T.V. Rajan's opinion article on scholarly presentations1 was an excellent summation of problems that occur during scientific conferences and journal clubs. I chuckled to myself as I read each of his points, realizing he was right on the money on all of them. Even though scientific conferences and journal clubs are a necessary venue in which to gain and exchange data, they can be improved. Another point that can be added to Dr. Rajan's list: the nicest slides don't necessarily represent the best data.
1. T.V. Rajan, "The scholarly presentation," The Scientist, 15[9]:38, April 30, 2001.
Interested in reading more?
Become a Member of
Receive full access to digital editions of The Scientist, as well as TS Digest, feature stories, more than 35 years of archives, and much more!