In 2023, many ALES 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 (2023)

F. Borja de Lacy, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain

Mehmet Can Aydin, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Turkey

Aydin Aktas, Kanuni Training and Research Hospital, Turkey

Christian Beltzer, German Armed Forces Hospital of Ulm, Germany

Paul C. Kuo, University of South Florida, USA

Anil Hingorani, New York University, USA

Robert J. Huang, Stanford University, USA

Kunzah Syed, Johns Hopkins University, USA

Outstanding Author

F. Borja de Lacy

Dr. F. Borja de Lacy is a general surgeon working in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Spain and member of the Instituto Quirúrgico Lacy (IQL) team. He is specialized in colorectal and gastrointestinal surgery, together with the management of peritoneal diseases (peritoneal carcinomatosis). He has experience in surgical treatment using minimally invasive techniques (laparoscopy, robotic surgery) and as an academic surgeon considering that patient care must be accompanied by research. In 2021, he defended his Doctoral Thesis on rectal cancer surgery, receiving the CUM LAUDE mention as well as the Extraordinary Doctorate Award for the 2020-2021 academic year.

ALES: What do you regard as a good academic paper?

Dr. de Lacy: A good academic paper starts from an appropriate question and is based on a serious scientific protocol. It has a strict and rigorous methodology, often based on well-known clinical guidelines. The results are presented in a clear and concise manner and the discussion is divided into paragraphs that include a summary of the most relevant results together with an analysis of the unexpected outcomes. A good academic paper follows already defined protocols and seeks to increase scientific evidence knowledge, not just serve as a substrate for the researchers' curriculum vitae.

ALES:  Academic writing often involves evidence synthesis. Can you share tips on selecting the appropriate evidence for synthesis and analysis?

Dr. de Lacy: Evidence synthesis is essential when writing a paper. All of us have been in the situation of dealing with a lot of data but without a clear decision of what is important, what is relevant, if we should present all the information in the same paper, etc. My advice would be the following: ask yourself a specific question with a specific primary outcome. For example, whether one surgical intervention may be superior to another in terms of reducing the rates of a specific postoperative complication (in colorectal surgery we usually consider anastomotic leak). It is appropriate to provide baseline and demographic information on the patients you include, both to assess whether the groups are comparable and to show that they are typical patients in routine clinical practice. But outside of that, you should focus on the evidence that is related to your question and your primary outcome. This will show that you are capable of synthesizing, of assessing what is really relevant at this moment, and will allow the reader to capture the ideas in an effective way. Let's not forget that your mission is not to add a paper to your curriculum vitae, but to provide reproducible data to the current evidence aiming to improve the care and treatment of people worldwide.

ALES: What is fascinating about academic writing?

Dr. de Lacy: The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule defines “health research” as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge”. Research is one of the three aspects of the comprehensive mission of academic medical centres, besides patient care and education. However, writing a paper is not easy, since the outcome depends on both the type of study and the data obtained, the statistical analysis, and of course the quality of the writing. What I find fascinating is that, despite the fact that we are dealing with scientific data and with pre-established ways of presenting it, the human value and the way in which the ideas are oriented in each sentence continues to be decisive for the final quality of the article. Every person in charge of academic writing should have high writing and synthesis skills.

ALES: Is it important for authors to disclose Conflict of Interest (COI)? To what extent would a COI influence a research?

Dr. de Lacy: Absolutely, and we have clear examples of problems and consequences of well-known researchers who have underestimated the importance of disclosing COI. Despite the fact that in the mind of every scientist there is an innate desire to investigate and the pleasure of discovering, we are all human and temptation is part of our essence. No matter how well intentioned we may be, if the results of our research can also benefit our personal environment, our subconscious may be tempted. That is why it is essential for authors to disclose COI and be as transparent as possible. Failure to do so can lead to retractions that stain the record, but above all limit confidence. To what extent a COI influence a research depends on each specific case, but if the transparency protocols are followed, it should not influence at all. The only exception may be the well-known publication bias, where negative results are not published and this obviously goes unnoticed by people outside the study.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Mehmet Can Aydin

Dr. Mehmet Can Aydin currently serves at Ondokuz Mayıs University School of Medicine in Samsun/Turkey. He is a general surgery and gastrointestinal surgery specialist for five years. He is interested in hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, liver transplantation and gastrointestinal surgery. Nowadays, he is concentrating on his academic career and working on it.

