The School of Pharmacy of the Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University (KazNMU) publishes the work plan of the Journal Club for the 2025–2026 academic year.

The Journal Club unites students, master’s students, doctoral candidates, and young scientists involved in research activities. The club’s goal is to develop competencies in the critical analysis of scientific publications, improve academic writing skills, and master the methodology of scientific research.

Format: Regular meetings throughout the academic year.

Key areas: IMRAD structure, systematic reviews and meta-analysis, statistical data processing, pharmacognosy, analysis methods, standardization of herbal medicines, regulatory requirements, preparation of abstracts and articles.

The club’s work plan is posted below and includes thematic areas reflecting the current issues in pharmaceutical science, drug development, and standardization.

Work Plan of the Journal Club of the School of Pharmacy at KazNMU for the 2025–2026 Academic Year

Date	Session Topic	Key Focus and Materials
October 30	Introduction to Critical Analysis of Scientific Articles	Overview of the IMRAD structure and principles of academic and scientific writing. Review of abstract and scientific article examples.
November 14	Systematic Review/Meta-analysis	Discussion of a review article. Analysis of inclusion criteria, methods, and data analysis. PRISMA checklist and diagrams.
November 28	Methods for Statistical Processing of Results	Review and discussion of the statistical design of results.
December 12	Classification of Biologically Active Substances (BAS)	Review and discussion of the classification of biologically active substances (phenolic compounds, flavonoids, saponins, etc.) and discussion of their pharmacological profile.
January 16	Traditional Methods for Extraction of Biologically Active Substances	Review and discussion of traditional extraction methods and the influence of technological parameters on the yield of extractive substances.
February 13	Modern Methods for Extraction and Separation of Substances	Review and discussion of modern extraction methods (SC-CO₂, ultrasonic, microwave extraction, Soxhlet, etc.) and separation of BAS. Marker compounds.
February 27	Quantitative Analysis and Impurities	Review and discussion of methods for quantitative determination of active BAS and impurities.
March 14	Physicochemical Methods of Research and Analysis	Review and discussion of IR, NMR, MS, TLC, HPLC-MS, GC-MS methods.
March 27	Pharmaceutical Development of Medicinal Products	Review and discussion of the ICH Q8(R2) guideline.
April 10	Standardization of Herbal Medicines	Development of quality specifications, Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated February 21, 2023 No. 27 “On Amendments to the Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated December 20, 2020 No. ҚР ДСМ-282/2020 ‘On Approval of the Rules for Assessing the Quality of Medicinal Products and Medical Devices Registered in the Republic of Kazakhstan'”.
April 24	Stability and Storage Conditions	Review and discussion of the ICH Q1 guideline and the Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated April 14, 2023 No. 70 “On Amendments and Additions to the Order of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 27, 2021 No. ҚР ДСМ-10 ‘On Approval of the Rules for Conducting Expertise of Medicinal Products and Medical Devices'”.
May 15	Publication of an Abstract or Article	Participation in a conference and publication of an abstract or publication of a review article in the Vestnik of KazNMU named after Asfendiyarov.