See also Critical appraisal and Research for librarians – portal

Journals clubs are a good starting point for academic librarians interested in incorporating research into their practice, and are useful forums for the critical evaluation of articles in the literature. Typically, participants read articles beforehand, share their views about the design of research, examine statistics and appropriateness of controls, if any, etc. There may be an attempt to synthesize results of several papers (especially in clinical medicine where a few major papers contradict each other). If the research results are valid, there may be discussion about how useful they are and whether this will lead to new research. Journal clubs are often used at the graduate level and help students become familiar with the literature in their field; these journal clubs are also used by a range of health professionals in academic environments. Journal clubs help improve skills of understanding and debating topics of active interest. In some institutions, journal clubs are mandatory or may be taken for credit. Research laboratories regularly organize journal clubs for their researchers in order to help them read the scientific literature and debate concepts. These journal clubs are ideally set up for academic librarians who want to do liaison and teaching to these groups.

In 2008, Deenadayalan et al did a systematic review of the characteristics of successful journal clubs; they included 1) regular and anticipated meetings, 2) mandatory attendance for members, 3) clear long- and short-term goals for the journal club, 4) appropriate meeting dates and incentives to attend, 5) a trained journal club leader to lead discussion, 6) circulating papers prior to the meeting, 7) using the internet for wider dissemination and data storage, 8) using established critical appraisal methods and summarizing journal club findings.

Principles of a good journal club

• Focus on current real problems of interest to all members
• Appoint a moderator, preferably someone different each meeting
• Outline important learning points at the start, and establish critical appraisal methods used
• Ask members to bring questions, enthusiasm and a sense of humour (but turn off cellphones)
• Something good to eat is always welcome
• Use e-mail or web 2.0 tools to remind members about time, place, topics
• Bring copies of the papers for all
• Keep copies of the appraisal tools, and make them available
• Keep a log of questions asked and answered
• Finish with a summary of discussion and follow up (eg, tools, flowchart, audits, and further searches)

Historical note

The earliest references to journal clubs are in the memoirs and letters of Sir James Paget, a British surgeon, who described a group at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London in the mid-1800s as “a kind of club … a small room over a baker’s shop near the Hospital-gate where we could sit and read the journals.” Sir William Osler established the first formal medical journal club at McGill University in Montreal in 1875. The original purpose of Osler’s journal club was “for the purchase and distribution of periodicals to which he could ill afford to subscribe.”

References

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• Dayton, A. I. (2006). Beyond Open Access: Open Discourse, the next great equalizer. Retrovirology 3: 55.
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