An exercise in scientific writing for physicians in training

It is important to strengthen critical thinking and scientific writing abilities during medical training to support trainees in their research endeavors and prepare students for careers in academic medicine. This commentary describes an interactive workshop to encourage student engagement with scientific literature and contribution to scholarly discourse by writing letters to the editor (LTEs). Students in the MD-PhD program at McGill University were asked to identify an article from a high-impact journal and think about ways in which they could address its scientific content. Students completed this preparation on their own time and then attended a 90-minute workshop where their LTEs were finalized and submitted. The LTE workshops were conducted in 2017 and 2019, and student participation and informal feedback indicated that perceptions of the workshops were positive. The workshops provided students an opportunity to strengthen their critical appraisal and academic communication skills while also contributing to the scientific literature. Letters written by aspiring and practicing physicians add valuable clinical insight to the literature and promote physician engagement with research. Strategies to support the adoption of LTE workshops include incorporating them into longitudinal curricula in medical school and integrating them into journal clubs during residency or fellowship.