14 July 2022
We’re pleased to announce the publication of lay summaries in our open access journal, Rheumatology Advances in Practice.
What is a lay summary?
Jargon-heavy scientific writing can often prevent research being accessible to the general public or a multidisciplinary audience. Lay summaries provide a concise, plain English overview of the aims, methods and key findings of a research paper.
Why should I write a lay summary?
Lay summaries are a great way to extend the reach of your work. When published in open access journals like Rheumatology Advances in Practice, where research is already freely available to all, they offer the perfect opportunity to maximise accessibility and understanding.
In an age of misinformation, lay summaries are also a chance to ensure that reliable, peer-reviewed information is available directly to the public.
What’s special about the Rheumatology Advances in Practice lay summaries?
Aimed particularly at patients, their families and other interested parties, we ask our authors to answer the question ‘What does this mean for patients?’. Besides summarising the work, we feel that it’s important to bring research full circle and highlight its potential clinical impact.
Find out more about our lay summaries, including some writing tips, by visiting our author guidelines, or read one of our recent lay summaries.