Module: 2
Sponsoring Program: Biophysics (BP)
Administrator: Nicole Flowers

STUDY LIST INFORMATION
Course Number: BP 219
Course Name: Peer Review in High Throughput Biophysics
Units: 3
Grading Option: S/U
Course Director: James Fraser

MORE COURSE INFORMATION
Other Faculty: Willow Coyote-Maestas
Dates: April 22-May 10
Campus: MB
Location: BH 413 (4/24 BH 513, 5/1 BH 513, 5/2 GH 271, 5/8 BH 513)
Schedule: M-F, 3:00pm-5:00pm
Minimum Class Size: 6
Maximum Class Size: 16

By far, the most widely accepted means of communication is through publishing papers in scientific journals. The process of peer review plays an important role in refining the body of work prior to final publication. Yet, peer review is rarely taught to students in a formal setting, and is largely dependent on individual labs and mentors, leading to variable standards of peer review. Reflecting the evolution of technology, society and scientific culture, preprints have gained popularity in the life sciences in recent years, resulting in a shift in how progress in the life sciences is communicated, and raising questions of how we, as a scientific community, may work towards optimizing the peer review process in the life sciences. This class will use preprint servers (for example, BioRxiv) as a platform for formally teaching students how to peer review manuscripts in a critical and constructive way. We will focus on manuscripts that touch on various aspects of high throughput biophysics and read outs of protein function. The students will work in small groups to compose reviews, lead "journal club" style discussions on the manuscripts, and finalize reviews.