The designation “nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)” is no longer accepted across JAMA and the JAMA Network journals, except to reflect the language used in data collection for a study (or search terms for a review).

The recent outbreak of monkeypox disease (caused by the monkeypox virus), like COVID-19 and other pathogens before it, raised concern about disease names, particularly those that could negatively affect particular nations, populations, or animals.

After infection with SARS-CoV-2, some people develop long-term effects. This condition has been termed post-COVID conditions (PCCs), post-COVID syndrome, postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), and in common parlance, long COVID.

The AMA Manual of Style will soon offer guidance on inclusive language when referring to people who are pregnant or people with the capacity for pregnancy.

I have used many adjectives to describe myself, but I’ve never referred to myself as other. When teachers called my name during morning attendance, I responded by saying “Here.” I never said, “Invisible.”

Everyone in the business of communication has a responsibility to use and promote the use of clear and accurate language, with words that reflect the world around us. As evidenced by perpetual updates to style manuals, dictionaries, and other resources, nomenclature is never a static enterprise.

When you’re in quarantine, you have to look for little things to spark joy in your life. I’ve found myself getting excited when I edit an article for which new AMA style guide updates come into play. Recently, while editing an article focusing on patients with end-stage kidney disease, I had the chance to refresh my knowledge on the new guidelines in the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style regarding nephrology nomenclature (14.18).

There are more examples of bias-free language in the new edition of the AMA Manual of Style, including 2 new entries in the Correct and Preferred Usage chapter, one discussing the birthplace of study participants and the other describing countries in terms of their economic and social factors.

One of the occupational hazards of being a medical editor is the inevitability of occasionally working on a highly technical, highly detailed manuscript on a topic about which you know nothing. You don’t need to have a medical degree to be a medical editor, but how do you edit a paper when you’re not sure whether the item under discussion should treated as a plural, or even as a noun?

Part of the fun of editing medical content is learning all about the newest treatments and scientific advances, but as someone without a science background, I find myself looking for resources that can help me understand some of the more technical terminology.

I’ve recently joined the JAMA Network after a brief career in pharmaceutical editing, where I’ve read everything from the easy-to-digest pamphlets that come with your prescription to the headache-inducing instructions chemists follow when testing that a drug meets its quality compliance requirements.

You might know the definition of the word “excursion” as it relates to leisure activity. You may also consider its technical definition, which is to do with the movement of something along a path.