@sood_lonika asked recently about how to write good external letters for evaluation of promotion.
I write a LOT of these. I always begin by reviewing all the materials sent (CV, Exec Summary, NIH bio sketch, papers, personal statement, etc)
Then, here is how I approach them:
First para:
-Thank the [person] asking for the letter
-Establish your credentials for the review (most require you to be at rank or higher than the person being promoted)
-State you have reviewed relevant criteria
-Verify objectivity (no COI, "arms length" reviews, etc)
Jun 17, 2022 • 14 tweets • 2 min read
As an editor, I often read discussions that are long winded, meandering and fail to make an impact.
They feel like an after-thought rather than a key part of the paper.
Here are some tips to make your discussion better. Full credit to @sanjaysaint who taught me this years ago!
First, what are the goals of the discussion? One possible list:
Summarize the key findings of your paper
Put your findings into context of what is known
Discuss strengths, limitations
Tell readers how reading this paper can help advance science
Jan 19, 2022 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
As an editor, I can't tell you how many times I see cover letters where I just ... wonder?
The first impression is the most important one, and too many times - it's not the best impression.
How to write a compelling cover letter: a thread.
NB: These are my views and mine only!
First, make sure you have the name of the journal or editors right! It's a small detail, but details do matter here.
If I had a penny for every time the wrong editor or journal was listed....
May 6, 2021 • 13 tweets • 14 min read
🧵 “How can I improve #PICC safety in my hospital?”
I’ve received many questions like this following the recent publication of our @BMJ_Qual_Saf paper showing how we did this in 50+ hospitals.
Today, we released the formula (Thread)
@BMJ_Qual_Saf First, head over to improvePICC.com and click on “Implementation” in the top menu - this will take you to the Roadmap for Quality Improvement.
Mar 20, 2020 • 12 tweets • 5 min read
There’s a lot of doom and gloom out there when it comes to #CoVID19.
It’s true / it’s a bad disease.
But we discharged three people home this week after short hospital stays. All felt great at discharge.
1\ Our hospitalists have now cared for over 100 #COVID19 critically and non-critically ill patients.
Feb 13, 2020 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
I’ve had the privilege of reviewing many papers over the years.
I’ve also been on the receiving end of reviews.
The difference in the quality of feedback is often striking.
So here are some of my suggestions on how to review manuscripts effectively (thread):
1\ Begin a review by clearing your mind and setting an intent to be helpful.
Think of the person who spent hours doing this work. Think of the privilege you have of reviewing their work.
