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Editorial Processes
In order to produce and maintain high quality in all products, A.D.A.M., Inc. has continually supported and refined its editorial process. An overview of this process is provided below. The process covers all content A.D.A.M. develops textually as well as its award-winning visuals.
Visual - All visual content, including images, animations, and supporting text, are conceptualized, created, and reviewed by medical illustrators. All of the medical illustrators at A.D.A.M. have Master’s degrees in medical illustration or equivalent work experience. Additionally, physicians and/or anatomical PhD’s have reviewed this visual content for medical accuracy.
Text - A.D.A.M. content is physician-reviewed and physician-updated, in collaboration with skilled consumer medical editors and writers. Most articles are reviewed by two, and sometimes three, physicians. A.D.A.M. places a reviewer’s name, reviewer credentials, and review date at the bottom of all pages.
A.D.A.M.’s goal is to present evidence-based health information. Therefore, content in A.D.A.M. products is created by identifying the best available evidence from national guidelines, government agencies, recognized leading textbooks, and peer-reviewed literature. We ask our writers and reviewers to create content based both on the quality of the evidence and its applicability to everyday practice.
Our editorial standard is to objectively communicate the current standard of medical practice. All writers and reviewers must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest. Disclosures must be made to the appropriate manager, director, or vice president at hiring or when such an interest develops. Supervisors review with company officers to decide if a conflict of interest does exist. If conflict of interest is determined, the writer or reviewer is reassigned or steps are taken to rectify the situation. Anything that might be perceived as a conflict of interest will be clearly disclosed on every relevant article.
A.D.A.M. has a robust process in place for keeping our extensive content up-to-date. At the beginning of every quarter, our Editorial Director identifies 500 to 600 articles that need to be reviewed and assigns them to physician reviewers. Articles are called up for review based on four criteria:
- Set editorial schedules: All in-depth reports are reviewed at least every 12 months. All Encyclopedia content is reviewed at minimum every two years.
- Physician notification of important advances: We receive ongoing feedback from our physicians about which articles require expedited review based on their reading of the recent medical literature and awareness of changes in medical practice.
- Ongoing monitoring: Our Editors and Medical Director monitor peer-reviewed literature, announcements by government organizations, and new evidence-based guidelines published by major specialty societies for important changes in medical care that should not wait until the next scheduled review.
- Client and consumer feedback: External comments on our content are catalogued, evaluated, and considered in our review process. This feedback can trigger an article review. The feedback is given to the physician to use while reviewing the article.
Our proprietary in-house content management system tracks articles to ensure that these editorial schedules are met. Every change a physician proposes is reviewed by a Senior Editor. The editor may propose more consumer-friendly wording and return these suggestions to the physician for consideration and approval. Our content management system handles the workflow. An article update is approved and sent to the next stage when both the editor and physician mutually agree that the update is both medically sound and consumer friendly.
Once an article is updated in English, it is sent into a workflow that manages the Spanish translation process (certain products only). Once both English and Spanish have been updated, they are published together and made available to clients.
The general flow of the editorial process is provided below. The process is divided into 5 steps.
Step 1 – Content Development
In Step 1, medical writers, clinical writers, or medical illustrators develop content. Previously published content is tagged for review and is internally reviewed for any additions or deletions. Additionally, since A.D.A.M. has built its reputation on the outstanding quality of its visual content, textual content is reviewed to add new or appropriate compelling visual content. Acquired content, depending on the source, may enter the editorial process at this stage.
Step 2 – Content Review
In Step 2, members of the Medical Review Board (MRB) and/or physicians from our external partner, VeriMed Healthcare Network, may review content. Both the MRB and the VeriMed Healthcare Network consist of board-certified physicians, who are specialists in their field. Physicians write and review content in their specialty areas; ensure content is up-to-date with the most recent treatment guidelines and practices, important studies, breakthrough drugs, and drug warnings; and help the A.D.A.M. Editorial Team perform consistency checks across products. Important medical advances to certain content and article reviews triggered by client and consumer feedback may enter the editorial process at this stage. All content reviews are approved by the Medical Director at this stage.
Step 3 – Content Editorial
In Step 3, A.D.A.M.’s Editorial Team reviews the content following medical review for grammar, style, and consistency. The Editorial Team reviews all content, both textual and visual. A content quality assurance check is also performed. Acquired content, which has demonstrated adherence to the criteria of the MRB and A.D.A.M. editorial standards, may enter the editorial process at this stage.
Step 4 – Content Production
In Step 4, the content is indexed, stored in our proprietary in-house content management system, coded, and tagged for presentation. Associated Spanish content is translated and stored in our content management system at this time. A technical and content quality assurance check is also performed during this step.
Step 5 – Content Publication
In Step 5, content is provided to customers. Licensees integrate the A.D.A.M. content with their internet web sites and provide feedback to the editorial process in the form of customer queries and inquiries. Content is regularly updated. In most cases, the update cycle is quarterly. Once a customer receives an update, they have a contractual obligation to implement the updated content on their site.
For more information, please review the A.D.A.M. Editorial Policy, located at the following URL:
http://www.adam.com/EditorialPolicy.html |
