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Summary

This module will give you an excellent grounding in critical appraisal, scientific writing and diverse ways in which to communicate your research to specialist and non-specialist audiences alike. We will teach you how to read, evaluate and critically review the scientific literature and how to write about research for specialist and lay audiences. Importantly, this module will enable you to assess critically not only the work of others, but also your own research. We will give you training in oral communication including practice in the 3-Minute Thesis (3MT) style of scientific presentation, and teach you how to optimise scientific poster design. Lastly, we will assess the impact of AI on the process of critical appraisal and in science communication.

This module thus aims to provide you with many transferable skills and these may improve your assessment results in other MSc or MRes modules, as well as provide you with skills that are pivotal to a career in biomedicine and many other professions

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

The aims of this module are to provide you with:

1. Key transferable skills for a career in biomedicine including the skills to communicate your work and appraise your own research and research presented by others

2. A better understanding of the scientific method and experimental design, experimental bias and issues surrounding research integrity

3. Critical thinking skills that are central to many kinds of careers, enabling you to evaluate data, conclusions and viewpoints presented in the scientific literature or popular press.

4. Focused guidance for improving your scientific writing

5. Recognition of the varied modes of effective scientific communication for specialist and non-specialist audiences, both written and oral, and practical training in both

6. A holistic skill set to be better appraisers and communicators

Who is this module for?

This is an optional module for the MSc Cell and Gene Therapy, MSc Personalised Medicine and MRes Child Health programmes.

Teaching and Learning Methods

This module is largely taught through face-to-face teaching sessions, complemented by online resources that will require periods of self-study as directed by the course tutor. You will have opportunities for formative exercises in scientific writing, critical appraisal and oral presentation, making use of constructive feedback from your fellow students to enhance your learning.

Selected Reading List

du Prel, J. B., Röhrig, B., & Blettner, M. (2009). Critical appraisal of scientific articles: part 1 of a series on evaluation of scientific publications. Deutsches Arzteblatt international, 106(7), 100-5.

Salita, J.T., 2015. Writing for lay audiences: A challenge for scientists. Medical Writing, 24(4), pp.183-189

Ben Godlacre. 2000. Bad Science. Available from: https://www.badscience.net/

A short guide to signposting in essays. Available from: https://intranet.birmingham.ac.uk/as/libraryservices/library/skills/asc/documents/public/Short-Guide-Signposting.pdf

Guidance for researchers and peer-reviewers on the ethical use of Large Language Models (LLMs) in scientific research workflows. AI and Ethics. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-023-00294-5

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