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This interactive workshop is designed for people who already have some experience of presenting and the basic principles involved, but would like to develop their skills in this area to a higher level. There is a particular focus on presenting online

During the workshop, you will be given time to design and deliver a short (5-10 minutes) online presentation to a small audience comprised of your fellow researchers.

This course is designed for students with some presentation experience and/or for students that have completed the Basic Presentation Skills course.

Across all AHSS disciplines (and within) there are varying views of what research is. Though not a definitive means by which to conceptualize research, this course offers Thomas Kuhn’s idea of the ‘research paradigm’ as a heuristic and expedient entry point into key terms and concepts often encountered by research students and the tactic assumptions underpinning them. This can and often does result in an ability to understand the significance of one’s own research, the research of others and the broader intellectual context in which both are situated.

This course seeks to help students develop their critical reading skills, and to deploy tactics and strategies that can accelerate the process of literature-based research without sacrificing detail and depth necessary for a doctoral thesis.

The course is aimed at first year students, but all are welcome.

Getting published is a central part of being a researcher. Peer-reviewed publications allow researchers to communicate their research to the broader research community, and thus, make a contribution to the body of work within their field.

This workshop is divided into two interrelated components. The first concerns the question of ‘high impact’, whilst the second concerns the process of peer-review and manuscript preparation.

It is possible to attend this as an individual workshop, although we would recommend that you try to attend the series starting with Getting published I: Writing for publication

Please note: This course does not offer bespoke or 1-1 support for manuscript preparation.

This is the first of two workshops designed to develop your understanding of the technicalities and the process of getting your research published.

In this workshop, we examine the technical aspects of writing up your research in a format appropriate for publication. You will learn about the importance of following journal guidelines and house style, and the value of using a clear structure to frame your paper. You will also receive guidance on how to produce clear writing in a register appropriate for the readership.

It is possible to attend this course as an individual workshop, although we would encourage you to attend the second workshop in the series Getting published II: Impact and Peer-review.

Please note: The course does not offer bespoke or 1-1 support for manuscript preparation.

A thorough awareness of issues relating to research ethics and research integrity are essential to producing excellent research. This session will provide an introduction to the ethical responsibilities of researchers at the University and explore issues of good research practice, research integrity and research misconduct. It will be interactive, using case studies to better understand key ethical issues and challenges in all areas.

The course will:

• explore the issue of research misconduct in academia and facilitate discussion of why and how it occurs
• explain the University and national expectations around research integrity and examine how this effects researchers
• discuss some of the challenges to the integrity of research and ask what individuals, groups and institutions can do to tackle them
• introduce the University’s research ethics system

The course will be delivered by the Research Governance Team in the Research Strategy Office.

A recommended course by the Researcher Development Programme as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The course can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A curated collection of recommended courses by Researcher Development as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The collection can be accessed here.

A recommended course by the Researcher Development Programme as part of the University of Cambridge's subscription to LinkedIn Learning.

The course can be accessed here.

Managing a project is a key skill for an effective researcher, yet project management is often poorly understood.

This can lead to projects running out of time or money, or overworking people. This online course gives you the foundational project management knowledge needed to complete your research project successfully, as well as the opportunity to implement and thereby embed this knowledge.

Outcomes:

• Understand how to define, plan and implement a project
• Know how to manage yourself and others effectively
• Be able to identify and plan for risks and cope with challenges

How to Access the Course

In order to enrol onto Managing a Research Project, you will need an enrolment key. Please use the appropriate key for your School.

Postgraduate School of Life Sciences: PSLS-mrp20
Physical Sciences and Technology: SPST-mrp20
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: AHSS-mrp20

You can access the course and enrol at the following link: https://www.vle.cam.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=135202

This course will be facilitated online via Zoom.

Dr Elizabeth English is offering a new Online WEEKLY MEDITATION Q&A session, Tuesdays at 1.30pm. Please visit Mindfulness at Cam for more information and updates.

The Meditation sessions are not designed as a course, they are weekly one-off sessions, and you are welcome attend as many (or as few) as you wish.

Class will be approximately 30 mins. See times and dates below.

View the Mindfulness Meditation Timetable here

Please not that these courses are only for University of Cambridge students (undergraduate and postgraduate), who are affiliated to a Cambridge college.

This course will be facilitated online via Zoom.

This is one of four "Mindfulness Workshop" sessions. You can attend one - four of these sessions as you wish, in any order. Although not designed as a course, the four sessions are complimentary and cover different aspects of mindfulness.

Please do not book on to the same session twice.

