The Art of Writing a “Letter to Editor”

A “Letter to Editor” (LTE) is a powerful tool facilitating communication between the journal’s readership and editor. It is most frequently written to critique a published article, serving as a post-publication peer review, to which authors’ responses are invited. There should be a genuine reason to publish an LTE. Whether to publish an LTE or not remains at the editor’s discretion and is essentially determined by its “added value” to the journal. It is imperative to thoroughly read the journal, article, and related literature before writing an LTE. An LTE should convey a clear message, in a concise and lucid manner, to increase the chances of its acceptance for publication. LTEs are being misused for their ease of publication, increasing citation counts, self-promotion, or financial profit through the imposition of exorbitant article processing charges. Nonetheless, LTEs when used judiciously facilitate the exchange of ideas, which may result in the evolution of novel concepts benefiting medical science and society.