From journal club to digital platform: how medical students are reshaping research education
Research is central to modern medicine. As future doctors, we need to be able to find, understand and apply evidence throughout our careers. Yet, for many medical students, developing these skills can feel challenging.
While journal clubs are a familiar feature of postgraduate training, opportunities for undergraduate students to develop critical appraisal skills, engage with research and explore academic careers remain inconsistent. Many of us find it difficult to access research opportunities, understand academic pathways and build research experience alongside our studies.
It was this challenge that inspired me and some of my colleagues from universities across Scotland to create a national student-led journal club, bringing together students from the universities of Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
Our project, which won the education, training and medical professionalism category at the 2026 RCP virtual poster competition, demonstrates that students are not only identifying gaps in medical education but developing practical solutions to address them.
During 2025–26, we delivered five online journal club sessions, providing structured opportunities for students to critically evaluate research, discuss evidence and develop confidence in presenting scientific literature. Our analysis of participant feedback found significant improvements in confidence across several areas, including critical appraisal, discussing research, presenting findings and interest in pursuing a career in academic medicine. Participants particularly valued the peer-led nature of the sessions and the opportunity for structured discussion.
But the most interesting finding came from what happened next.
We used feedback from participants not simply to evaluate the programme, but to understand the wider barriers students face when trying to engage with research. Students repeatedly highlighted challenges that extended beyond the journal club itself. These included gaining access to research opportunities, understanding academic career pathways, building competitive portfolios and developing independent critical appraisal skills.
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