A journal club (JC) is a group of persons who meet repeatedly to debate critically the clinical applicability of articles in the present medical journals. While the medical journal club is usually a part of the medical didactic system, the medical literature has not detailed the rich history of this significant tradition. The emphasis of journal clubs has ostensibly shifted over the years. What was once a setting in which the world’s recent literature was analyzed became a setting for talking over clinical issues raised by the writings and, most recently, a setup for learning critical reading skills to doctors or other associated authorities. But till now there is no generally accepted definition of JC, even though this scholastic modality has been around for more than a century and has evolved substantively during this time. Initially the main goal of the JC was to help contributors keep up-todate of the growing body of medical texts. Over time the emphasis of JC has progressed to teaching critical assessment skills and evidencebased medicine, while maintaining the original objective of helping apprentices and practicing physicians keep up-to-date in the research literature of their field. Currently, improving patients’ care, refining reading habits, teaching critical appraisal skills, increasing the use of medical literature in clinical practice and increasing knowledge of clinical epidemiology and biostatistics, are among the main objectives of JCs. On the other hand, while one randomized controlled trial did not find any improvement in critical appraisal skills, six less methodologically rigorous studies found possible improvement in critical appraisal skills.