Building Sustainable Workflows to Manage Information Overload in Medical Writing
Practical Insights and Proven Strategies for New Medical Writers to Stay Current and Organized
Written By: Qinglan Wu, PhD
Edited By: Safa Louhichi, PharmD
Starting your career as a medical writer can be daunting, and you may quickly find yourself facing an overwhelming flood of information. This phenomenon, known as information overload, can make it difficult to stay focused and productive. So, how can new medical writers keep up with the literature while staying organized and avoiding burnout?
This article explores the causes and implications of information overload. It also provides practical strategies to help early-career medical writers manage, organize, and collect up-to-date literature effectively and sustainably.
Research/Evidence
Information overload is not a new concept, yet it lacks a universally accepted definition. Professionals in many fields experience it. However, it poses a particular challenge for medical writers, who must synthesize large volumes of information under tight deadlines.
Causes
Research has identified several leading causes of information overload:
Information characteristics: Ever-increasing information load from diverse sources, combined with low-quality, irrelevant, and sometimes contradictory content.
Individual factors: Limited capacity to process information efficiently, lack of experience, or ineffective search strategies.
External factors: Tight deadlines, constant emails and alerts, and an over-reliance on digital tools that deliver unmanageable amounts of information.
Implications
More information does not always lead to more informed decisions. In fact, too much data can impair decision-making, reduce focus, and increase anxiety. For early-career medical writers, this often means valuable time being wasted chasing irrelevant articles or second-guessing which sources are the most reliable. Without a structured approach, the constant flow of literature can become overwhelming and contribute to stress and burnout.
Practical Strategies for Organizing and Collecting Up-to-Date Literature
Evidence from systematic reviews suggests that solutions fall into four main categories:
Technology tools: Use electronic tools such as refined journal alerts, reference managers, and project management tools to access relevant sources efficiently.
Individual strategies: Strengthen your information literacy, time management, and critical thinking skills. This way, you can focus on high-quality, relevant content instead of getting lost in the volume.
Organizational approaches: Create consistent workflows (e.g. regular literature scans, categorized folders, or refined journal alerts) to streamline information intake and minimise clutter.
Human support: Seek advice from mentors or experienced colleagues to learn effective search methods and organizational strategies that work in real-world settings.
Personal Perspective
Research outlines many causes and strategies, but the key lesson I’ve learned is that workflows only work if you put them into practice.
For example, I use a reference manager (EndNote) to save journals relevant to my projects and group them into broad categories. I also use a task-management software (Notion) to build a customized table of useful links, including research papers, articles, and websites. The screenshot below shows how I organize my customized table. Each entry can include properties such as Topic, Details, Year, and Type, which together create a structured and searchable database. When a link covers multiple topics, I use the “multi-select” property to filter for topics of interest. I can also apply the ‘sort’ function to arrange sources by publication year, making it easy to locate the latest research.
This is the system that works for me, but it may not be the one for you. The key is to build something realistic, repeatable, and aligned with your actual writing needs, rather than chasing tools or methods that you won’t consistently use.
Key Takeaways
Apply technology strategically: Set up journal alerts, organizing information using reference managers (e.g. EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley) and/or project management software (e.g. Notion, OneNote).
Refine your skills: Improve your information literacy skills and develop the ability to filter out low-quality or irrelevant information quickly. This will help you focus on the sources that truly matter.
Learn from others: Take advantage of advice from experienced colleagues or supervisors to find methods that fit your workflow.
References
1. Arnold M, Goldschmitt M, Rigotti T. Dealing with information overload: a comprehensive review. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1122200–1122227.
2. Hall A, Walton G. Information overload within the health care system: a literature review. Health Inf Libr J. 2004;21(2):102–108.
3. Maggio LA, Artino AR Jr. Staying up to date and managing information overload. J Grad Med Educ. 2018;10(5):597–598.
4. Shahrzadi L, Mansouri A, Alavi M, Shabani A. Causes, consequences, and strategies to deal with information overload: a scoping review. Int J Inf Manag Data Insights. 2024;4(2):100261–100272.
AI Disclaimer
ChatGPT was used to draft and edit this article.
Contributions of Blog Creator
Nicole Bowens, PhD developed the topic and selected some of the references for this article. She created this blog to bring together perspectives from medical writers at all experience levels, with the goal of supporting those who are aspiring or early in their careers.
If you are interested in contributing to the blog as a writer or editor, fill out the Google form application, and you will receive a follow-up email with further instructions.
Contributor Contact Info
Writer: Qinglan Wu, PhD
📧 Email: wuqinglanemily@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/qinglan-wu-phd-6a512218a
Editor: Safa Louhichi, PharmD
📧 Email: saflouhichi@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safa-louhichi-5849ab102/
So interesting how to apply notion into workflow ❤️