Writing

Abstract

Without good biomedical writing skills, it is difficult to build a successful career as a physician-scientist. Although being a good writer is natural for some, most of us have to learn this important skill. Biomedical writing is a very specific type of writing. Many of the stylistic methods learned in high school and university are not used in writing for biomedical journals. Thus, early in your career as a physician-scientist, you need to learn the skills of successful biomedical writing. In this chapter, I review some of the general tips I learned while taking two biomedical writing courses as a young physician-scientist. I will also give you some specific tips about how to write an original research article; a skill that is critical for your success as a physician-scientist.

By writing much, one learns to write well.

–Robert Southey