Top-10 Best Practices for Virtual Publication Planning and Development
April 3, 2025 | HCP publications, Impetus Digital, Pharma tips, Pharma trends, Top 10 tips, Virtual collaboration, medical publications, pharma collaboration, pharma global, pharma publications, pharma tools, pharma virtual programs, virtual publication development, virtual publication planning, virtual publications
Virtual publication planning is rapidly evolving with new digital tools, but are you truly optimizing your strategy? Our article dives into the challenges of this new landscape, from data security to stakeholder collaboration, and reveals essential best practices to overcome them and maximize the impact of your publications.
The landscape of publication planning is constantly evolving with the rise of novel digital tools, artificial intelligence, and virtual collaboration platforms. As a result, traditional barriers to effective and efficient publication planning and development are being broken down, while new challenges related to compliance, data security, and global collaboration in the virtual setting have emerged.
To set your virtual publication planning and development project up for success, there are some best practices that all life science teams should follow.
1. Engage Your Key Stakeholders Early and Often
One of the major benefits of virtual publication planning is the ability to engage your key stakeholders on a regular basis to speed up project timelines. After the most suitable stakeholders, whether Key Opinion Leader (KOL), healthcare provider (HCP), or patient co-authors, have been identified and contracted, their involvement should be immediate. Involving them in the early planning process ensures that their input is considered from the get-go, minimizing the need for last-minute revisions to the plan. Likewise, engaging them on a regular basis keeps the project top-of-mind, allows iterative feedback and adjustments, and facilitates seamless course correction.
Frequent engagements also help maintain open and transparent communication throughout the project, which helps manage expectations and build authentic relationships. Aim to foster a culture where participants feel comfortable giving honest feedback.
2. Consider Diverse Perspectives
Another key advantage of the virtual version of publication planning and development is that more diverse stakeholders can be engaged. In this case, diversity might refer to co-authors from different geographic areas, various medical specialties and levels of seniority, and demographics. To cater to these diverse stakeholders, there is a need to effectively manage time zone, scheduling, and language differences. This can be partially achieved through pre-meeting polls to identify the meeting times that work for the most people. Alternatively, leveraging an asynchronous (over time, anytime) collaboration platform allows all participants to participate on their own schedule, irrespective of their comfort with spoken English, geography, and professional and personal commitments. The asynchronous format also enables an equal share of voice among participants, no matter their seniority and level of extroversion.
3. Manage Your Project Timelines and Milestones
Publication projects tend to fall apart in the absence of a clear strategy and behind-the-scenes project management. While it’s key to be agile (see #10), having predetermined timelines and regular milestones will ensure that the project stays on track. This means that the touchpoint dates and topics should be set and communicated to all stakeholders as early as possible. It also means that the scope of literature review needed and the target journal should be identified from the beginning to ensure adherence to the timelines. Likewise, information on the co-authors’ affiliations and conflicts of interest should be collected upfront, in a standardized format, to avoid bottlenecks at the time of submission.
To this end, there is no shortage of project management tools that can be used to keep the project on track. If leveraging a Pharma-compliant virtual collaboration platform, a few come with project management support, progress monitoring, and reporting, which help with all of the above…
To read more tips, visit our blogÂ
This content was provided by Impetus Digital
Company Details
Latest Content from Impetus Digital
Impetus Digital: now offering carbon-neutral live meeting support
Impetus Digital was promoted to the Aclymate Silver Tier for their efforts in crafting carbon-neutral virtual and live meetings for life science companies.
Maximize Conference Impact Virtually – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Extend the impact of scientific conferences! Discover how to creatively empower your advisors to share patient cases and evidence, sparking rich discussions on clinical implications and research questions. Drive deeper...
New Webinar: The AI-Driven Future of Medical Education for Pharma
Imagine MedEd that thinks, adapts, and delivers unprecedented insights. Better yet, experience if for yourself in our upcoming pharma-exclusive webinar, "Unlocking Brainpower: The AI-Driven Future of Medical Education for Pharma."...
Virtual Grant Writing & Review – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Boost your research initiatives! Discover how to creatively manage virtual grant writing & review programs with your KOLs, identifying key topics & streamlining proposal approvals. Foster impactful collaborations. Watch
Virtual Medical Education & Training – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Creatively engage with your advisors by transforming your medical education and HCP training! Discover how to creatively plan, develop, and execute engaging virtual events, speaker programs, and mentorship activities. Co-create...
Next-gen Medical Education Technologies to Keep an Eye on in 2025
Dive into 2025's cutting-edge medical education technologies like immersive training, interactive data visualization, and microlearning. Discover how to boost engagement and drive real HCP impact.
Virtual Journal Clubs & Case Studies – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Creatively engage your advisors while deepening medical understanding! Dive into virtual journal clubs and case studies to analyze patient scenarios, dissect new research, and gain critical feedback on your brand...
Map Treatment Pathways Virtually – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Optimize product strategy! Discover how virtual profiling can accurately map treatment pathways and pinpoint opportunities for your innovations while engaging your advisors in a creative way!
Beyond Engagement: Creating Medical Education with Measurable Results
Want to truly engage and educate HCPs? Learn to avoid costly mistakes and be at the forefront of learning by creating a dynamic platform that captures their attention and drives...
Map the Patient Journey Virtually – Engaging Your Advisors Creatively
Improve patient experiences! Learn how to co-create patient journey maps with your advisors virtually, identify healthcare gaps, and streamline care pathways.