How does journal club work

However, both of these problems can be avoided, and today, I would like to give some tips on how you can start and run a successful journal club with your friends and colleagues! The best advice to avoid the common problems associated with journal clubs is to keep it casual. Rule 1: Make it clear that presenters do not have to understand every detail of their paper. It is entirely natural that parts of an article remain mysterious.

In fact, some of the most beneficial discussions arise when a presenter admits that they did not understand parts of a paper, and the group collectively tries to find the correct interpretation.

By encouraging people to admit their knowledge gaps , you can get more presenters and perhaps more exciting discussions during the journal club. Rule 2: Encourage everyone to ask any question.

To avoid people passively absorbing the presentations, clearly state that everyone is welcome and encouraged! There really are no stupid questions! In this way, asking questions and admitting not understanding something is normalized.

Rule 3: Keep everything voluntary. You might be tempted to force every participant to present a certain number of papers simply to ensure enough articles to fill the time slot. However, this is usually not a good idea. However, as time goes by, the preparation of papers can seem too much like an additional, time-consuming task, so participants might stop coming to the Journal club altogether.

If people only present when they want to talk about a specific article, they experience less stress and give better presentations. This also allows people who are nervous about presenting to still join the club and participate in the discussion. The first step is arguably the most important. In this step, you need to decide on the potential participants , the focus , and the format of the journal club.

Choosing who participates determines the atmosphere of the journal club. You need to decide if you want your journal club to be primarily for students or if you include staff and faculty. In my journal club, we opted to only include master and Ph. This approach has the benefit that students are more eager to participate. No one can feel embarrassed in front of their supervisor, which removes pressure from presenters in line with rule 1 and from people asking questions in line with rule 2.

Presentations are usually prepared using Powerpoint slides so that figures from the articles can be displayed for the audience. Prior to discussing the article details, you should provide sufficient background information so that those who are not experts can understand what is being discussed.

How the article contributes to our understanding of placental or trophoblast biology and pregnancy at large should also be discussed. Your presentation should be between minutes in length. Please expect that audience members will ask questions throughout your presentation, which is why the meetings will often last between 45 min to 1 hour.

Presenters should try to choose an article that is not directly related to their own research and that comes from a high impact journal e. The selection of an article that is not obviously connected to the trophoblast field but has implications for the research of CTR members is also encouraged.

For a list of previously presented articles, click here. Our scheduling was in part defined by both the number of participants and the standard academic calendar. At Addgene, we wanted to think more closely about the wealth of high-throughput sequencing HTS data we generate and maintain.

It became clear that while several people across teams had various levels of experience with bioinformatics and HTS, we all had much to learn. And, many wanted to learn more, even those not directly involved in the project. Once you decide on the topic, there are a number of administrative and practical decisions to make. How often will you hold it? How many people do you expect to attend? What is the expectation on level of critique and detail?

Where will the journal club take place? There are many important pieces before that first meeting takes place to ensure success. Aim for weeks advance notice for the first meeting so that people can set aside time in their schedules and read the paper PS: All participants should read the paper ahead of time!

This notice can be shortened as the meeting settles in and people get the time recurrently carved out. This notice typically should include the paper, any supplemental data, software repositories, or other information needed by someone to critically discuss the paper. Before the first journal club, think about the meeting itself A journal club should aim to have many of the same characteristics as a successful meeting: a clear purpose and effective time management, for starters.

There are many common ways to run the journal club. Some are led by a single individual who walks through the paper figure by figure. Some follow the same figure by figure organization with a different person responsible for each figure. All formats should be an open forum where people feel welcome to ask any questions they have. These variations are suited for different applications and should be carefully chosen for each group and topic.

For example, it may be useful to adapt the second version multiple presenter, figure by figure if the primary purpose is training graduate students in critical reading. Accomplish more in less time and with less effort by making smarter choices for the tools you use in the lab, including cell isolation and cell culture technologies. Tweet Share. Attend scientific talks, browse posters, and join discussions on immunology, pluripotent stem cells, and organoids.

StemCell Technologies Inc. You can change your email preferences at any time. Make It a Routine Schedule the journal club at a recurring time and location, so that it becomes a regular part of everyone's schedule. Designate a Leader A designated leader s who can take ownership of running the journal club will contribute tremendously to its success. Get Organized Staying organized is key to running a successful journal club.

Here are some ways that can help you organize a journal club: Set a consistent format and make sure members are aware of it. Create and share schedules so participants know it's their turn to present, facilitate, pre-read, or provide refreshments. Develop a communication rhythm to make sure announcements and reminders are sent out in a timely manner. Bring attendance sheets to track member turnouts.

Depending on the institute, keeping track of attendance can help with budget requests and approvals. Provide feedback forms to the audience to help identify areas for improvement. Journal Club ToolKit Get organized with these downloadable tools, including a journal club preparation checklist, attendance sheet template, presentation checklist, feedback form template, and presenter evaluation forms.

Pre-Read Papers Pre-reading is a great way to ensure that you have sufficient background information to participate in journal club discussions. Build a Community You need to have students that are interested in the club in the first place, and I would also say, interested in hanging out with each other.

Successful journal clubs always come with food!! Choose Relevant Papers Consider the composition of your journal club community when choosing a paper. As a journal club organizer or leader, you can provide presenters with a suggested list of presentation content and best practices: Start with why. Prepare a concise presentation. Summarize only the key points of the paper. Include enough background information but avoid the urge to include every single detail.

You can provide technical details when needed during the discussion period. Simplify complex information. Create simple visual representations of complex ideas, pathways, or techniques to help your audience understand the information. Avoid writing out complex information in text-heavy slides that nobody will read. Give it more space. Make your slides easier to read by avoiding having too much text in small fonts or too many figures on one slide.

If a figure is too large, you can break it up into a few slides.