THE ENTERIC JAZZ BAND LECTURE: ENHANCING ACTIVE LEARNING

Dear readers, I have been given special leave of absence from the Green Bookshop to cast a critical eye on the journals for two months. Meanwhile Dominic is next door looking after the shop. I have enjoyed my stint at the evidence base and have been very conscious of the big responsibility of being science monitor. What have I learned about the world of papers, reviews, reports, and abstracts? I have noticed that journal watch columns are on the increase; the BMJ now has three including, of course, the immortal Minerva. Does this mean no-one bothers to read original papers and evaluate them like we were taught to do on all those courses in the 1990s? Or do you all rush to find the original article and get to work on it? I like to think that some of you do. Finally I have to say that some of the shortest papers were the most rewarding.

Each article is graded from 1–5

IMPORTANCE: ★ (very marginal) to ★★★★★ (essential reading)

EASE OF READING: ☻ (impenetrable) to ☻☻☻☻☻ (very clear)