View complete timetable here

The other sessions are as follows:
Mindfulness for Exams 2: Improving Attention
Mindfulness for Exams 3: Better Sleep
Mindfulness for Exams 4: Productive Decisions

Do you get the results you want from your communication with others at work? Are you able to talk with confidence in meetings and interviews? Do you have a high level of impact when speaking in public?

This individually focused and completely confidential one-to-one coaching session will help you refine your presentation skills, help you speak more confidently as an emerging leader in your research field, and develop new approaches to your communication in a wide range of professional situations.

Constructive feedback will give you insight into your speaking style, how you come across to others, and how well your ideas are communicated. Coaching will focus on your individual requirements ranging from practical points about elocution and vocal projection, to holding the attention of a room, to structuring a compelling presentation.

You've got interesting research to share, but is anyone listening?!

Presenting your research is an essential skills for a researcher, be it with your peers, at a major conference, or even to a room full of schoolchildren. This online toolkit covers a whole range of performance and presentation techniques for you to work through and incorporate into your presentations, in your own time. From crafting a story to handling the dreaded Q&A, there’s guaranteed to be something there to help you improve your presentations.

If you particularly struggle with the performance aspects of giving a presentation and don't feel comfortable talking in front of others, then you may also like to attend the Better Presentations workshop.

Outcomes:

• Understand how to create a compelling presentation
• Know some practical tips for giving an engaging performance
• Understand how to continue improving with each presentation

How to Access the Course

In order to enrol for the Presentation Skills Toolkit, you will need an enrolment key.

Please use the appropriate key for your School.

Life Sciences: PSLS-pst20
Physical Sciences and Technology: SPST-pst20
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: AHSS-pst20

You can access the course and enrol at the following link: https://www.vle.cam.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=129841

Whether you are new to presenting, looking to speak at your first conference, or wanting important tips to finesse your delivery, this is the course for you.

Before attending this online session you will have to prepare a 5 minute presentation. You will deliver your presentation to the rest of the participants and receive feedback.

RD Live brings Researcher Development to life with sessions featuring a specialist presentation, discussion and Q&A. Hosted by the RD team fortnightly via Zoom, each event focuses on a particular theme relevant to postgraduate students such as re-planning your PhD, funding & registration, and more.

For this event, we are joined by Claire Sewell, from the Office of Scholarly Communications, University of Cambridge. Claire will talk about the copyright of a thesis, different types of copyright, and the use of third-party material.

RD Live brings Researcher Development to life with sessions featuring a specialist presentation, discussion and Q&A. Hosted by the RD team fortnightly via Zoom, each event focuses on a particular theme relevant to postgraduate students such as re-planning your PhD, funding & registration, and more.

For this event, we are joined by Clare Trowell, Marshal Librarian at the University of Cambridge. The focus on Accidental Plagiarism, Self-Plagiarism and techniques for avoiding both.

This session will be led by the University of Cambridge’s Researcher Development team. Comprised of seasoned researchers and developers with PhDs ranging from philosophy, engineering to life sciences, the team is well-placed to offer substantive guidance to new PhD students. They will draw on their own stories and experiences in doing so.

The specific focus of the session is on the various training and development opportunities available to PhD students. As well as highlighting these opportunities, the team will advise students on where to find them and how best to organise the time spent on engaging with them. By the end of this session, students should feel more settled and confident in taking their first steps into doctoral research.

Are you completely overwhelmed by the reading that you have to do? Would you like to be able to scan long documents for the important points?

This online course can help you to make the most of the time available to you by ensuring that your reading isn't slowing you down, and that you are reading strategically. You can complete the course at your own pace.

Outcomes:

• Identify what holds back your personal reading speed
• Practise techniques for improving your speed
• Learn how to read articles strategically

How to Access the Course

In order to enrol for the Reading Efficiency Toolkit, you will need an enrolment key. Please use the appropriate key for your School.

Postgraduate School of Life Sciences: PSLS-ret20
Physical Sciences and Technology: SPST-ret20
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences: AHSS-ret20

You can access the course and enrol at the following link: https://www.vle.cam.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=134122

It’s that time of year: the report is looming on the horizon and the reality of writing is here!

This ‘hands on’ session focuses on helping you plan and structure your first year report. In the first 15 minutes, we will discuss the function of the first-year report and in the remaining time you will have the opportunity to work on your report and write.

The time has come to start writing your thesis, but you may still be in the lab finishing experiments and/or writing papers for publication. How are you going to start writing your thesis and submit on time?

This ‘hands on’ session focuses on helping you plan and start to write your thesis. In the first 15 minutes, we will introduce techniques to help you with that planning and in the remaining time you will have the opportunity to work on your thesis and write.

This interactive workshop is designed to help you identify skills you want to develop and to create your own skills development plan.