Tim Sandle Q&A

Tim Sandle has been interviewed by the Institute of Validation Technology as part of the ‘Meet the Board’ series (Dr Sandle is a regular contributor to the IVT Network).

Here is an extract:

What is your advice to people who want to begin publishing their work but are maybe a little too hesitant to start?

The trick is to start off with something small. The best approach depends on the field and subject matter. With pharmaceuticals and healthcare, writing on a new standard that has been published or describing a new method are good places to start, trying to sum up what the change is about. Much of it is similar to writing an essay at school: introduction, main section, and conclusion. In the introduction say what the article is about; the middle section discuss the subject (for a newish writer limiting this to three main points is a good way of structuring the body of the article); and then summarize at the end. And then proof read.

The subject needs to be something you’re interested in and you need to enjoy writing. Every style is different (varying from the formal to the informal) and there’s no right or wrong way: if you’ve communicated what you want, then it’s worked. The first article I wrote was about 20 years ago and it was about microbiology on the Internet (which, believe it or not, wasn’t in widespread use at the time!) surveying websites.

The full interview can be read here: IVT