Welcome to the Journal Club Page!

Environmental and Evolutionary Toxicology Journal Club

 

Welcome to the Environmental and Evolutionary Toxicology Journal Club. This club consists of students, post-docs, technical staff, and faculty members who meet once a week to discuss a recent or classic scientific publication in the areas of environmental and evolutionary toxicology. This is an informal gathering where ideas are exchanged; participants are introduced to topics not covered in our standard courses; and students gain experience in communicating science in a casual atmosphere. The ability to read papers critically is a skill that every scientist needs to develop. Journal club is an informal way to develop that skill. This is not a course, but students have the option of registering for 1 credit hour under Tox 620 Special Problems in Toxicology . Feel free to bring your lunch to the club.

 

Article selection:

Participants will sign up to lead the discussion on the specified day. The discussion leader selects a pertinent paper, submits it electronically to Dr. Buchwalter at least 7 days before the presentation date. Dr. Buchwalter will approve the paper and post it on the club website. Dr. Buchwalter will work with the presenter to select an appropriate paper if necessary. Papers typically are not rejected because of subject matter but rather due to the paucity of discussion-worthy information. Papers that have broader themes, introduce novel techniques, concepts, and applications, or challenge dogma generally stimulate discussion. Good papers can be found in good journals (Science, Nature, Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Health Perspectives, etc.).

 

Presentation format:

The discussion leader will introduce the topic of the paper with adequate background information, rationale for the study, hypothesis being tested, etc. The leader should discuss why they selected the paper. If it not obvious, the leader should discuss the relevance of the work to toxicology. This introduction should not exceed 10 minutes. The leader must come to the club with approximately 10 questions that will serve to stimulate discussion. The leader will pose these questions and will be prepared to promote discussion surrounding these questions. The questions should draw the audience to the important aspects of the paper as well as potential flaws in the rationale or experiments.

 

Reading papers:

Papers must be read carefully, perhaps several times, by all club participants for discussion to occur. When reading the paper, keep notes or write directly on the paper. At a minimum, notes should be kept on the following.

-What is the hypothesis behind the study?

-Why is the work important?

-What does each table and figure tell us?

-How does the study contribute to the “bigger picture”?

-What are the shortcomings or limitations of the work?

-Are the conclusions drawn by the authors supported by the data presented?

-Does the work have a direct impact on your research? If so, how?

 

 

Students, post-docs, staff and faculty are welcome to attend, so please join us if you are interested! Inquiries can be addressed to Dr. Buchwalter.

Meeting Time for Fall 2007 : Every Tuesday, 12:00 pm (lunchtime), Toxicology Lecture Hall starting on August 26,2008.

 

 

For questions and comments, please email the webmaster.

Last Modified: January 16, 2007 10:42 AM