Hot Topics
Archive
Explore previous Hot Topics from ISMPP Insider, each featuring curated content, perspectives, and resources on issues shaping medical publications and communications.
Join ISMPP Today!
Joining ISMPP offers numerous benefits for medical publications and communications professionals. Learn more.
This collection examines the threats confronting research integrity—and the actions publishers, researchers, and communications professionals can take to safeguard the credibility of science.
The Integrated Era: Purpose, Partnerships, Personalization
This year’s theme explores how integrating a shared purpose, meaningful partnerships, and effective personalization drive more impactful communication.
ISMPP Leadership Update: A New Role Dedicated to our Members and ISMPP Staff Advancements
Dear Colleagues, As we round out the year and enjoy the holiday season, I am writing with some very exciting ISMPP news! Our professional society continues to grow and evolve in an effort to best serve the needs of our members. To reinforce ISMPP’s ongoing commitment...
Poll Results—When a Bespoke AI Tool Falls Short: Balancing Quality, Timelines, and Governance
You are a medical writer at an agency using a pharmaceutical company’s internally developed generative AI tool to draft a manuscript reporting results from a phase 3 clinical trial. Although the tool is approved for use and initially performs well, you begin to identify inaccuracies that require substantial human correction, reducing its expected efficiency. With tight timelines, organizational expectations, and scientific integrity all at stake, what would you do?
One Year Later: How is GenAI in Practice Evolving?
The 2026 GenAI in Practice Survey of ISMPP Members is now open! Help us understand how the use of generative AI across medical communications and publications has evolved over the past year—and where members need education, practical resources, and guidance next.
Whether you participated last year or not, and whether you use AI frequently, occasionally, or not at all, we want to hear from you. Look for your SurveyMonkey invitation in your inbox and complete the survey by Thursday, September 24.
Making Science More Accessible: Publishing Standalone Plain Language Summaries of Publications
Standalone plain language summaries of publications (PLSPs) can help bridge the gap between complex scientific research and real-world understanding—but developing them effectively requires more than simply translating technical language. Drawing on the experiences of two publication teams, this Content Lab article explores practical approaches to strategic PLSP planning, patient involvement and collaboration, resource considerations, and the responsible use of AI.
When a Bespoke AI Tool Falls Short: What Would You Do?
You are a medical writer at an agency using a pharmaceutical company’s internally developed generative AI tool to draft a manuscript reporting results from a phase 3 clinical trial. Although the tool is approved for use and initially performs well, you begin to identify inaccuracies that require substantial human correction, reducing its expected efficiency. With tight timelines, organizational expectations, and scientific integrity all at stake, what would you do?
Advancing Plain Language in Clinical Research Communications
ISMPP supports the use of the MRCT Center’s Clinical Research Glossary, a patient-centered resource that helps make clinical research terminology more understandable, accessible, and actionable—advancing clear communication, health literacy, and informed decision-making across the research ecosystem.
Slowing Down to Speed Up: Rethinking Productivity, Trust, and AI in MedComms
At the 2026 European Meeting of ISMPP, keynote speaker Michael Siller challenged a common assumption: that speed and rigor are opposing forces. Drawing on examples from history, psychology, and workplace dynamics, he argued that sustainable speed is achieved not by working harder or faster, but by intentionally slowing down to build resilience, adaptability, and trust. The result is a practical framework for navigating complexity, strengthening collaboration, and approaching AI-enabled workflows with greater confidence.