Authoring with SiH
Thanks for considering joining our team of authors; your work will be seen by thousands of students from around the world!
There are three easy steps to get things going...
1 - Choose a Topic
Select a topic that catches your eye from one of our projects - one you are interested in and want to learn more about.
Medications
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Maternal and Newborn Health
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Prehospital Trauma
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Preventing Crashes: cardiovascular resuscitation
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2 - Make Sure We're a Good Fit
Read our Author Contract to review our open-access license.
3 - Let Us Know
Fill out the form below and we'll be in touch within 48 hours!
The email will come from (SiH Staff Member’s Name) @sharinginhealth.ca in case you have a strong filter.
Frequently Asked Questions
- what's in this for me?
- how does authoring take place?
- how long will this take me to write?
- can I collaborate with other authors?
- where should I get materials from?
- how does my topic get reviewed?
What's in this for me?
What authors are saying
"Writing for sharing in health is an excellent motivation
to learn a few topics in detail! It's rewarding to know
you've consolidated all the important clinical information
so that others can learn more efficiently."
- Erica Rubin, med student
Lots of things!
- Firstly, the feeling that you're making a big difference for students around the world
- Your article will be peer-reviewed, and this can be helpful on the CV
- Lastly, you will gain a solid understanding of the topic you're writing
We acknowledge all contributors by including their biography on their own web page and linking it to the pages they've written and/or illustrated. Students have been including their contributions on CVs and in various school/grant applications as it can be considered a peer-reviewed contribution to health education. Feel free to look through previous authors here.
How does authoring take place?
We use a standard template for our topics; it is shown here, along with information on how the specifics of writing.
SiH has a well-developed process of supporting topic creation, described in the image below.
image created by Becca Groombridge
We normally use an online platform called Google Drive for authoring and reviewing, and we'll walk you through the process once you sign up.
The email will come from author @ sharinginhealth . ca in case you have a strong spam filter.
If working online is an issue for you, let us know and we can discuss alternatives.
How long will this take me to write?
Anticipate spending 3-4 hours to write your draft, depending on your familiarity with the topic.
Can I collaborate with other authors?
Yes! All contributors are acknowledged, so feel free to invite a friend/co-worker to help you.
We encourage meeting with fellow authors as possible to discuss the topic and the strategy in moving forward. If this is not possible, we normally use the top of the collaborative doc for discussion points amongst authors.
We encourage you to think about who you could approach as a reviewer (e.g. a resident, professor, staff physician, or other appropriate health care professional), as this is a necessary step before getting your topic online. You could invite your reviewer to provide guidance while you populate your topic template instead of waiting until your draft is completed.
Where should I get materials from?
The text can come from any number of sources, including class notes, textbooks, or websites. Have a look through our listing of recommended sources. Don't focus on current specific studies with numerical data, as we are looking for introductory, foundational concepts.
Summarize, in your own words, what others are saying, and reference where necessary. Please avoid plagarism!
Images
Photos, illustrations, animations, and videos are essential for certain concepts, and we ask you to play a key role in getting these into place. The steps are as follows:
- identify multimedia needs by adding a comment to the topic draft (you'll learn how to do this)
- search the Open-Access repositories to see if one exists
- if yes, add a link to the image to the draft topic. Ask us if you need help
- if no, consider creating your own! Again, ask us for help if needed
- if the need still exists after step 4, leave a comment in the topic stating this is a persistent need. Find two examples online of what you are suggesting, and include the links in the comment.
- We'll take over recruiting an illustrator to meet persistent graphics needs
Please note: While there are many quality images that can be found online, if they are not published under an Open-Access license, unfortunately, we can't use them. Ask us if this needs to be clarified.
How does my topic get reviewed?
We have the most success when our authors personally approach a reviewer (e.g. a resident, professor, staff physician, or other appropriate licensed health care professional) they know and ask them to review their work. The review process is the same as signing up to author a topic: they fill in the reviewer sign-up form and we give them access to your document via Google Drive.
Once you sign up to author a topic your topic gets moved to the "to be reviewed" list so anyone checking out the webpage could opt to review it, but again, we have most success when reviewers are personally asked.
Lastly, a Sharing In Health section editor will give final approval to the topic, you will have a chance to view and sign off on the content before it is posted online.
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