Training

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
Does every paragraph need a topic sentence? Is that modifier dangling? Are you confident when it comes to subject-verb agreement? If these questions give you even a little pause, visit Purdue University's OWL resource. This flexible, self-guided refresher course covers the fundamentals of good writing. Dig deep and start at the beginning.
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html
...or jump to the OWL exercises page to quickly review some important basics:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl_exercises/index.html

Don't miss these OWL essentials:

• Use paragraphs with topic sentences.
  Here's how – and why.
  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/academic_writing/paragraphs_and_paragraphing/index.html
• Structure sentences for clarity.
  Try these exercises before you begin writing your paper.
  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl_exercises/sentence_structure/index.html

The Vanderbilt University Office of Biomedical Research Education & Training (BRET)
Beginning a new manuscript? Ready to revise?
These detailed, self-guided lessons will help you improve organization, logical flow, and sentence structure.
https://medschool.vanderbilt.edu/bret/self-paced-scientific-writing-training/

Grammar Girl
How does i.e. differ from e.g.? If you are wondering about this or some specific aspect of grammar, consult Grammar Girl.

Recommended Books

• Michael Alley, The Craft of Scientific Writing, 4th ed. (Springer, 2018)
  Rent it from Amazon for $8.50: https://www.amazon.com/Craft-Scientific-Writing-Michael-Alley-ebook/dp/B077G88WW6\ Note: Eskind Biomedical Library has a copy of the 3rd edition (1996), but the 4th edition has been updated to reflect significant changes in medical publishing.
• AMA Manual of Style: A Guidebook for Authors and Editors, 11th ed. (Oxford University Press, 2020). This style guide is now available online from the VUMC Eskind Biomedical Library. Select “Databases A-Z” and scroll down to find the AMA Manual of Style. https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/biomedical/

Writing Specific Aims, a B.H. Robbins Scholar presentation by Dr. Stephen Bruehl, PhD
LINK TO POWERPOINT SLIDES

National Institutes of Health: Write Your Application
https://grants.nih.gov/grants/how-to-apply-application-guide/format-and-write/write-your-application.htm

VUMC Office of Research: Guidelines for Writing Letters of Support
https://www.vumc.org/oor/vumc-letters-support-guidelines

Tools for Grant Writing. The VUMC Office of Research presents a number of links that may be helpful as you write, format, and submit your grant.
https://www.vumc.org/oor/tools-grant-writing

CARE-Writer is an online application that helps authors organize and format the information necessary to write systematic and transparent case reports while following the CARE case report reporting guidelines. Case reports written with CARE-writer can be downloaded as a first draft for articles to be submitted to scientific journals.

TED Talk Playlist on Public Speaking
Two we especially recommend: Talk nerdy to me (In 4 minutes, Melissa Marshall tell scientists how to make their science accessible to a general audience) and Your body language may shape who you are (This talk by Amy Cuddy – one of the most popular TED Talks ever – has spurred an ongoing discussion about the messages we send with body language).
https://www.ted.com/playlists/226/before_public_speaking

TEDMED Talks
Learn by example:
https://www.tedmed.com/videos

Nancy Duarte – on the power of story in presentation
Inspiration with a dose of "how to":
https://www.ted.com/speakers/nancy_duarte

VUMC Social Media Policy
https://vanderbilt.policytech.com/dotnet/noauth/login.aspx
 

Promoting Research On Social Media: How To Do It And Why It Matters
This October 2023 presentation from the American Society of Anesthesiologists aims to help authors make their work more discoverable.
https://pubs.asahq.org/DocumentLibrary/ASAMonitor/ASA_Anes_MS_GM.pdf