Research Skills 2024-2025

You've passed your viva. If your examiners requested any corrections, those have been submitted and approved.

You now need to deposit a physical copy and an electronic copy of your thesis to the Library. In this session, we will focus on depositing the electronic copy of your thesis, for inclusion in Apollo, the University's Repository.

We will cover:

• What to include in your electronic copy
• What not to include in your electronic copy
• The access levels that are available and guidance on which to choose
• Third party copyright considerations
• Sensitive information considerations
• Funder requirements

We will finish with a live demonstration of depositing a thesis using Symplectic Elements.

This is an interactive online session for anyone engaging in research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).

Taking account of previously published work on a subject is a key part of research. This session will explore why, where and how to search for academic literature, how to develop an effective search strategy and how to mitigate bias in your searches.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Understand why you are conducting a literature search
• Find appropriate databases to search for literature relevant to your discipline
• Conduct an effective search
• Minimise bias in your literature searching

This session is online and will take one hour including activities.

Using a reference manager is one of the best ways to look after crucial research literature, whether planning for a literature review or simply keeping track of developments in a particular discipline. This session will introduce Zotero.

Using live demonstrations, discussions, and troubleshooting common referencing issues, the session will give an in-depth look at how Zotero can help maximise a research project workflow while also ensuring that critical resources and information are not lost at any point in the research process.

This is an interactive online session for anyone engaging in research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).

Taking account of previously published work on a subject is a key part of research. This session will explore why, where and how to search for academic literature, how to develop an effective search strategy and how to mitigate bias in your searches.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Understand why you are conducting a literature search
• Find appropriate databases to search for literature relevant to your discipline
• Conduct an effective search
• Minimise bias in your literature searching

This session is online and will take one hour including activities.

This online session is aimed to introduce researchers to research data management.

We will go through the 4 key areas of research management: 1. Organising 2. Storage and Backup 3. Sharing 4. Archiving

We will also cover topics such as working with sensitive data and have an introduction to Data Management plans. The session is tailored to those working in STEMM and there will be Q&A at the end for any specific questions.

This session will cover:

• where to store data safely and securely
• how to organise data
• how to share data openly when appropriate
• what support is available at Cambridge

This session will cover the basics of UK copyright law and how this impacts what you can use in your work and how you can share the results of your own research. It will introduce concepts such as third-party copyright, fair dealing and rights retention. It will provide guidance on how to seek permission to reuse content from the copyright holder in your thesis and your publications. Finally, it will explain what Creative Commons licences are and how they can be used to protect and share your work.

This is an interactive online session for anyone engaging in research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).

Reading academic literature is critical to writing a literature review and developing your own research. This session will explore how to develop a critical reading strategy for your papers, articles, and other reading material for your research.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Efficiently select appropriate readings from your search results
• Understand the difference between comprehending and critical reading
• List of a range of methods for critical reading and know where to go for more information
• Use the SQRR strategic reading method to structure your critical reading.

This session is online and will take one hour including activities.

You've passed your viva. If your examiners requested any corrections, those have been submitted and approved.

You now need to deposit a physical copy and an electronic copy of your thesis to the Library. In this session, we will focus on depositing the electronic copy of your thesis, for inclusion in Apollo, the University's Repository.

We will cover:

• What to include in your electronic copy
• What not to include in your electronic copy
• The access levels that are available and guidance on which to choose
• Third party copyright considerations
• Sensitive information considerations
• Funder requirements

We will finish with a live demonstration of depositing a thesis using Symplectic Elements.

For Academic Writing Month, academic writers in all disciplines and at any stage of their writing journey are welcome to join us for two hands-on writing workshops being held at the University Library. This session is part workshop in which we discuss academic writing and try out some new techniques, part practical group writing session.

Here's a taste of what to expect at these special events:

• Guidance and advice from experienced academic writers, as they address some common myths and misconceptions about academic writing.
• Tips for staying motivated, tackling large writing projects, and overcoming writer's block.
• Liberate your writing practice by trying out some creative writing exercises.
• Put what you have learned into practice with an hour's group writing time in for the 'Write Here, Write Now' section of the workshop.

Publishing in journal articles is a key element of a successful researcher career, and something you should expect to do over the course of your PhD, but knowing where to start can be a daunting prospect. When do you know when you're ready to publish in a journal? How can you even be sure whether this is the right outlet for your work? What does the publication process entail and what do you need to know about peer review? This session is designed to take you through the entire process from initial idea right up to sharing your finished publication. 

By the end of this session, you should be able to:​

• Have an overview of the publication process from start to finish
• Think about what type of academic publication is right for your research and how to pick the right journal
• Be aware of the dangers posed by predatory publishers
• Understand the peer review process and how to respond to reviewers' comments

Publishing in journal articles is a key element of a successful researcher career, and something you should expect to do over the course of your PhD, but knowing where to start can be a daunting prospect. When do you know when you're ready to publish in a journal? What is the typical structure, form and content of a standard scientific research article? How can you even be sure whether this is the right outlet for your work? What does the publication process entail and what do you need to know about peer review? This session is designed to take you through the entire process from initial idea right up to sharing your finished publication.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Have an overview of the publication process from start to finish
• Think about what type of academic publication is right for your research and how to pick the right journal
• Understand the typical structure, form and content of a standard scientific journal article
• Be aware of the dangers posed by predatory publishers
• Understand the peer review process and how to respond to reviewers' comments

Getting to grips with a new area of research or finding secondary literature to answer a research question can be a daunting task. This session is here to guide you, to enhance your literature search by introducing key resources and strategies that you can use for finding materials, illustrating a range of techniques for searching, and discussing how to stay up to date with research in your field. In the session, as well as looking at the Cambridge University Libraries' online catalogue iDiscover, we also introduce some of the databases that can be most useful to researchers in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences carrying out literature searches.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Plan a strategy for finding literature on your research topic
• Discover a range of resources available for your literature search
• Make the most of the databases available using a range of techniques and tools
• Stay up to date with research in your field
• Build a list of relevant literature related to your research topic

This online session is aimed to introduce researchers to research data management.

