JOURNAL CLUB: A FORUM TO ENCOURAGE GRADUATE AND UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENTS TO CRITICALLY REVIEW THE LITERATURE

摘要

This contribution outlines a strategy that the author has used to counteract literature lethargy and train beginning researchers how to efficiently learn from and critique articles. Journal Club is a weekly meeting with all members of the research group where a research article related to each student's project is discussed by the entire research group. Due to multiple projects in the lab, each researcher contributes to discussions of articles tangentially related to their own research; this is a long-term benefit because it increases the breadth of each individual's knowledge. The discussion questions strive to increase the depth of knowledge in each topic. Lastly, the student involvement in discussions teaches critical thinking and aids in developing foresight to more effectively plan experiments. Outcomes of the Journal Club activity have been increased student knowledge of the literature, decreased apprehension in younger students toward understanding technical publications, and a slight increase in productivity towards publication goals within the group. Including this weekly meeting as an independent study course for credit also encourages all students to read the articles prior to the meeting and enhances participation in group discussions.