A Perspective on Writing a Perspective: A Scholarly Opportunity That Should Not Be Overlooked

Abstract

I n academic settings, scholarship remains the hallmark of career advancement and promotion in rank. Clinician educators, in contrast to clinician researchers, frequently lack advanced training and the experience necessary to lead and develop projects that can result in the publication of high-quality original research manuscripts. In addition, many clinician educators, particularly early career faculty, may lack the writing skills necessary to produce tangible scholarly products. As such, it would be worthwhile for academic leaders to introduce other methods of publication such as case reports, narrative reviews, and perspective-type articles that are offered in many medical journals. Although there are publications instructing authors in how to write a case report 1,2 and narrative review, 3,4 we found none cited in PubMed detailing the rationale and steps for writing a perspective article. For authors inexperienced in writing, not considering perspective-type articles is a wasted opportunity for potential publication. Furthermore, it can serve as a crucial platform for underrepresented academic faculty to voice their opinions and influence their field. In this article, we differentiate a clinician educator from a clinician researcher, provide reasons that a perspective article may be an excellent scholarly opportunity for clinician educators, particularly those who are underrepresented, and define and list components of the article type, with tips on getting started.Clinical academic faculty can be divided into two main types: the clinician researcher and the clinician educator. Through the years, academic medical centers have eagerly hired clinician educators to not only meet the increasing demands of patient care but also support the educational mission of the institution. 5,6 Clear distinctions exist between the two types of faculty. The clinician researcher is typically one who has a focused research area of expertise, training to write grants and perform research methodology, clear protected time, external sources of salary support, more defined mentorship, and more peer-reviewed publications. 7 In contrast, the role of the clinician educator may be more varied, with clinical work still considered a primary responsibility and