Getting Started With Your Writing: Finding Your Voice

By Sarina Schrager, MD, MS,   
Family Medicine editor-in-chief    

When talking to groups of junior faculty, fellows, residents, and students about writing, Dr Schrager says enthusiastically, that writing is fun. She is often faced with a sea of skeptical faces. Is writing fun? Well, for most people the answer is no. Writing is hard. For many people, no one has taught us how to do it. Seeing your work in print is worth the effort. You have something to say and writing is an excellent way to share your ideas with a broader public. This blog will help you get started!

Read the Blog Post

Call For Papers—

Family Medicine Theme Issue: Methodological Insights: Exploring and Applying Diverse Research Methodologies in Medical Education

Deadline for Submission: May 15, 2025

We invite submissions for a special issue of Family Medicine focused on the importance and application of diverse research methodologies in medical education. This issue aims to illuminate the strengths, challenges, and innovative approaches within quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, visual methods (such as photo-elicitation and mapping), and knowledge synthesis research (such as scoping and systematic reviews and meta analysis). We are specifically interested in case studies and infographics that serve as guides for selecting and conducting research using various methodological approaches.

Case Study Articles: Quantitative Methods, Qualitative Methods, Mixed Methods, Visual Methods, and Knowledge Synthesis. We are seeking articles that serve as a guide for implementing specific types of research. These articles should begin by stating the specific research questions/hypotheses the research sought to answer. This should be followed by an explanation of the selected methodological approach to the research, as well as a clear rationale for why the specific methodological approach was selected to explore the research questions/hypotheses. The article should then provide an explanation of how the study was conducted, from recruitment through analysis. Connections to theory should be explained thoroughly. 

FM Focus: Quantitative Methods, Qualitative Methods, Mixed Methods, Visual Methods, and Knowledge Synthesis. We seek FM Focus submissions that provide concise guides for conducting different types of research. Examples may include a decision tree to help choose the appropriate method or an infographic outlining various types of knowledge synthesis.

Submission Guidelines: Original research and brief reports are welcome; however, authors should ensure a brief report provides the space to adequately explain the author’s methodological choices and application of the method. FM Focus submissions must have high yield, concise information that can be published as an infographic. Word limits and structure for the above manuscripts should follow those detailed in our author instructions. Manuscripts should be original, unpublished work and not under consideration elsewhere.

Submit manuscripts using our Online Manuscript Submission System.

Listen to our Podcast Series—"Demystifying the Publication Process"

• June 2024: Demystifying the Publication Process - Part 1 with Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, and Octavia Amaechi, MD
• July 2024: Demystifying the Publication Process - Part 2 with Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, and Octavia Amaechi, MD
• August 2024: Demystifying the Publication Process - Part 3 with Sarina Schrager, MD, MS, and Octavia Amaechi, MD

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