an adjective) but long-term
  • Not mucus membrane but mucous membrane
  • Not needle stick but needlestick
  • Not out-patient but outpatient (same for inpatient)
  • Not principle investigator but principal investigator
  • Not qd (QD); this is a "do not use" abbreviation; write instead “every day” (also avoid qod [every other day] and qid [four times a day])
  • Not regime but regimen (when referring to a treatment plan)
  • Not subjects (when referring to people in a clinical study); write instead “individuals,” “participants,” or “patients”
  • Not tenant (in the sense of a belief or principle) but tenet
  • Not utilize but use (a universal style guide recommendation)
  • Not very (here’s a challenge from Benjamin Dreyer in Dreyer’s English: go a week without writing very [to which he adds rather, really, quite, and in fact])
  • Not Web site (or Website) but website
  • Not X-ray (or Xray) but x-ray
  • y or Y? Y chromosome but y-axis (see why editors need to keep notes on capitalization?)
  • Not zika virus but Zika virus

Editor > Spellchecker

Note that I have Grammarly turned on as I write this, and not all the words I've labeled as misspellings are underlined in red. If you write or edit in the medical field, it's important to supplement your spellchecker with medical-specific terms and to know the specifics of AMA style. 
If you need a medical editor to give your documents a final read for clarity, consistency, and style, please get in touch. 
Communicating science well—for healthy people and a healthy planet
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