An important feature of any profession is the extent to which its members contribute to the development of its literature. This text has been extensively revised for health care professionals who wish to develop a variety of writing skills including writing for publication, writing talks, research proposals, curriculum vitae and book reviews. The roles and responsibilities of the author and publisher are explained and a variety of publishing opportunities available to health care professionals are presented. A number of techniques which aim to maximize presentation, structure and readability of writing style are discussed, encouraging the reader to approach writing with knowledge and confidence. New chapters include literature search, literature review and writing technology.