Journal Club

SIGN Journal Club

Currently the coordinator SIGN Journal Club is Cori DeSanto. To join, subscribe to the mailing list below. An archive of previous journals could be found here. Check the calendar for the most up-to-date schedule for the next meeting. (Note: For those of you who are unfamiliar with Google Groups, it's essentially just an email list with additional document posting/discussion capabilities.)

* Required

What is Journal Club?

    Here's what Cori says about Journal Club:
    "Journal Club will be meeting about once a month to discuss a research paper in a neuro-related field (neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, etc). It'll be a great opportunity to learn about advances in clinical neuro research, improve your ability to understand and critique scientific literature, and spend time with other SIGN members, all while enjoying snacks!"
    Note that we prefer you to read the articles before the meeting, but that is not required.

How to Present

  1. Select a provocative paper. Choose a neuro-related original research paper (not a review article) that could change the way we conceptualize/treat/diagnose a clinical problem. Two short papers with opposite conclusions sometimes generate good discussion.
  2. Critically read and understand your paper. While you don't need to understand all of the minutiae, be able to state the main questions and conclusions of the paper and give an overview of the figures. Try to critique the paper: Is the sample size and distribution appropriate for this study? Are the authors justified in their conclusions?
  3. Prepare a brief presentation. A powerpoint of ~10 slides should suffice, but feel free to use a white board or other media. A presentation should include:
    • A summary stating the main questions and conclusions for those who may not have read the paper.
    • A small amount of background information, if necessary.
    • An overview of the figures, with relevant methods details and conclusions.
    • Critique of the paper; do you find any flaws or bias?
  4. Be prepared to answer questions. You're not expected to be an expert in the field, but try to have a solid general understanding of the paper. Also, if you come with any discussion questions to pose to the group, that would be great!

Departmental Journal Clubs

Neurosurgery Journal Club

    Neurosurgery Journal Club is a group fo resident who meets once a month to discuss papers involving neurosurgical techniques and developments. Current articles: [link]