How is Journal Club organized and how is it different from others?

SPARC’s Journal Club is formatted as an interactive seminar, where the only requisite is to attend, offer your thoughts, and detail what you find interesting! We will be going over, primarily, articles associated with Michigan State faculty and students.

What do I need to know or bring to meetings?

We encourage you to bring tools to annotate a research paper (printed or digitally) as it enhances reading comprehension. Other than that, simply come with your curiosity and any snacks you would like!

Is it required to analyze the pre-selected paper before the meeting?

No, this is optional! We recommend coming with enough understanding to summarize the content and an open mind for discussion. A summary will be provided at the beginning of our meetings to make sure most of those in attendance understand the article.

How are meetings run?

Meetings begin with the introduction and summery of the preselected research article. Students will then be prompted with questions and given the opportunity to discuss the article in length. There are a lot of topics for discussion spanning from motivation behind the research to identifying details such as syntax and formatting. Students who have a particular proficiency in a discipline or subject may even be allowed to head a meeting. 

Does Journal Club only focus on STEM disciplines?

No, Specific discipline varies between meetings, the main objective is to enhance listener understanding of research papers in the body of knowledge, and to help students feel less alienated when potentially developing their own research or interacting with research in general.

What does one get from academic research analysis?

There is a lot that can be derived from a research paper analysis. It helps to understand...

• how research is conducted

• conventions that authors in the field follow

• overall depth of the work

• any flaws or ambiguities that may not be apparent