Academic writing, in Dr. Aydin’s opinion, is the most effective way for professional communication among all of the scientists in the world, and this communication brings success and development. As a result, science needs academic writing to exist and achieve better day by day.

Speaking of the most important quality that an author should have, Dr. Aydin believes it is to be able to ask a brand new original question with answers that can illuminate it, by reflecting on previously unknown, misunderstood or insufficient evidence. And in order to be able to ask this question, it is essential to follow and know the literature closely. These two major characteristics are the most basic elements of being an author.

Disclosing Conflict of Interest (COI) by authors, according to Dr. Aydin, is both important and necessary. Because the existence of a COI undermines the reliability of the results of the study and sometimes makes it meaningless for the readers. The existence of this situation can frustrate all the expectations of a perfect job candidate.

“Academic writing and reading literature really take a lot of time and effort. In order to do this, a good motivation is required. The most important source of my motivation is the possibility that the article I wrote can shed light on all surgeons interested in that subject. In addition, having an article that has entered the literature and is cited will be one of the most important spiritual legacies I can leave to my daughter,” says Dr. Aydin.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Aydin Aktas

Dr. Aydin Aktas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Kanuni Training and Research Hospital in Trabzon, Turkey. His interests are colorectal, gastric, advanced hepatobiliary, bariatric and metabolic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. He continues his studies mainly in the fields of surgical field infections, bariatric and metabolic surgery and gastric cancer surgery. More recently, it has focused on advanced endoscopic procedures and procedures combining minimally invasive surgery. He believes that the most important thing that increases the patient's quality of life in the postoperative period is minimally invasive procedures and continues to work in this direction. For more information about Dr. Aktas, please visit his ORCID, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science pages. You may also follow him on Instagram.

Shortening the half-life of information, integrating technology more into the surgical field and not allocating enough time for all of these, in Dr. Aktas’ view, are the biggest challenges for a surgeon or academician. In order to be a successful surgeon and a good academician, he believes one should improve his/her surgical skills and be able to follow the current literature.

Science advances rapidly day by day. It is getting harder and harder to keep academic work up to date. For this reason, Dr. Aktas thinks surgeons and academicians should work in more specific areas and continue their academic studies in the areas they work. He explains, “In this way, we can have a better command of the areas we work and have a better grasp of the missing and to-be-developed issues. Thus, we can both improve our surgical skills and ensure that our academic studies are up-to-date.”

Speaking of the prevalence of research data sharing, Dr. Aktas points out that he cares much about data sharing in scientific studies. This provides an outside perspective on someone else's work or an outside perspective on his work.

“The biggest factors in my ability to spare time for my scientific studies are curiosity and doubt, because doubt is the only truth, and curiosity opens the door to everything. The desire to learn new surgical procedures allows me to develop my personal perspective and ask questions by following the current literature. I can explain this with a proverb: ‘He doesn’t ask because he doesn’t know; he’d have asked, if he knew; he doesn't know because he doesn’t ask; he’d have known, if he asked’. In addition, as we receive positive feedback, it increases our motivation for academic writing and can turn it into a personal hobby,” says Dr. Aktas.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Christian Beltzer

Priv.-Doz. Dr. Christian Beltzer, MD, is an Executive Consultant at the Department of General, Visceral and Thoracic Surgery, German Armed Forces Hospital of Ulm, Germany. His clinical focuses are on liver surgery, pancreatic surgery, (robotic) colorectal surgery, and emergency surgery, and his research focuses include robotic assisted surgery (daVinci), cholecystectomy, sigmoid resection. He is currently holding projects on liver and splenic trauma.

