- 1). Gather a group of interested people. These can be science majors in general, or people interested in more focused areas of science like biology, ecology or physics. Notify people of an initial meeting by hanging up fliers and asking teachers to make announcements in class. In the notification, give a time, date and meeting place. Give your contact information, too, in case someone who is interested cannot attend the initial meeting.
- 2). Determine a meeting time and frequency. Many journal clubs meet monthly, while others meet weekly. Decide how often group members wish to meet, then figure out a time and day of the week that work best for everyone. At this time you can also choose your focus: a single journal, hot topics or a line of thought. If necessary, reserve a meeting room to accommodate the journal club.
- 3). Assign papers or topics to people and create a schedule. After the first meeting, each person should have an idea of when he or she will be expected to lead discussion on a journal article.
- 4). Distribute references to group members. Individuals leading discussion should give at least two weeks for members of the group to gain access to and read a copy of the article. If possible, create a folder in which to place upcoming papers and keep it in a central location, perhaps next to a copy machine.
previous post
next post