We will go through the 4 key areas of research management: 1. Organising 2. Storage and Backup 3. Sharing 4. Archiving.

We will also cover topics such as working with sensitive data and have an introduction to Data Management plans. The session is tailored to those working in AHSS and there will be Q&A at the end for any specific questions.

This session will cover aspects of Research Data Management:

• where to store data safely and securely
• how to organise data
• how to share data openly when appropriate
• what support is available at Cambridge

Reading and note-making may seem like basic academic skills, but these are skills on which researchers often feel they could improve. This session begins by addressing common concerns about reading and note-making then discusses some possible steps you might want to take or techniques to try out in different situations. We also cover techniques to help develop speedier reading, note organising, and the use of relevant AI tools. Good note-making is a useful habit to develop as it not only helps to keep your research organised, but good notes also help you become a better writer.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:​

• Apply strategic reading approaches to your own work
• Explain the difference between note-taking and note-making​
• Identify strategic reading and note-making approaches that fit your needs​
• Understand the link between reading, note making and academic writing

For Academic Writing Month, academic writers in all disciplines and at any stage of their writing journey are welcome to join us for two hands-on writing workshops being held at the University Library. This session is part workshop in which we discuss academic writing and try out some new techniques, part practical group writing session.

Here's a taste of what to expect at these special events:

• Guidance and advice from experienced academic writers, as they address some common myths and misconceptions about academic writing.
• Tips for staying motivated, tackling large writing projects, and overcoming writer's block.
• Liberate your writing practice by trying out some creative writing exercises.
• Put what you have learned into practice with an hour's group writing time in for the 'Write Here, Write Now' section of the workshop.

This session is an introduction on how to deposit a dataset into Apollo, the University of Cambridge repository. We will give a brief overview of data repositories and take you through the steps of the Apollo depositing process, what information you need to upload your dataset and the importance of good metadata. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A.

This session is an introduction on how to deposit a dataset into Apollo, the University of Cambridge repository. We will give a brief overview of data repositories and take you through the steps of the Apollo depositing process, what information you need to upload your dataset and the importance of good metadata. There will also be an opportunity for Q&A.

Fair attribution for technicians through either co-authorship or direct acknowledgement in research publications is a key component of the ‘visibility’ and ‘recognition’ areas of the Technician Commitment, of which the University of Cambridge was a founding signatory in 2017.

However, there is currently no policy or standard practice for acknowledging the role of technicians, equipment and facilities in the University or the wider sector. Technicians experience a great disparity in their recognition and visibility in scholarly outputs.

This interactive workshop will introduce you to the scholarly communications process as well as tools such as CRediT and ORCID, and facilitate conversation amongst peers.

Using a reference manager is one of the best ways to look after crucial research literature, whether planning for a literature review or simply keeping track of developments in a particular discipline. This session will introduce Endnote.

Using live demonstrations, discussions, and troubleshooting common referencing issues, the session will give an in-depth look at how Endnote (and tools like it) can help maximise a research project workflow while also ensuring that critical resources and information are not lost at any point in the research process.

Please note: This session will be offered, either online or in person, in Michaelmas, Lent and Easter terms.

A session designed to take you step-by-step through academic writing and publication, with tips and resources to make writing up as simple as possible. The session will demystify the peer-review process, and help you to improve the precision and clarity of your academic writing.

Please note: This session will be offered, either online or in person, in Michaelmas, Lent and Easter terms.

This is an interactive online session for anyone engaging in research in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM).

Taking account of previously published work on a subject is a key part of research. This session will explore why, where and how to search for academic literature, how to develop an effective search strategy and how to mitigate bias in your searches.

By the end of the session, you will be able to:

• Understand why you are conducting a literature search
• Find appropriate databases to search for literature relevant to your discipline
• Conduct an effective search
• Minimise bias in your literature searching

This session is online and will take one hour including activities.

Getting to grips with a new area of research or finding secondary literature to answer a research question can be a daunting task. This session is here to guide you enhance your literature search by introducing key resources and strategies that you can use for finding materials, illustrating a range of techniques for searching, and discussing how to stay up to date with research in your field. In the session, as well as looking at the Cambridge University Libraries' online catalogue iDiscover, we also introduce some of the databases that can be most useful to researches in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences carrying out literature searches.

By the end of this session, you should be able to:

• Plan a strategy for finding literature on your research topic.
• Discover a range of resources available for your literature search.
• Make the most of the resources available using a range of techniques and tools.
• Stay up to date with research in your field.
• Build a list of relevant literature related to your research topic.