In 2024, many GS authors make outstanding contributions to our journal. Their articles published with us have received very well feedback in the field and stimulate a lot of discussions and new insights among the peers.
Hereby, we would like to highlight some of our outstanding authors who have been making immense efforts in their research fields, with a brief interview of their unique perspective and insightful view as authors.
Outstanding Authors (2024)
Brendan C. Stack Jr, Southern Illinois University, USA
Mateusz Jagielski, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland
Lucas Ribeiro Tenório, Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Science, Brazil
Shivanchan Rajmohan, Frimley Park Hospital, UK
Marta Araujo-Castro, The Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Spain
Marco Bernini, The University of Modena Teaching Hospital, Italy
Young Jun Chai, Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, Korea
Saad M. Alqahtani, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia
Wahida Chakari, Odense University Hospital, Denmark
Outstanding Author
Brendan C. Stack Jr
Dr. Brendan C. Stack, Jr., M.D., FACS, FACE, is the former Professor and Inaugural Chairman of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL. He was editor of Medical and Surgical Treatment of Parathyroid Diseases - An evidence-based approach, 2016, Neck Dissection, 2018, and Matrix Head and Neck Reconstruction: A defect based and scalable atlas for the management of oncologic and traumatic defects, 2023. He has presented at over 350 meetings regionally, nationally, and internationally. He collaborated on grants from the NIH, NSF and other organizations. Dr. Stack has appeared on or been cited by local and national media numerous times. He served on the editorial boards of several journals. He has served on review panels for the National Institutes of Health and review agencies for several nations. He is listed in “Best Doctors” of America, “Guide to America’s Top Surgeons”, “Guide to America’s Top Physicians”, Castle and Connolly Top Doctors and Cancer Specialists, and “Top Thyroid Doctors”. Connect with Dr. Stack on LinkedIn and Facebook.
In Dr. Stack’s view, an excellent research paper is hypothesis-driven. In this era of data science, artificial intelligence (AI), etc., he believes we must resist the temptation to do database “trawling” but start with a hypothesis from a clinical observation, etc., and proceed forward. Hypothesis-driven research is efficient and will eliminate the “noise” that increasingly present in contemporary peer-reviewed research. Clarity of hypothesis and methods, transparency in graphical presentation of data, and appropriate and relevant conclusions of clinical and/or scientific relevance are keys to quality scholarly work.
Dr. Stack indicates that honesty and integrity are two key things in constructing an academic paper. He explains, “These seem obvious but should never be taken for granted. We are observing an increased frequency of lapses in these areas requiring corrections. Many scientific errors go unrecognized and remain buried in the literature to fade into oblivion or possibly adversely affect meta-analyses and AI. Honesty and Integrity should be the loadstars of a scholarly career.”
Data sharing has been prevalent in scientific writing in recent years and, to Dr. Stack, has been a great advance in transparency. It allows for repetition of experiments and/or analysis, which is a key component of the scientific method. He points out that the next advance in this area will be centralization and uniformity in reporting data and peer review of shared data collection and its distribution to investigators.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Mateusz Jagielski
Mateusz Jagielski, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine, specialist in general surgery, and interventional gastroenterological endoscopist. He is the Professor at Department of General, Gastroenterological and Oncological Surgery, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland. He is an expert in advanced gastrointestinal endoscopy, particularly endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), as well as interventional endoscopic ultrasound (EUS). He specializes in minimally invasive treatment of consequences and complications of pancreatitis, especially of pancreatic and peripancreatic fluid collections. His area of interest also covers use of endoscopic techniques of surgical complications and cancers of gastrointestinal tract, especially colorectal cancer. He is a member of many scientific medical societies and the author of numerous publications in internationally renowned medical journals. During his medical career, he was repeatedly awarded by many scientific societies for his various papers. Connect with Dr. Jagielski on LinkedIn and learn more about his work on ResearchGate and MedTube.
To Dr. Jagielski, as a practicing surgeon, the main problem he encounters in academic writing is the lack of time to write. He adds, “I go back to my studies, and when I have more time, I would dedicate to academic writing. When academic writing is a passion, there is no obstacle one cannot overcome. This is very true in my case.”
In Dr. Jagielski’s view, the basis of every success is teamwork. Every stage of a study should be discussed by all team members. Selection of appropriate evidence for synthesis and analysis, therefore, lays in competence of biostatistician, who should be a member of every research team. As a leader of the research team, he believes it is his duty to develop a research concept and to conduct it. In medical science, where a human being is a study object, especially in surgery, conducting of the research (performing operation) is crucial for the success.
