Journal Club Paper Presentation
The journal club is the classic areana in which to learn your speaking skills. It is the place where all scientists start speaking because in presenting a published paper, you have a complete story. Since it is someone else's work, you can begin speaking about a whole story before you have learned enough to tell an entire story (or learned anything at all for that matter). The other great benfit of journal club is that it forces you deeply into the literature. You are able to test your reading skills, either as a presenter, or by simply attending a journal club.
A journal club is a regular (usually weekly) meeting of people interested in a narrow range of topics (focus α size-1). Well in advance of a meeting, one person is selected to present at a particular meeting (typically the schedule is set for the next x weeks, where x is equal the number of people participating in the group). In advance of presenting, the speaker will choose a paper and distribute it to the group. The presenter then reads the paper in depth and develops a presentation of the contents of that paper. The standard themes would be giving the place of this paper in the big picture of similar work, the question addressed specifically in this paper, the model system used (and an introduction to the experimental techniques if less well known in the group), a walk through each experimental line of evidence (with visuals) and then a conclusion about the work (opinion is encouraged). On the day of the journal club, the speaker then leads the discussion of this paper. Journal clubs are usually one hour, and a speaker typically prepares twenty minutes worth of material. As the speaker guides the group through the paper, any topic is open for discussion. This discussion, in a lively journal club, will fill the majority of the time. The speaker has the privelige of moderating the discussion (a skill you can use later as you are asked to moderate speaker sessions at a meeting). Thus, presenting a journal club is largely leading discussion of a paper. You learn how to plan and give a low-key talk while largely avoiding (or at least deflecting the challenges that normally come while presenting your own results).
Assignment
Your assignment is to give a journal club presentation. The only artificial constraints we'll have are the time limit of twenty-five (25) minutes and a much wider selection of topics than would be typical for a journal club the size of this class. Here is a list of step to prepare your paper presentation.
1.
Select a Paper to Present
I have prepared a collection of papers. The selection criteria involved looking for papers that attempt to demonstrate a clear conclusion from among the journals to which we subscribe. I haven't included methods papers or structure determination papers as they tend to follow a formula and don't present much to discuss. The currently archived journal is Biochemistry (1990–2023, 4371 papers available for selection). Search the archive to find a paper of interest.
You may, upon attempting step 2, return to the database and change your paper selection, up to one week before your seminar. In order to allow everyone to read your paper, paper changes will be unavailable in the final week before your seminar. Remember, since journal club presenters are leading discussion, it will be a bit easier for you if everyone has had an honest chance to read your paper.
2.
Read Your Paper
Read your paper. Leave it to sit a day or two. Read it again. Even if you aren't actively thinking about the paper during the gap day(s) you'll come back with a fresh perspective and a better understanding to the evidence and flow of the paper.
It is at this point when you should be working out the big picture question and the details of each experiment. For the big picture, pay attention to the introduction and the papers referenced in that section. Introductions are usually written like a funnel—from the most inclusive view of the topic to the particular details of these experiments. Remembering that should help you sort out the information in the introduction.
For the experimental data, it is to the figures and tables. All the data are there, along with what is in the methods section describing the experimental details. The prose of the results section provides a guide through the data, but you'll have to wrestle with the data to truly make meaning. Now, it isn't a necessary part of this assignment for you to work out all the details of this paper on your own. Please feel free to come and ask questions if you aren't sure about the experimental technique or what we should conclude from a particular result. Asking well formed questions is encouraged. Asking, "What is this paper about?," is not as helpful as I am likely to give you a very general answer.
3.
Plan the Story
Once you know what the paper is about, you can build the themes you'd like to cover during our discussion. This starts with what you'd like to say as background. Will it all come from this paper, or do you need to include something from previous publications? In this general introduction, you may be able to spend five minutes setting up the paper. This is also the only likely time you'll be able to talk without being interupted. Then which bits of data are required to build toward the conclusion. Some experiments are critical, others have been done largely as controls. In our short format, you may want to skip the peripheral data and focus on the most meaningful experiments. You'll also want to form your opinion about the conclusion. Do you agree wholesale with the authors or do you wish to take issue with their conclusions (which, by the way, you are most free to do)?
4.
Prepare the Visuals
At the minimum, you'll want most figure represented on a slide for your presentation. Often the title and author list is used as the first slide to get you talking. You are free (and encouraged) to add figures, text or other slides to help you. It is not uncommon to simplify a figure or project just a panel at a time in order to focus attention and make figures more clear. If you think you'll need placeholders, or reminders, don't hesitate to add them in to your slides.
As for the practical details, your favorite slide program is the best place to start. It will also help to use your machine during your talk (don't worry, there is alternating current on the front desk). It is a good idea to work out the intricacies of
Presenter view if you'll be using Microsoft
® PowerPoint. Since this is a discussion, there is a good bit of moving between figures, and this view will make it a little easier. It will also help if you're asked about a figure that you weren't planning to talk about if they are slides beyond the end of your prepared talk.
Depending on the age of the paper you choose and the journal in which it was published, you may or may not have nice image file figures. If your paper does have an html version, using those figures are the easiest route. If you only have the Adobe
®Acrobat (*.pdf) file, the "Take Snapshot" tool will copy the selected rectangle to the clipboard. I'll be happy to help with either method if you have any technical difficulties. You are also welcome to make a dry run before presentation to make sure that you have all the details set and that your figures are clear. You will also have access to the laser pointer during this presentation.
5.
Practice
You know what the paper is about, you understand the experiments, you know the story you want to tell and you have slides to illustrate it all. All that is left is putting it together in a single coherent piece and practice. For a journal club, I'd suggest that you practice your introduction and what to say about each slide or experiment. Unlike a seminar where questions are usually to the end, a journal club is an active discussion. Thus you are highly unlikely to talk about things in one continuous flow. Knowing what to say about each figure allows you to easily be in the right context if someone asks about something that you don't have until four slides from now (as an aside, I never give a complete practice talks for a seminar—even seminars at national meetings. The two things I practice are the order of slide and what to say about each slide. The rest is extemporaneous). Being nimble in your talk will allow you to more easily respond to questions and resume right in flow after your answer. This is the model of speaking in a journal club, and a journal club is a great place to practice these skills.
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