Module: 2
Sponsoring Program: Biophysics
Administrator: Nicole Flowers

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

MORE COURSE INFORMATION
Dates: April 24 - May 10
Campus: MB
Location: BH 212
Schedule: April 24, 25, May 1, 2, 3, 9, 10, 3:00 - 5:00 PM
Maximum Class Size: 10

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 have modeled this class (and previous versions in 2020 and 2021) based on a course at NYU organized by Gira Bhabha, Damian Ekiert, Liam Holt & Timothee Lionnet.