Lastly, Dr. Jagielski emphasizes that disclosing Conflict of Interest (COI) is pivotal for the credibility of medical studies. COI may often influence the results of the study. In a perfect world, every author of a medical publication should not have any COI.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Lucas Ribeiro Tenório
Dr. Lucas Ribeiro Tenório, MD, MS, is a thirty-five-year-old Brazilian Head and Neck Surgeon and an assistant at Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Science. He holds a Master's degree in surgery and is currently pursuing a PhD in the Health Sciences program at Santa Casa de São Paulo School of Medical Science. Following the completion of his medical residency program, he spent three months at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, United States, under the mentorship of Dr. Ralph Tuffano and Dr. Jonathon Russell, where he developed an interest in Transoral Neck Surgery. He has conducted research on various topics in Head and Neck Surgery, including Tracheostomy, quality of life, and Larynx cancer. His current research focuses on minimally invasive surgery, specifically Transoral Neck Surgery, including TOETVA, TOEPVA, TEVAS, and robotic head and neck surgery. Connect with Dr. Tenório on X and Instagram.
Dr. Tenório thinks a good academic paper should have the following features: 1) a robust although concise introduction; 2) a very well-defined objective; 3) a clear methodology, which has to be followed step by step. The reader has to understand what the authors did during the research and 4) an inclusive discussion. To discuss the literature and the article findings, the authors should do a good literature review, including the most important publications regarding the same theme. He points out that it is important to open the mind to read publications not only from the great centers.
In Dr. Tenório’s view, during the preparation of a paper, authors should follow a methodology to construct the article. He recommends using the PECOT strategy for research question formulation (P – Population | E – Exposure | C – Comparator | O – Outcome | T – Time).
“I chose to publish in GS due to the general quality of the Journal. I have been reading high-quality publications in GS. GS presents an open access publication process which gives more reach to our article,” says Dr. Tenório.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Shivanchan Rajmohan
Dr. Shivanchan Rajmohan graduated from Imperial College London with triple distinction and holds a first-class honors degree in Pharmacology. He is a surgical trainee in the UK, a member of the Royal College of Surgeons (England), and an associate fellow of the Higher Education Academy. His interests not only lie within Head and Neck Otolaryngology but also in promoting transparency in reporting of surgical research, and he was part of the team that developed the SCARE and PROCESS guidelines, winning the Harold Ellis Prize.
In Dr. Rajmohan’s opinion, a good author will demonstrate consistency in their research quality. This is achieved through clinically meaningful research, which has the potential to introduce novel concepts and techniques but also challenge existing standards with the aim of optimizing patient care. He thinks honesty, intellectual curiosity, integrity, and effective expression underpin a credible author.
Dr. Rajmohan alerts that bias can enter research at various stages – during the initial planning stages, data collection, and analysis/publication. The most important step in avoiding bias is recognizing the sources of bias and where it can enter the research process. Once this has been appreciated, steps to mitigate such bias should be implemented to maximize the internal validity of a study. Devising and publishing protocols for projects is helpful in planning and will enable authors to identify possible sources of bias.
“As a clinician who frequently utilizes evidence-based medicine to inform my clinical practice, I believe it is important to contribute to the scientific literature in some way. Rarer pathologies with scarce literature rely upon clinicians sharing their experiences to improve knowledge of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment. Personally, conducting research that may enhance the care of my patients really motivates me. Working as a team enables the workload to be distributed and is an excellent way to develop new connections with colleagues who share the same enthusiasm,” says Dr. Rajmohan.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Marta Araujo-Castro
Marta Araujo-Castro, MD, PhD, is the coordinator of the Neuroendocrinology & Adrenal Unit of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Department of the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. Her clinical focus and research is on pituitary and adrenal gland disorders and neuroendocrine tumors. She is the principal investigator and coordinator of the SPAIN-ALDO Register of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology & Nutrition (SEEN) and of the PHEO-PARA-RISK Study of the SEEN. Dr. Araujo-Castro is the coordinator of the adrenal diseases group of the SEEN, a member of the scientific board of the working group of Aldosterone Producing Adenomas (APA) of ENSAT and the principal investigator of the group of Endocrine-Metabolic, Digestive and Nutrition Surgery of the Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (IRYCIS). In addition, she is a member of the SEEN, the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), the Endocrine Society, the Spanish Group of Neuroendocrine Tumors (GETNE), the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT) and the European Society of Hypertension (ESH). She actively participates in several national and international congresses with presentations related to adrenal and pituitary pathology. Moreover, Dr. Araujo-Castro is a professor of the master’s degree in Endocrine Oncology Pathology at TECH University; she holds the title of master’s degree in research Methodology in Health Sciences of the Laboratory of Applied Statistics of the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) (Spain) and the Diploma in Statistics in Health Sciences of the UAB. A list of her research can be found here.