A good scientific paper, according to Dr. Beltzer, is characterized not only by an interesting and relevant topic, but also by a clear structure in methodology and presentation of results. In addition, the statement of the author's opinion in the discussion is also important - because science needs debate. He adds, “Above all, a good scientific author should be able to critically question and interpret his or her own results - in the context of the literature on the subject.”

Research requires clear and binding rules. In Dr. Beltzer’s opinion, this applies to ethical principles as well as to approvals and review processes in the context of a publication. Only these rules guarantee high scientific quality and recognition in the scientific community. Without the approval and without strict and transparent rules, trust in science would decline.

“I choose to publish in ALES as it is an emerging journal in the field of minimally invasive surgery, with high-quality articles and world-renowned editors,” says Dr. Beltzer.

(By Brad Li, Eunice X. Xu)

Paul C. Kuo

Paul C. Kuo, MD, MBA, is Professor of Surgery, Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Academic Affairs and Assistant Dean for Research Program Development at the University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine; Professor of Information Systems and Decision Sciences at the University of South Florida Muma College of Business and Chief of Surgery at Tampa General Hospital. Immediately prior to this, he was the John P. Igini Professor of Surgery and Chair of the Department of Surgery at Loyola University Medical Center. He is a 1985 graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He trained at the Brigham and Womens Hospital in general surgery, and at the New England Deaconess Hospital (now the BI-Deaconess) in Hepatobiliary/Transplant Surgery, and spent three years as a postdoctoral research fellow at Harvard Medical School under Joseph Loscalzo, MD, PhD. Connect with Prof. Kuo on LinkedIn.

To Prof. Kuo, academic writing usually is the summary and culmination of taking a new idea to completion. One of the difficulties he encounters in academic writing is making sure that the results support the conclusion and making sure the conclusions are not over stated. Another difficulty he often faces is procrastination, obviously hampering the progress.

A good author, according to Prof. Kuo, should be in humility and incisive thinking, additionally, have the ability to suspend dogma and willingness to entertain new ideas.

Talking about the prevalence of data sharing in recent years, Prof. Kuo thinks that it is essential for authors. Through data sharing, authors can potentiate the current state of knowledge, allow external confirmation of results, and aid others.

(by Xing Liu, Brad Li)

Anil Hingorani

Dr. Anil Hingorani is a vascular surgeon working in South Brooklyn for 25 years. His group is affiliated with New York University- Brooklyn. Their areas of research include arterial and venous disease, inpatient and outpatient procedures, radiation safety, education, dialysis access, diversity, new techniques, tools and technologies, the vascular lab, and topical oxygen therapy, amongst others.

A good academic paper, according to Dr. Hingorani, is one that pushes the field forward and extends the boundaries of our knowledge. It ultimately has to help the patients. Often, the questions that are explored lead to more questions that are raised.

In Dr. Hingorani’s own practice, for each project, his team not only looks back in the literature to see what was already written but also takes the recent presentations into account, even if they have not been incorporated into the literature yet. This helps to keep their work up-to-date. He adds, “It is a constant evolution. The tools and concepts of today’s academic writing are quite different from even those of 5 years ago. The challenges we face today will be quite different from those of 5 years from now.”

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)

Robert J. Huang

Robert J. Huang is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, and a gastroenterologist who seeks to use both science and clinical practice to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of digestive malignancies. His clinical practice is focused on the use of advanced endoscopic imaging procedures to improve cancer detection, and therapeutic endoscopic procedures to remove or destroy cancer and precancerous lesions. His research is aimed at improving digestive cancer outcomes and reducing cancer disparities through data science, cohort building, and biomarker development. Learn about more about Dr. Huang here.

The communication of scientific ideas and results is a critical mission of scientists. Even the best idea or convincing result is in vain if it cannot be communicated clearly and concisely to others through prose, figures, and tables. In Dr. Huang’s opinion, concise and impactful writing can make the difference between getting funded or not getting funded, or having a paper accepted or rejected. He adds, “As academic physicians, it is important for us to mentor others on the importance of scientific writing, and take the time to read and improve our own and others’ work.”

