Cambridge University Libraries course timetable
May 2018
| Tue 29 |
Before undertaking any piece of primary research it’s important to be aware of as much of the existing literature as possible. A systematic literature review can also be a research end in itself. And it’s not something to be taken lightly. But how can you be sure you’re being as rigorous as necessary? How can you manage the references you find, document the process, and also know when to stop searching? If you need to do a systematic literature review, and you’re not able to make sense of the search strategy behind this paper then this course is for you. Please bring along details of your own topic so that the session can be tailored to address your specific needs. |
| Thu 31 |
Referencing Your Work Like a Pro
Finished
Referencing where you got ideas and inspiration from for your research is a core skill for any good researcher. In this session, you will learn about the University of Cambridge's approach to plagiarism, as well as giving tips and tricks on how to avoid being caught out through bad referencing techniques. You will also be shown handy tools that can do a lot of the work for you as well as managing your literature reading list throughout your work and beyond. Bring along your laptop, tablet or mobile phone to join in with our interactive referencing quiz and put your knowledge to the test! You might even win a prize! |
June 2018
| Fri 1 |
Critical appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context.' Amanda Burls, What is Critical Appraisal?, Feb 2009 'An Introduction to Critical Appraisal' will help you understand how to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). Using the CASP Checklist the course covers samples and sample size, randomisation, bias, statistics, significance (P Values and Confidence Intervals) and relevance. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
| Mon 4 |
One session covering the Cinahl database, targeted at nurses. Learn how to get the best out of your literature searches. |
| Tue 5 |
This session will help prepare you to begin your literature review. You will learn strategies for searching for relevant material, how to troubleshoot common search problems, and how to stay up to date with new publications in your field. Please bring a laptop, tablet or other web-enabled devide with you to the session. |
| Wed 6 |
Medicine: Managing Your Bibliography
Finished
How to take the bile out of your bibliography, and ensure that it's not the most time-consuming part of your work. A variety of tools will be showcased: EndNote, EndNoteWeb, Zotero, Mendeley. |
| Thu 7 |
This session will develop skills that will help you get the most out of your literature review. From a foundation of effective search strategies, you will learn how to critically appraise academic literature, techniques for getting through sources quickly and evaluating their relevance, engaging with key material and beginning to write your literature review itself, as well as ensuring accuracy in your citations and references. Please bring a laptop, tablet or other web-enabled device with you to the session. |
| Mon 11 |
Medicine: Writing for Publication
Finished
A course 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 course will demystify the peer-review process, and help you to improve the precision and clarity of your academic writing. |
| Wed 13 |
One session covering the Medline database, targeted at doctors. Learn how to get the best out of your literature searches. |
| Thu 14 |
Critical appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context.' Amanda Burls, What is Critical Appraisal?, Feb 2009 This course will help you understand how to critically appraise a systematic review. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
| Mon 18 |
One session covering the Cinahl database, targeted at allied health professionals. Learn how to get the best out of your literature searches. |
| Thu 21 |
Critical appraisal is the process of carefully and systematically examining research to judge its trustworthiness, and its value and relevance in a particular context.' Amanda Burls, What is Critical Appraisal?, Feb 2009 'An Introduction to Critical Appraisal' will help you understand how to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). Using the CASP Checklist the course covers samples and sample size, randomisation, bias, statistics, significance (P Values and Confidence Intervals) and relevance. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
| Tue 26 |
One session - four medicine and life science databases - widest coverage for your literature search. PubMed is great, but it doesn't cover all the journals relevant to life sciences and medicine. Embase, Web of Science and Scopus can also be relevant and each covers unique material. Come to this hands-on session to learn how to get the best from each of these "4 tops". |
| Wed 27 |
Before undertaking any piece of primary research it’s important to be aware of as much of the existing literature as possible. A systematic literature review can also be a research end in itself. And it’s not something to be taken lightly. But how can you be sure you’re being as rigorous as necessary? How can you manage the references you find, document the process, and also know when to stop searching? If you need to do a systematic literature review, and you’re not able to make sense of the search strategy behind this paper then this course is for you. Please bring along details of your own topic so that the session can be tailored to address your specific needs. |
July 2018
| Mon 2 |
Medicine: Managing Your Bibliography
Finished
How to take the bile out of your bibliography, and ensure that it's not the most time-consuming part of your work. A variety of tools will be showcased: EndNote, EndNoteWeb, Zotero, Mendeley. |
| Tue 17 |
One session - four medicine and life science databases - widest coverage for your literature search. PubMed is great, but it doesn't cover all the journals relevant to life sciences and medicine. Embase, Web of Science and Scopus can also be relevant and each covers unique material. Come to this hands-on session to learn how to get the best from each of these "4 tops". |
| Tue 24 |
Medicine: Research Data Management
Finished
There is an increasing emphasis in research on the management and sharing of data. Many funding bodies that support research undertaken at Cambridge require not only open access to any publications based on that research, but also to the data underlying it. This course will help you understand funders’ requirements for management and sharing of research data, and will provide opportunities to create your own data management plan and test out resources that will make the data management process easier. |
|
Medicine: Writing for Publication
Finished
A course 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 course will demystify the peer-review process, and help you to improve the precision and clarity of your academic writing. |
|
| Thu 26 |
Before undertaking any piece of primary research it’s important to be aware of as much of the existing literature as possible. A systematic literature review can also be a research end in itself. And it’s not something to be taken lightly. But how can you be sure you’re being as rigorous as necessary? How can you manage the references you find, document the process, and also know when to stop searching? |
| Tue 31 |
This course will help you understand how to critically appraise a systematic review, assessing its reliability, trustworthiness, and applicability. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
August 2018
| Wed 1 |
This course will help you understand how to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). Using the CASP Checklist, the course covers samples and sample size, randomisation, bias, statistics, significance (P Values and Confidence Intervals) and relevance. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
| Tue 7 |
Before undertaking any piece of primary research it’s important to be aware of as much of the existing literature as possible. A systematic literature review can also be a research end in itself. And it’s not something to be taken lightly. But how can you be sure you’re being as rigorous as necessary? How can you manage the references you find, document the process, and also know when to stop searching? |
| Wed 8 |
Medicine: Getting the best results - improving your database searching (for NHS staff only)
Finished
A course specifically for NHS staff. Attendees will learn how to search databases accessible with an Athens login (such as Medline, Embase, and Cinahl) effectively and efficiently, to learn how to save searches and references, and to create and maintain a bibliography. All attendees are required to have an NHS Athens login. |
| Thu 9 |
This course will help you understand how to critically appraise a Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT). Using the CASP Checklist, the course covers samples and sample size, randomisation, bias, statistics, significance (P Values and Confidence Intervals) and relevance. We ask that you read a paper that will be provided before you attend the session, in order for us to make the best use of the time together. |
| Mon 13 |
One session - four medicine and life science databases - widest coverage for your literature search. PubMed is great, but it doesn't cover all the journals relevant to life sciences and medicine. Embase, Web of Science and Scopus can also be relevant and each covers unique material. Come to this hands-on session to learn how to get the best from each of these "4 tops". |