In Dr. Araujo-Castro’s view, authors need academic writing to promote their careers and to give visibility to their research projects. Besides, researchers can continue advancing in the knowledge of the different pathologies and offer better care to their patients through academic writing. She thinks that one of the most important qualities an author should possess is to be careful and patient with studies, analyze data very carefully and be critical of one’s results.
“It is true that sparing time for academic writing is a difficult task since being a scientist and a doctor at the same time requires a long time. However, I think that if you enjoy your job and try to find time to do both things, you can achieve it. The most important thing is to have a correct organization and be able to separate job and personal life since both are very important,” Dr. Araujo-Castro says.
(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)
Marco Bernini
Prof. Marco Bernini is a General Surgery Associate Professor, currently working at the University of Modena Teaching Hospital, Italy, as a Breast Surgeon within the Breast Unit. He published 61 indexed articles and 4 book chapters. He won three international awards for articles and congress contributions. His current H-Index is 23. He has been involved in the research area of breast cancer, both for oncological issues and innovative materials and techniques for breast reconstruction. Moreover, he has been participating in several translational projects in cancer biology and is currently working on a project for an innovative technology in breast cancer cell detection. He has recently participated in a cutting-edge surgical project (“Suture In Space”) for the study of tissue healing in micro-gravity conditions, led by ESA and developed at NASA headquarters in Cape Canaveral, using Space-X carrier for the in-orbit part of the project. Connect with him on Instagram.
In Prof. Bernini’s view, academic writing is a core element of any scientific field. He points out that publishing and spreading the knowledge achieved in every science is neither a mere communication tool, nor a newsroom exercise, and nor even a show-off behavior. It is an essential way of pursuing scientific research. Any researcher knows the importance of sharing thoughts, opinions and results. Every single result achieved by a researcher will be the step on which to build the stairs for other researchers and future achievements and discoveries. Therefore, sharing the research results and opinion is of utmost importance for the scientific community.
Prof. Bernini highlights scientific journals and online scientific platforms are a way of updating researchers nowadays. Congresses and face-to-face learning still retain their appeal and importance but cannot keep up with a world that is faster and faster. Science in particular is kind of skyrocketing in the way of achieving always new developments. Scientists need ways of absorbing new data and information that can have a rapid and up-to-date turnover.
“Academic writing is absolutely challenging in this rapidly evolving era, because while you are keeping up with new advances, your results must be updated consequently, along with your sources and references. Moreover, in an era of easy media exposure and communication, the slow process of peer-review publishing with its rigorous criteria seems to be out of time and even annoying. But scientific literature has its own peculiarity and, even if we could adapt it to a modern world, it must preserve the severity of a rigorous process to keep credibility. And I think that is especially in this perspective and because of such a severity that a scientist find the motivation for one’s efforts, as a moral duty towards the science itself and as a reward for personal self-esteem,” Dr. Prof says.
(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)
Young Jun Chai
Young Jun Chai, MD, Ph.D, has been a Professor of Surgery at Seoul Metropolitan Government - Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center since 2013. He was educated and trained at Seoul National University. Prof. Chai’s major professional interest is endocrine surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands; he is academically interested in applying new technologies such as artificial intelligence and augmented reality into real practice. He has published more than 140 SCI(E) papers and three textbooks. He is currently the Director of Academic Committee of the Korea Intraoperative Neural Monitoring Society (KINMoS) and the Director of External Affairs of the Korean Association of Endocrine Society (KAES). He also serves on the Editorial Board of Annals of Thyroid. Connect with him on LinkedIn.
GS: What do you regard as a good academic paper?
Prof. Chai: In academic papers, there are basic research, translational research, and clinical research, and I am interested in all these areas. However, as a surgeon, the part that interests me the most is clinical research. Especially during surgeries or while seeing patients, there are many aspects that are not explained in books or papers, and I enjoy researching these points of curiosity. I consider a good academic paper to be one that presents research findings that can be helpful in actual medical practice.
GS: What are the most commonly encountered difficulties in academic writing?