To ensure one’s writing is critical, Dr. Huang believes one should read widely and broadly across a diverse body of literature. Personally, he not only tries to stay abreast of recent literature within his own field, but also spends time reading manuscripts across medical fields that he finds interesting from a clinical or methodologic perspective. He spends time serving as a peer reviewer for journals, which introduces him to new modes of presentation. He also loves to receive good, constructive feedback from co-authors and reviewers. While seeing a rejection is painful and emotional, realizing that other accomplished scientists are trying to help him improve his science and writing also brings a sense of gratitude. He goes on, “It is also important sometimes to just start writing. We all get writer’s block, that inability to begin to write because it may not be ‘just right’; but much of the writing process lies in editing. Forcing yourself to write, even if painful and anxiety-producing, is important in that it allows a draft you can later edit. And with each successive round of editing, you will enjoy your work more and more.”

“I enjoy reading and writing. English, writing, humanities, and oral presentation skills have always been academic topics that I enjoyed, and that has carried through nicely into my career as a physician-scientist. It also is quite helpful to have a supportive spouse. My wife is a neurosurgeon and a writer who has both researched and written extensively about end-of-life care and communications. Having someone you trust review and critique your work is a tremendous advantage,” says Dr. Huang.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)

Kunzah Syed

Dr. Kunzah Syed is a Clinical and Research Postdoctoral Fellow in Medical Pancreatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland and a graduate student in the Master of Public Health Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She was drawn to Baltimore by its phenomenal public health offerings and distinguished history. During her prior nutrition training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, also a National Pancreas Foundation Center of Excellence, she wanted to learn more about pathologies like cystic lesions and autoimmune pancreatitis to further cultivate a specialized skillset. Dr. Syed is honored to be the only physician in the U.S. with formal fellowship training in the subspecialties of clinical nutrition and medical pancreatology. In 2022, Doximity ranked her one of the “Most Cited Clinicians” on the platform and a “Top 10 Most Viewed Physician” (from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine).

ALES: What role does academic writing play in science?

Dr. Syed: I believe wholeheartedly that every investigator should take formal courses in academic writing, as written communications are the crux of scientific advancement and the currency we, as researchers, deal in. Academic writing is a skill honed with time and is not necessarily second nature at first. Some young professionals hate to write. It is imperative to overcome the discomfort of writing that first draft because writing will get easier with time and repetition. Academic writing becomes worthwhile when we recall that its purpose is to judiciously communicate impactful, novel, or even confirmatory information for societal benefit. I will add that a good mentor or colleague in the scientific community is someone who brutally proofreads your writing and forces you to think critically about your assertions, which I would value over complacency.

ALES: How to avoid biases in one’s writing?

Dr. Syed: The first step to avoid biases in one’s writing is acknowledging that you and your reader inevitably have them. One technique is to step away from your writing for a few days, if you have the luxury, to become a stranger to your own work. You can also attempt to anticipate the reactions and criticisms of various people in your target audience who might read your writing, then modify any statements that come across as unintentionally abrasive. Better still, I would suggest that multiple people from various academic ranks and backgrounds read one’s work to infuse their valuable perspectives, which prevents it from being unidimensional. It is also helpful to pretend that your readers know little about your subject area and ensure that you describe things in a straightforward and instructive way. A popular teaching point in graduate school is, “Don’t assume that everyone knows where Harvard is.”

ALES: Would you like to say a few words to encourage other academic writers who have been devoting themselves to advancing scientific progress?

Dr. Syed: I would encourage other academic writers who are devoted to advancing scientific progress to keep plodding along in small steps, no matter how many criticisms, revisions, or rejections it takes. These challenges are universal to researchers and humans. Picture the end goal: a celebrated proof from the Editorial Board that, once published, will edify and uplift.

(by Brad Li, Alisa Lu)