How to Write a Scientific Paper: Three Tips to Remember

In the field of plastic surgery, many new ideas and skills are developed by surgeons and researchers. “Publish or perish” is a phrase coined to describe the pressure in academia to publish work constantly to further or sustain one’s career [1]. To share knowledge or skill with others, or promote one’s position in schools, they should write papers. However, it is not easy to gather and develop writing material. I learned an invaluable lesson at the International Confederation of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery meeting which was held in Yokohama, Japan in 1995. At the opening ceremony, Dr. Joseph Murray who performed the first successful human kidney transplant on identical twins and who shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine had the keynote lecture. The elder retired plastic surgeon emphasized that scientists should remember 3 important words: curiosity, imagination, and persistence. Curiosity is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation, and learning. We can have curiosity in any basic research or about surgical procedures. Imagination is the ability to form mental images, sensations and concepts, in a moment when they are not perceived through sight, hearing, or the other senses. Lastly, persistence is the determination to do something even though it is difficult or other people oppose it. Reading a book about swimming cannot guarantee the ability to swim. Likewise, there is no royal road to writing papers. However, it would be helpful to the surgeon to remember Dr. Murray’s 3 words: curiosity, imagination, and persistence.