Prof. Chai: Academic writing can be broadly divided into two stages: the first stage involves idea generation and research design, while the second stage is the actual writing. The challenge in the first stage is to design research in a way that is both scientific and practically feasible, addressing questions that other researchers are curious about. If one strives for a statistically perfect design, it may require an excessively large sample size or result in high costs. Thus, a design that balances perfection and practicality is necessary. The difficulty in the second, practical writing stage lies not so much in writing the core content of the methods and results but rather in crafting an introduction that effectively sets up the story and a discussion that addresses the impact and debates surrounding the research. Many researchers find it challenging to write the introduction and discussion; reading extensively from other papers and books and practicing logical writing can help. In particular, learning about the logical structure necessary to complete a piece of writing is an essential part of the training.
GS: What is fascinating about academic writing?
Prof. Chai: It is fascinating to see other researchers comment and critique my research findings, whether positively or negatively after they are published. One of the interesting aspects of academic writing is the ability to initiate a research topic with my own ideas and set the stage for other researchers to continue the investigation through subsequent studies. This interactive process not only advances knowledge but also stimulates ongoing dialogue and development within the academic community.
(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)
Saad M. Alqahtani
Dr. Saad Alqahtani is an Associate Professor and Consultant in General, Breast & Endocrine Surgery. He established and became the Head of the Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. He has recently been appointed as a board member of the Saudi Society of Breast and Endocrine Surgery. In 2012, he successfully achieved the Saudi Board in General Surgery Certification. Dr. Alqahtani held the position of a Breast and Endocrine Surgery Fellow at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre from January 2014 to December 2015. During this time, he also served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Al-Faisal University in Riyadh. He is known for his numerous oral presentations, posters, publications, clinical teaching, and community services. One of his main achievements was his authored book called “Parathyroid Diseases.” Moreover, his primary areas of research focus on endocrine surgery, specifically with an emphasis on the thyroid. The majority of his study focuses on cytological indeterminate thyroid nodules.
In Dr. Alqahtani’s view, a good academic paper is characterized by its novelty and its ability to bring about transformative changes in both local and global contexts. Furthermore, a strong academic paper should possess a well-defined research question or objective that establishes the framework for the study and delineates its purpose. In addition, the methodology should be thoroughly elucidated and the analysis should acknowledge and account for any potential biases and limits. Lastly, the data and outcomes should be presented in a clear and organized manner.
Dr. Alqahtani admits that preparing a scientific paper is a challenging task. On one hand, teamwork is the fundamental foundation for attaining success. On the other hand, every phase of a study should be thoroughly deliberated by all the team members.
“Writing a good academic paper is a time-consuming endeavour which requires enthusiasm and patience. Nevertheless, passion is the crucial element in attaining success and excellence in this pursuit,” says Dr. Alqahtani.
(by Sasa Zhu, Brad Li)
Wahida Chakari
Wahida Chakari is a fifth-year resident in plastic and reconstructive surgery at Odense University Hospital in Denmark. Early in her residency, she developed a keen interest in microsurgery, which led her to pursue a master’s degree in reconstructive microsurgery at Queen Mary University of London, UK. There, she gained a solid foundation in microsurgical techniques, theoretical knowledge, and expanded her professional network significantly. Throughout her residency, her research has included various aspects of plastic surgery. Recently, her focus has shifted towards microsurgery, with current and future projects centered on breast reconstruction and head and neck reconstruction. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
In Dr. Chakari’s view, a good academic paper must address a specific, well-defined research question that adds value to the field. The methodology should be detailed and replicable. This includes a clear description of the study design, participants, procedures, and statistical analyses. The discussion should be thorough, interpreting the findings, acknowledging limitations, and suggesting future research directions. Overall, the paper should be well-written, and ensure that complex ideas are communicated clearly and concisely.
From an author’s perspective, Dr. Chakari believes that it is important to follow reporting guidelines like PRISMA or CARE when preparing manuscripts. These guidelines provide a standardized framework that ensures consistency and comprehensiveness in reporting research, making it easier for readers and reviewers to understand and evaluate the study. Following these guidelines, from her point of view, can promote transparency in research methods and results, which is necessary for reproducibility and reliability of findings. Overall, these guidelines help maintain high standards in scientific writing.
“To all academic writers: your dedication and hard work drive scientific progress and improve patient care. Stay passionate, keep questioning, and continue pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Remember that your contributions are invaluable. Keep up the good work!” says Dr. Chakari.
(by Brad Li, Masaki Lo)