Editors and the Editorial Process

The Manuals' content is generated following the same process as the most respected medical textbooks and journals. The steps include an

1. External author
2. External peer reviewer
3. External pharmacologist reviewer
4. Internal physician editor
5. Internal medical writer
6. Editor-in-Chief
7. Executive editor
8. Final review and revision by author

Our over 300 independent authors, all of whom are experts in their field, prepare the content of their chapters and pass it on to one or more of the 26 independent medical peer reviewers on the MSD Manual Editorial Board and review staff. The peer reviewers, who are authorities in their respective specialty and not otherwise connected to MSD, review the content to ensure that it is complete, accurate, and unbiased; when necessary, they request additions or corrections to the author's material. After peer review, an expert pharmacologist outside of MSD reviews drug dosage and recommendations to ensure accuracy. After these external steps, the Manuals' internal editorial staff of physicians and trained medical writers review the content to see whether any material (including multimedia and external links) should be added, deleted, or revised to make it clearer for non-specialist health care professionals (Professional Version) and consumers (Consumer Version). In addition, all of The Manuals' internal editors edit the content to ensure it meets the clarity and style standards for which The Manuals have long been known.