Editor ’ s Corner
Updates to Our Style Guide for the Sartorially Challenged
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The content of the Editor ’ s Corner is the opinion of the author and does not represent the official position of the American Society of Hematology unless so stated .
Have a comment about this editorial ? Let us know what you think ; we welcome your feedback . Email the editor at ACNEditor @ hematology . org .
VERY SO OFTEN , the crackerjack editorial team of ASH Clinical News gets together and discusses style .
No , not of the sartorial variety , particularly as mine tends toward chinos , a shirt with a non-asphyxiating collar , and comfortable shoes – matching colors and patterns be damned . This is a combination I like to call “ hematologist fashion-backwards ,” or a “ smear ” of style .
I refer instead to style of the writing variety . We have evolved over the past few years in an effort to improve our readability , particularly with respect to clarity of text , and to respond to trends we see in medical journals and other magazines , along with the lay press . We also strive for neutrality in reporting and try not to be taken in by the subtle vaunting of scientific findings that creep ever-so-insidiously into even the most prestigious journals .
Here are some examples . As always , we welcome your input into how we can better present you with hematology news – and , indeed , some of these changes have resulted from your suggestions ! Feel free to email us at ACNEditor @ hematology . org .
Conflicts of Interest We now provide information regarding authors ’ conflicts of interest at the end of each article about a scientific publication and note whether “ editorial assistance ” was provided by the study sponsor in writing the manuscript . This gives readers additional information to place research findings in the context of what may or may not be subtle influences on the study ’ s results or interpretations . The details about conflicts may not be comprehensive , though , as we rely on what a journal reports as a conflict , which itself may rely on what authors report as their conflicts . Authors may not always be forthcoming with complete information . I have occasionally reviewed manuscripts for journals , for example , that are written largely by pharmaceutical company employees and that support use of that company ’ s drug , yet the authors did not disclose their employment by the company as a conflict . Caveat emptor , as my son the Latin scholar might say , and don ’ t be afraid to check out the Physician Payments Sunshine Act website yourself if you have doubts .
A New Standard of Care Speaking of conflicts of interest , the most common one that , ironically , never requires a disclosure is the relationship between a manuscript reporting positive study results and the betterment of one ’ s career . Success , particularly in academics , is often predicated on self-promotion . In science , though , the data should speak for itself . ( Nota bene : grammatical error is deliberate , as data should take a plural .) Frequently , we see phrases in journal articles that claim a given finding is “ practice-changing ” or represents “ a new standard of care .”
However , a change in practice or new standard is defined functionally – one actually has to observe patterns of adoption of a paradigm over a period of time , and not when research is first published , to make such claims . We will continue to present just the facts of research , try to place them in context , and leave the editorials to … well … our editors .
Email News Content Here ’ s a fun fact you may not realize about magazines , journals , and newspapers : The size of an issue depends on the number of advertisements sold . It isn ’ t as if we decide , “ It ’ s December , I ’ m in the mood for an issue with 140 pages ! But let ’ s keep it small in February because ,
Mikkael A . Sekeres , MD , MS , is director of the Leukemia Program at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland , OH . after all , who likes February ?” Advertising content is restricted to no more than 75 percent of more than half the issues published during any 12-month period to qualify for periodical mailing status . Advertising revenue also offsets the costs of printing , and our issue sizes increase or decrease to sustain at least a 50:50 ratio of editorial to maintain our standards .
We augment this with our online content . While we believe our website is a great venue for stories originating from places like regulatory agencies , the Hill , or cross-discipline articles , we recognized that we could not turn the same critical eye to reports of scientific findings as we do to reports on journal articles in our print edition . Consequently , we have largely eliminated coverage of study results from the “ Online Exclusives ” emails you receive from us .
Simple Statistics There is an old joke among epidemiologists : One epidemiologist encounters another at an epidemiology meeting . The first says to the second : “ Oh , it ’ s so nice to see you ! How ’ s your family doing ?” The second replies : “ Well , compared with what ?”
I know , you ’ re probably laughing on the inside , right ? Statements such as “ greater response ,” “ fewer toxicities ,” and “ higher rates ” riddle scientific abstracts and manuscripts , but without supporting statistics or comparison groups , they are no more than hollow words . Recognizing the sophistication of our readership ( many of whom are used to reading primary scientific articles ), we provide measures of comparisons when available , and have put such phrases in context when formal analyses are lacking .
How I Treat In Brief Guilty pleasure confessions : I am a total fan of the Game of Thrones books and HBO series ( and if I had to choose one person alive or dead , real or fictional , with whom to have dinner , it would be Tyrion “ The Imp ” Lannister , a flagon of Dornish wine included with the meal ). I also love the “ How I Treat ” series in Blood . It ’ s great content , with just the right mix of data-driven guidance and practical recommendations when data are lacking . Bob Löwenberg , MD , PhD , and Nancy Berliner , MD , the editor-in-chief and deputy editor , respectively , of Blood , graciously supported our extracting some of these choice pieces in a précis every other month in ASH Clinical News . These are capsule summaries , and online we provide links to the full treatment in Blood , which we encourage you to visit .
I suspect that Tyrion , as hand to Queen Daenerys Targaryen , mother of dragons , rightful heir to the Iron Throne , is also a frequent purveyor of Blood , and of ASH Clinical News . They ’ re the most widely read publications in all of Westeros , with 83 percent of the literate population reporting perusing them , compared with 21 percent who read scrolls or “ scraps of parchment delivered by ravens ” ( p < 0.01 ).
Mikkael Sekeres , MD , MS Editor-in-Chief
4 ASH Clinical News April 2018