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Margaret A. Winker, MD; Phil B. Fontanarosa, MD

JAMA. 1999;281:1543.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Scientific discourse occurs in many forms: among colleagues, at scientific meetings, during peer review, and after publication. Such discourse is essential to interpreting studies and guiding future research. However, most forms of discourse become part of the scientific record only indirectly, such as through revision of a manuscript in response to peer review or through the influence of colleagues' comments on the author. Only 1 form of discourse—letters—becomes part of the permanent biomedical record, linked with the scientific article through its citation in databases such as MEDLINE.

The letters section of a scientific journal is an essential part of postpublication peer review. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors recommends that "[a]ll biomedical journals should have a section carrying comments, questions, or criticisms about articles they have published and where the original authors can respond."¹ Letters facilitate and document discussion and debate. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: Dr Winker is Deputy Editor and Dr Fontanarosa is Interim Coeditor, JAMA.