Thx for writing your experience down in this topic. But I fear, I have some more questions. Maybe you can help me out.
1) Which are those fourteen academic skills, you mentioned? Are those related to the skills mentionend here: http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Skill ? So when I have got a legendary mechanic and assign him as scholar, he is more likely to write high quality Engineering Scrolls and Quires? At the embark screen I can see Critical Thinker, Logician, Mathematician, Astronomer, Chemist, Geographer, Optics Engineer, Fluid Engineer. Probably those are 8 of the 12. Do they effect anything else beside the quality of their writings?
2) How the topics mentioned here are related to the skills? http://dwarffortresswiki.org/index.php/Topic Are they chosen randomly? Or is this another package of various skills additonal to the 12 a.m. academic skills? And the higher those are, the more likely they write a book about a specific topic?
3) Where can I see the relevant academic and topic skills in Dwarf Therapist? I can find Student/Teacher in the Social Tab and different values for those in the Military Tab. Am I missing something or aren't they implemented yet?
4) Do you assign Scholars and Scribes to the library as "Full-Time-Job"? Or do they have other jobs assigned as well like Mechanics, Carpenter, etc.?
1. The academic skills I am talking about are; Critical Thinker, Logician, Mathematician, Astronomer, Chemist, Geographer, Optics Engineer, Fluid Engineer, Diagnosis, Wound Dresser, Bone Doctor, Surgeon, Suturer, and Mechanic. Those are the original 14 I was talking about. However, I have since found that Tracker, Organizer, Poet, and Record Keeper are also academic skills. These affect the frequency that the scholar writes about a topic or ponders/discuss/teaches a topic. I am not sure if it affects quality. It does affect whether a dwarf will enter a master/apprentice relationship.
Of course Diagnosis, Wound Dresser, Bone Doctor, Surgeon, Suturer, Organizer, Poet, Record Keeper, and Mechanic all have practical uses in game but only the medical skills really matter since the other skills can be leveled more efficiently in other ways.
There are also writing, wordsmith, student, speaker, and teacher which are all used in the process.
2. The topics are general categories of knowledge. Each skill falls into a topic. I am not sure exactly which are paired up but some are fairly obvious.
3. You have to create a new grid in therapist and include all of the skills you want.
4. Being a scholar is pretty much a full time job. Dwarves will eventually do other things as well but it can take a season or so to get around to it. If you make your mechanic a scholar then it is best to take him off the job when you need him to work. Same goes for doctors.
However, scribing is in no way a full time job. Dwarves will only occasionally copy a book.