NRR Editorial Communication: Choosing Language in Medical Writing: Putting People First or Identity First?

# 1

润色专家意见： “Diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction still have a high mortality rate.” Use of patient- or person-first language is a critical academic writing recommendation and is also mandated by some journals. Use patient-first language to address the diagnosis or impairment separate from the person.

Translation: The use of patient-first or person-first language is an important recommendation in academic writing, and some journals even make it mandatory. Using patient-first language can distinguish a person's illness or diagnosis from their personal identity.

Editor's Interpretation: Person-first language versus identify-first language refers to the choice of language when describing an individual. The former emphasizes the individual's identity as a human being (mentioning the person before mentioning the person with disability or illness, as in patients with diabetes), and the latter emphasizes the identity characteristics (mentioning the disability or disease before mentioning the person, such as diabetic patients). The use of both languages reflects society's differing perceptions and values of identity, dignity and belonging.

以下是一些使用person-first language的例子

Identity-first language emphasizes that a disability or illness is an important part of someone's identity. For example, deaf communities often use identity-first language, such as "deaf individuals," to demonstrate their strong connection to deaf culture. This expression is not just describing a condition, but emphasizing their cultural identity and sense of social belonging. Many people with autism also prefer identity-first language, believing that it is a way to better express the centrality of autism in their lives. For example, autistic self-advocates often use the term "autistic individuals" to emphasize that autism is an integral part of their identity, rather than a flaw that needs to be corrected or eliminated.

In academic writing, it is often recommended to use person-first language when describing a specific condition, such as cancer or diabetes, because it better reflects the patient's identity as a complete individual. However, when it comes to specific groups, such as deaf and autistic people, identity-first language is considered more appropriate because it better expresses the cultural identity and self-worth of these individuals.

(The above content is compiled from the Internet data https://askearn.org/page/people-first-language;https://www.letpub.com/Person-first-versus-Identity-first-Language)

# 2

润色专家意见：“… were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance with the least significant difference post hoc method…”Latin-origin terms with multiple parts should not be hyphenated if they are considered a single word.

Translation: If a term from Latin consists of multiple parts, but they are treated as a single word, then the parts should not be hyphenated (i.e., "-") to connect them.

编辑解读：根据经典学术写作格式手册，如《芝加哥手册》（The Chicago Manual of Style, CMOS）、《美国心理学会出版手册》（Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association， APA）和《牛津新风格手册》（New Oxford Style Manual）的建议，作为形容词使用的拉丁语短语不应使用连字符。 不过，也有一些例外（例如在APA格式中使用的“ad-lib”）。

# 3

润色专家意见：The Abstract does not state the purpose of your research (the knowledge gap and objective of the study). It is recommended that the knowledge gap should be included in the abstract section. It should be provided just before the objective. Please provide this information (Knowledge gap and objective) in the abstract.

Translation: Knowledge gaps and research objectives are not stated in the abstract. It is advisable to provide information on knowledge gaps before summarizing the research objectives in the abstract section.

Editor's interpretation: The abstract should identify knowledge gaps, i.e., what information or understanding is missing from the existing literature. Briefly review the research progress in related fields, and point out the current shortcomings or unsolved problems. After identifying a knowledge gap, state the purpose of the study and explain how the research will fill the knowledge gap.