BIOL 334 Neurobiology Journal Article Perspective Papers This semester you will write two critical perspective papers on journal articles we read and discuss in class Journal Clubs. The purpose of these is to give you practice in summarizing the important points of scientific papers and in critically evaluating their quality. The first article we will discuss is: Chan et al., Nature 2007: "Rejuvenation" protects neurons in mouse models of Parkinson's disease. You will not write a paper on this article yet. Read it closely and be prepared to talk about key figures (see below) during our class Journal Club. After our discussion, I'll post an example perspective paper to guide you in your writing later. The main paper, supplementary text, and helpful background info are posted on Moodle under Journal Clubs. You will only be responsible for the figures in the main text (Fig. 1-5) and Supplementary Fig S1, S6, and S7. Don't worry about being familiar with the other figures. If you need a refresher on how approach a primary literature article, please see the other clearly- marked helpful resources I've posted to Moodle under Journal Clubs. For all our papers, I recommend reading the paper 2-3 times before beginning your assignment. Please feel free to discuss the papers with each other. If there are things you don't understand, ask questions! – to each other or to me. You should also do some digging on your own. However, assignments should be written individually in your own words (also do not quote or paraphrase from the paper). Your Perspective Paper will have two main parts (see below for details): 1. Summary statement: ~1 page 2. Perspective statement on one of the two options below (choose one: "A” or “B”): ~1 page A. paper quality B. implications/extensions of this work For your summary statement, address the following questions: What specific question/hypothesis were the researchers attempting to address? What are the most important experiments in the paper that addressed this question? (DO NOT try to discuss all the experiments—choose the ones that you feel are most important) What methods/techniques did the researchers use in these experiments? What conclusions did the authors draw based on these results? How did the conclusions address the researchers' original question/hypothesis? For your position sections, support your position as critically as possible, drawing upon information from class, the textbook, and other sources as appropriate. Depending on whether you are addressing the quality or implications, address the following questions: 2A. Paper quality How well were the experiments described? What (if anything) could the authors have done to make the experimental design clearer? How well did the data support the author's conclusions? What additional experiments or controls are needed for you to be fully convinced? How appropriate were the methods for the research question? Are there other techniques that would have been more appropriate to use? BIOL 334 Neurobiology 2B. Implications What further lines of inquiry are suggested by these studies? How did the work contribute to extending or transforming what was already known? What do you think is the next most logical experiment based on the new results? How would you design this experiment? What are specific ways in which the research can be extended to other model systems or other important questions that will make it even more impactful? Formatting Word document (NOT a PDF) titled as follows: Last name_paper (ex: Luth_Chan 2007) 2 pages maximum - keep your writing concise! I will not accept any paper longer than 2 pages. 1.5 spaced 12-point Arial 1-inch margins Item Hypothesis/research question, important results, and Points 15 conclusions, for 2-3 experiments are clearly and concisely stated Methods details for experiments are accurately described 10 Connections between the research question, experiments, and conclusions are made 5 Your position on the paper is clearly stated Critical analysis refers to specific elements of the paper Position is supported with course material and/or outside sources Suggestions for alternative methods (quality) or additional experiments (implications) are present Ideas logically presented with effective transitions 10 15 10 10 10 Reader can distinguish between the paper's findings and your interpretations and opinions 5 Few grammar or spelling mistakes 50 In-text citations and bibliography are in correct format 5 Total 100