LTHT Journal Club Support
What is a Journal Club?
Journal clubs can take various forms but essentially they are groups which meet regularly to review and critique healthcare research publications, with the aim of helping attendees to keep up to date with developments in their field and practice critical appraisal skills. They may also include opportunities for the practicing of presentation and debating skills.
How your library service can support your journal club
Support with searching for papers on your journal club topic
Library and knowledge specialists can carry out an expert search of healthcare databases to find recent papers on a specific theme for your journal club. Just complete the form to request an evidence search.
If you would prefer to search for your own papers, the library can provide training on how to effectively search key resources:
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request a 1-1 session
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book onto an online group training session
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take a look at the e-learning offer
Obtaining copyright compliant papers
Accessing articles through your library service ensures that they are covered by the NHS Copyright Agreement, and can be copied and shared multiple times for use by members of your club, without breaking the law. How to access and request articles through the library.
Support for critical appraisal of papers
Depending upon capacity levels within the library and knowledge team, it may be possible to provide assistance with the critical appraisal of a paper to feed into the Journal Club member’s discussions.
We also have critical appraisal training sessions available as part of our information skills training programme
Learn more about how to set up and run an effective journal club with these guides and journal articles:
- NIHR Applied Research Collaboration South West Penninsula: Starting a Journal Club: A Guide
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BJA Education Journal: Establishing and sustaining an effective journal club (2021)
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Paediatrics and Child Health Journal: Running a successful journal club (2020)
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TREAT Journal Clubs: Resources
