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JARO JOURNAL CLUB

The JARO Journal Club is a new, peer-reviewed publication series in the Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (JARO) that provides a platform for the next generation of scientists to engage with current literature and contribute to the scientific discourse. It features scholarly reviews of recent, high-impact articles from any journal in the broad field of otolaryngology. These reviews, authored by trainees, go beyond simple summaries to provide critical analysis, contextualize the research, and discuss its significance.

Who can participate?

Participation is open to teams of 3-6 graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows (who have received their doctoral/medical degree within the past five years). Each submission must be initiated by a member of spARO and developed under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Why get involved?

This initiative offers a unique opportunity for trainees to earn a peer-reviewed publication, sharpen their analytical and writing skills, receive valuable mentorship, and build connections within the ARO community. For more information on how to form a team and submit a review, please see the submission guidelines and contact the spARO leadership at sparo.ex.officio@gmail.com

Introducing the New JARO Journal Club

The Association for Research in Otolaryngology (ARO) and the Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology (JARO) are thrilled to announce the launch of an exciting new initiative designed to spotlight the voices of our community's emerging scientists: the JARO Journal Club. This new publication series offers a unique platform for students and postdoctoral fellows to engage deeply with current literature, hone their critical analysis and writing skills, and contribute directly to the scholarly discourse in our field.

At its heart, the ARO community is built on collaboration, mentorship, and a shared passion for discovery. Reflecting these values, the JARO Journal Club provides a structured, supportive, and highly visible avenue for trainees to dissect impactful research and share their insights with a broad audience of fellow scientists.

What is the JARO Journal Club?

The JARO Journal Club invites teams of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, working under the guidance of a mentor, to write scholarly reviews of recent, significant articles from any journal in the vast field of otolaryngology. These reviews are not simple summaries; they are thoughtful critiques and contextual analyses that explore a study's impact, its strengths and weaknesses, and its place within the broader scientific landscape. As such, these Journal Club articles undergo peer review before being published in JARO.

This new series is an exclusive opportunity for spARO (Student and Postdoctoral chapter of ARO) members to take the lead. While collaborations with other trainees are encouraged, each submission must be initiated by a spARO member, strengthening the connections within our vibrant trainee community. In this spirit, and to make the Journal Club more than just a writing exercise, we strongly encourage participating groups to conduct a "real" journal club session – a lively discussion via video conference – to debate the paper's merits and collaboratively shape their review.

Why Participate?

The benefits of contributing to the JARO Journal Club are numerous. For trainees, it is a fantastic opportunity to:

  • Build Your CV: Earn a peer-reviewed publication in the premier journal of our association.
  • Sharpen Your Critical Skills: Move beyond merely reading papers to critically evaluating their methodology, results, and impact.
  • Enhance Your Writing: Develop the clear and concise scientific writing skills that are essential for a successful career in research.
  • Engage with the Community: Contribute a valuable resource to your peers and the wider ARO readership.
  • Receive Mentorship: Work closely with a mentor who can provide invaluable guidance on scientific critique and writing.

How to Get Involved

Are you ready to contribute? The process begins with you! We recommend forming a collaborative group of 3-6 authors to foster meaningful discussion and shared ownership. This is a trainee-centric initiative, so all authors must be current graduate students or postdoctoral fellows/residents who have received their doctoral or medical degree within the past five years. With a spARO member initiating the submission, your group is free to select any recent, high-impact article from the field of otolaryngology and beyond. You will also need an experienced researcher, such as a principal investigator, as a mentor to guide your discussion. Mentors play a crucial role, but they are recognized in the acknowledgments to ensure the spotlight remains on the student and postdoctoral authors.

Submissions should be up to 3000 words, include a single-paragraph abstract, and have a maximum of 10 references. Manuscripts will be submitted through the regular JARO submission portal and will undergo peer review. For more information about the detailed submission requirements, please see the newly published Journal Club Submission Guidelines. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to the spARO leadership at sparo.ex.officio@gmail.com.

This initiative is a testament to ARO's commitment to nurturing the next generation of scientists. We are incredibly excited to see the insightful perspectives our trainees will bring to the pages of JARO and the conversations they will inspire across our community. We look forward to your contributions!

JARO Journal Club

Format

JARO Journal Clubs are scholarly reviews of recent publications in the field of otolaryngology. They have two components: a peer-reviewed article, and a virtual journal club session hosted by the initiating author(s). The article being reviewed can be from any journal and should cover a topic related to otolaryngology. Ideally, the article should have been recently published (within the last 6 months). The initiating author should seek out a faculty mentor that can help guide the process of critically reviewing the article and provide feedback on the subsequent manuscript. “Syncing” the publication of an article by a colleague with a Journal Club that reviews it is encouraged and allowed, owing a coordination with the publishing authors and editors (as the accepted article remains confidential until the editor agrees a coordination for press releases).

The Journal Club article is peer-reviewed.

Authorship

A JARO Journal Club submission must be initiated by a spARO (the student, postdoc, and resident chapter of ARO) member. Collaboration with other trainees is encouraged. The number of authors is unlimited but has to remain reasonable as all authors need to provide a substantial contribution to the work according to ICMJE guidelines. All authors must be graduate students, or postdoctoral fellows or residents that have received their doctoral or medical degree within the past 5 years. Faculty mentors are not included in the list of authors, but they should be acknowledged in an Acknowledgments section.

The goal is for spARO contributors to become accountable and responsible of a publication in a peer-reviewed journal, understand the process of communication with the editors, the submission and review steps, and the assessment of the proofs.

Submission

Submissions should be sent as Word documents through the JARO website (link) and contain the following sections. For additional information regarding formatting, reference the general JARO submission guidelines (link). 

I. Cover Letter

In your cover letter, propose 4-5 potential reviewers for your Journal Club article. There should be no conflict of interest (e.g., the reviewers are in a different department at your institution).

II. Title Page

     A. Title

The title should be a more general version of the title of the paper being reviewed.

     B. Author Information

Provide:

  • The name(s) of the author(s)
  • The affiliation(s) of the author(s), i.e., institution, (department), city, (state), country
  • A clear indication and an active e-mail address of the corresponding author
  • If available, the 16-digit ORCID of the author(s)

     C. Keywords

Provide 4 to 6 keywords which can be used for indexing purposes.

III. Manuscript

     A. Abstract

The abstract should be unstructured and a single paragraph with a maximum of 50 words.

     B. Main Text

The main text should be a thoughtful analysis of the article being reviewed. This includes providing relevant background information, discussing the methodology, the main findings, and how the article contributes to the field. The main text should have a maximum of 3,000 words.

     C. Acknowledgements

Provide an acknowledgement for your faculty mentor.

     D. Large Language Model Declaration

Large Language Models (LLMs) may only be used for the correction of grammar. In this section, state whether or not a LLM was used.

     E. References

Provide up to 10 references.

IV. Figure

One figure may be included to guide the review. The figure should be generated by the authors and must not be copied from the reviewed article. The figure caption should be placed at the end of the main text.