What Samples Should You include in Your Medical Writing and Editing Portfolio?

Building a compelling medical writing or editing portfolio is essential for showcasing your expertise and attracting potential clients or employers. Including a diverse range of writing samples demonstrates your expertise, versatility and depth in the field, but you’ll have to carefully assess what kind of samples to include.

Here are three types of samples to consider, even if you are just getting started in medical communication:

Patient Education Materials

These documents are designed to inform patients about medical conditions, treatment options, and wellness strategies. Patient education materials highlight your ability to translate complex medical information into language that is precise and easy to understand, emphasizing clarity and empathy. They showcase your skill in addressing the needs of a broad audience, which is essential in medical writing.

Research Summaries

These are concise reports that explain scientific studies in plain language. Research summaries showcase your ability to distill complex research findings into understandable content. They reflect your understanding of scientific literature and your ability to communicate findings effectively to non-expert audiences.

Blog Posts on Medical Topics

Blog posts are an effective way to explore a wide range of medical topics, from common conditions to the latest treatment advancements. They allow you to showcase your writing style and ability to engage readers. They highlight your expertise in current medical trends and your skill in making medical content accessible and engaging.

Why are these the best samples to include?

These types of documents do not breach confidentiality and avoid problems with copyright because they are typically available to the public.

If you plan on sharing other types of samples, such as regulatory documents or excerpts of scientific manuscripts, you’ll need to make sure they are free from confidential or copyrighted material. Here are some guidelines:

Obtain written permission before including part of work that was created under an NDA or contains proprietary information.

Redact sensitive information by removing any of that proprietary information, data, trademarks, or branding elements that are confidential. Always reach out to a publication or organization to make sure this is okay! The importance of obtaining permission can’t be stressed enough.

By thoughtfully selecting diverse samples and adhering to confidentiality and copyright guidelines, you can build a portfolio that effectively showcases your medical writing skills while respecting legal and ethical boundaries.

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Evergreen’s Introduction to Health Writing is designed to help health and science writers start putting together their own portfolio. Learn more about this self-study course and the testimonials from our learners!