260.704.60
Critical Dissection of the Scientific Literature: Taking the Scalpel to Journal Articles

Location
East Baltimore
Term
1st Term
Department
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
Hybrid In-person and Asynchronous Online
Class Time(s)
Thursday, 3:30 - 5:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
Yes
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Maggie Wear
Contact Name
Margaret Wear
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite

none

Description
Do you sometimes struggle to understand the deeper meaning of the scientific literature across the biomedical and public health disciplines? Do you find yourself having trouble identifying the underlying reasoning of an experimental design in some journal articles? Did you ever wonder how some authors arrive at their conclusions based on the data presented? Would you like to learn how to better articulate your literature critique? Join us and learn about the anatomy of the modern journal article from the ground up. We emphasize critically-evaluative thinking about scientific practice through the lens of interdisciplinary literature discussions from the biomedical and public health sciences.
Challenges the classical format of a journal club by preparing students to critically evaluate literature across the science disciplines. Acquaints students with concrete applications of the 3 R’s of good scientific practice: rigor, responsibility, and reproducibility. Discusses techniques for effective research literature analysis and evaluation. Emphasizes in-depth understanding of journal article preparation, data evaluation, and the context of conclusions and discussion points within a given research field.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Describe the elements of a well-constructed journal article publication
  2. Analyze the experimental strategies and techniques, as well as the corresponding data presented in scientific publications in the light of the norms of good scientific practice
  3. Evaluate the claims made and conclusions drawn in journal articles from epistemological and logical perspectives
  4. Formulate constructive critique of the research presented in the interdisciplinary primary literature
  5. Propose recommendations for improvement of the critique points found
  6. Recognize the broader significance of the work presented in the scientific context of the field.
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 20% Participation
  • 45% Presentation(s)
  • 25% Peer-feedback
  • 10% Final Presentation
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

This course is part of the R3 Science Education Initiative series (http://tiny.cc/JHSPH-MMI-R3).
May be taken as a companion to PH.260.700: How do we know what is true: Theory and Practice of Science, or on its own. PH.260.700 is not a prerequisite.