Journal Club Presentation Guidelines

Article Selection

The article selected for presentation should preferably be recent (published within the past two years), novel, and of general interest to those in vascular biology research, so that all attendees can take something away from the presentation. It is perfectly acceptable鈥攁nd even encouraged鈥攖o select a manuscript that is controversial in nature and may spark thoughtful discussion.

To ensure that each paper meets these standards, please send your selection two weeks prior to your scheduled presentation date directly to Drs. Cs谩nyi and Ganta, and copy Ms. Kari Martin. She will have the flyer prepared for distribution the following Friday.

Papers of general interest are often found in high-impact journals, including, but not limited to:

Cell journals 鈥� Nature journals 鈥� Science 鈥� Blood 鈥� Circulation 鈥� Circulation Research 鈥� Journal of Clinical Investigation 鈥� Journal of Experimental Medicine 鈥� AJRCCM 鈥� Journal of Cell Biology

Manuscripts published in journals with an impact factor greater than 6, such as the American Journal of Physiology,  JPET, and AJRCMB, are also appropriate if they provide new or interesting advances in the specific field.

Questions or article submissions: Dr. G谩bor Cs谩nyi, Co-Director 路 Dr. Vijay Ganta, Co-Director 路 Kari Martin, Program Administrator

Preparing Your Presentation

Prepare a PowerPoint presentation that includes:

  1. Title Slide 鈥� Include the title of the paper, authors, affiliations, and journal reference.
  2. Introduction 鈥� Include appropriate background information. One slide must clearly state the aims of the study and hypothesis.
  3. Methods 鈥� If appropriate, briefly discuss any less common techniques used in the study.
  4. Key Figures 鈥� Include key figures and relevant or critical supplemental figures from the paper. You do not need to present all figures or supplemental figures.
  5. Conclusions/Summary 鈥� Include a conclusion or summary slide highlighting the major findings.
  6. Personal Evaluation 鈥� Provide your evaluation of the work, including, for example, strengths, weaknesses, future studies, and translational relevance.
  7. Take-Home Message 鈥� Include a clear 鈥淭ake-Home Message鈥� slide.
  8. Relevance to Your Research 鈥� If possible, discuss how the findings or methodologies used in the study could advance your own research.

Details Matter

Timing

Keep your presentation to approximately 45 minutes to allow sufficient time for questions and discussion and to ensure the class ends on time.

Schematics & Diagrams

When appropriate, consider using schematics or diagrams to illustrate the study design or summarize the mechanism(s) identified in the study.

Readability

 For readability, use a font size of approximately 24 points or larger, when possible, so that your slides can be easily read from the back of the room.

Introduction

 Provide enough background information for everyone in the audience to understand what the study is about, why it was conducted, and its relevance and significance to vascular biology.

Figures

Figures should be easy to see from the back of the room and explained in enough detail for the audience to understand the authors' conclusions. Consider separating multi-panel figures into individual slides to make them easier to follow.

Discussion & Conclusions

You do not have to agree with the authors' conclusions. Your own interpretation and perspective are encouraged as part of the discussion. The Summary or Conclusions should provide a brief overview of the paper's main points and tie back to the Introduction, including the study's relevance and significance.