Ragnhild Ørstavik

15.12.2025: Why not enjoy a book over the Christmas period. 'I am actually a dancer, but I don't dance anymore', sings Kari Bremnes (1). That is how I feel about fiction: I am actually a reader, but I no longer read. At least, not in the same way or to the same extent as before. I am not alone in this. It has...

23.06.2025: The peer review system is in crisis. The volume of research being published far exceeds the number of voluntary peer reviewers available. But we are fortunate at the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association. 'We (Mr. Rosen and I) had sent you our manuscript for publication and had not authorized...

19.05.2025: Tidsskr Nor Legeforen 2025; 145. doi: 10.4045/tidsskr.25.0298. In this article, the text in the first paragraph should read: Around the same time, a doula (unlicensed birthing assistant) was reported for violating the duty to provide assistance in connection with a birth. (Corrected 19 May 2025)

13.05.2025: The notion that it is safe to give birth without the presence of healthcare personnel must be treated like any other form of misinformation: with caution. In March, the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) published the results of a survey showing that one in ten women believe it is safe to give...

04.03.2025: While we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of International Women's Day on 8th March, political changes in the USA mean that women all over the world will again lose access to essential health services. Only a few weeks into his second term as president, Donald Trump has managed to shake up...

16.12.2024: England and Wales may enact a law that permits assisted dying to patients with limited remaining life expectancy. But only if patients can self-assist in their own death. On 29 November, the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, voted for a law to permit assisted dying, under certain...

09.10.2024: Scientific journals are now asking authors to specify whether, and if so, how, they have used artificial intelligence to write articles. The scientific journal Nature recently reported on a Japanese research group that had published an article on the arXiv preprint server. Not only was the preprint...

19.08.2024: If you have not written a scientific paper before, you need guidance. The Journal is now launching the website tastaturet.no (in English: the keyboard), which gives simple advice on the different stages of the process. Many good books have been written about writing. My personal favourite is William...