Why Plain Language Summaries?

“Having worked in publishing for over 20 years, I have seen a massive shift towards open access publishing, making published research accessible to medical and scientific audiences. It therefore seems only natural to publish PLS to ensure all audiences, regardless of their scientific background, can understand the latest published literature.”

Biography

Joanne Walker has been in publishing for over 20 years and has worked across various journal and digital platforms to help authors as well as medical publication planners identify the right publishing solutions for their content. Joanne was previously Head of Publishing Solutions at Future Science Group, where she spearheaded the plain language summary of publications initiative developing the publication and editorial processes to publish this new type of article. Joanne is now Publishing Director at Becaris Publishing, where she is keen to ensure all content published in the Journal of Comparative Effectiveness Research and on The Evidence Base is understandable, engaging and accessible, whether it is through a plain language summary in the journal or visual infographic on the website.