Office of Scholarly Communication course timetable

Are the researchers in your department confused about what they need to do about Open Access?

This support session will equip you to help them understand:

• what Open Access policies actually mean for researchers across the disciplines
• what they are required to do in order for their research to be eligible for REF 2021

Dr Arthur Smith of the Office of Scholarly Communication will discuss everything you need to know to guide researchers through the process of making research Open Access, and will demonstrate how to manage key tasks in Symplectic Elements.

Are the researchers in your department confused about what they need to do about Open Access?

This support session will equip you to help them understand:

• what Open Access policies actually mean for researchers across the disciplines
• what they are required to do in order for their research to be eligible for REF 2021

Dr Arthur Smith of the Office of Scholarly Communication will discuss everything you need to know to guide researchers through the process of making research Open Access, and will demonstrate how to manage key tasks in Symplectic Elements.

Are the researchers in your department confused about what they need to do about Open Access?

This support session will equip you to help them understand:

• what Open Access policies actually mean for researchers across the disciplines
• what they are required to do in order for their research to be eligible for REF 2021

Dr Arthur Smith of the Office of Scholarly Communication will discuss everything you need to know to guide researchers through the process of making research Open Access, and will demonstrate how to manage key tasks in Symplectic Elements.

What would happen to your research data if your lab exploded, or your laptop was stolen, or your cloud storage account was hacked? How could you prevent data loss in these situations? Managing your data effectively is vital to help you do this.

This workshop will introduce the basic principles of Research Data Management (RDM) and how they are relevant throughout the research life cycle.

Intended for those who are new to RDM, this course will firstly explain what RDM is, and then go on to cover basic data back-up and storage options, file sharing tools, and strategies for organising your data, as well as providing guidance on managing personal or sensitive data. You will also learn about the range of support services available to you within the University for managing your data.

If you already have a basic understanding of RDM then the advanced course is probably more appropriate for you to attend.

If you already know the basics of Research Data Management (RDM) – for example backing up your work, file storage options - but now need to know more about effective strategies for sharing your data, then this course is for you!

This course gives a brief recap on RDM and then covers managing personal and sensitive data in the context of the new GDPR legislation, why it is a Good Thing to share your data, and how to do this most effectively in terms of describing your data, deciding where to share it, and using licences to control how your data is used by others. You will even get to write your own Data Management Plan (DMP): these help you manage your data throughout a project and after it has ended and are increasingly required as part of a grant or fellowship application. You will also learn about the range of support services available to you within the University for managing your data.

If you are completely new to the concept of research data management then the beginners course is for you.

Join the OSC as we bring the popular Superhero Librarian Roadshow back to Cambridge! Library and information professionals are often involved in innovative projects and initiatives but unless we shout about it this work often goes unnoticed by both the outside world and the institutions we work in. This interactive workshop, led by Leo Appleton from Goldsmiths, University of London and Wendy Morris from Kingston University, aims to change that!

Offering a range of practical activities and exercises this workshop enables participants to consider their day to day work, how this has led to professional achievements and build the confidence to share these outcomes beyond the library echo chamber. Participants will be invited to think about how they might celebrate such successes by sharing their best practice through various activities including conferences, publication and social media. By the end of the workshop participants will be aware of some of the platforms available to them and how professional pride and success can potentially be celebrated.

Understanding the peer review process gives you an invaluable insight into a key aspect of the research life cycle. This is an unmissable chance to explore tips and best practices with PLOS, publishers of the world's largest multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal.

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to join PLOS for an essential introduction to peer review. This session will allow you to develop an understanding of what peer review is and how it can impact the experience of researchers. Learn how you can use your existing skills to provide support and advice.

The session will also be useful for library staff who are interested in undertaking peer review themselves but are unsure of exactly what is involved.

You'll learn...

• how to support researchers who are conducting peer review
• the 3 questions researchers should always ask when they're asked to do a review
• how to get ready to review and be recognized for the work
• how to read a manuscript with peer review in mind
• how to write ideal feedback.

Stay on after the workshop to chat to PLOS staff and editors and enjoy light refreshments.

If you have recently started peer reviewing, or are ready to get involved, this is an unmissable chance to pick up tips and best practices from PLOS, publishers of the world's largest multi-disciplinary peer-reviewed journal.

The Office of Scholarly Communication invites you to join PLOS for an essential introduction to Peer Review.

You'll learn...

• the 3 questions you should always ask yourself when you're asked to do a review
• how to get ready to review and be recognized for your work
• how to read a manuscript with peer review in mind
• how to write the feedback you wish you'd received.

Stay on after the workshop to chat to PLOS staff and editors and enjoy light refreshments.

• Would you like to share your research findings with the international academic community, without paywall restrictions?

• Would you like to boost citations of your work?

• Did you know that funders recognise the benefits of Open Access and most now require it as a condition of their grants?

These are questions for postgraduate students at all stages of their research.

PREVENT RESEARCH DISASTERS THROUGH GOOD DATA MANAGEMENT

• How much information would you lose if your laptop was stolen?
• Have you ever emailed your colleague a file named 'final_final_versionEDITED'?
• Do you know what your funder expects you to do with your research information?

As a researcher, you will encounter research data in many forms, ranging from measurements, numbers and images to documents and publications.

Whether you create, receive or collect this information, you will need to organise it.

Managing digital information properly is a complex issue. Doing it correctly from the start could save you a lot of time and hassle when preparing a publication or writing up your thesis.

Some learned societies are increasingly dependent on publishing revenues, yet as open access becomes the new normal, researchers and librarians alike are questioning expensive subscription and publishing deals.

The Office of Scholarly Communication presents a panel debate for Open Access Week 2018 and Cambridge Festival of Ideas 2018. Join representatives from learned societies in the arts and sciences, including the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Historical Society, in conversation with their members within the University of Cambridge to ask ‘what is a learned society in the 21st century?’ How can the societies sustain their place in the academic landscape and answer the challenges created by open access requirements?

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event: visit our booking page.

What's new in scholarly communication for 2018?

The world of scholarly communication and research support is a fast moving one. Many different external developments can influence local practices but the speed can make it hard to keep up. Join the OSC for this short and accessible webinar which outlines some of the key developments in the scholarly communication landscape over the last year including the launch of Plan S, the breakdown of negotiations with Elsevier in Europe and the current copyright lawsuits against ResearchGate.

The webinar will be delivered live and a recording will be made available. If you are unable to make the live session but would like access to the recording please register as normal.

Much research claims to benefit communities globally but are research outputs really available to everyone, even if they are made open access?

Join us on a world tour to discover what is possible when researchers and governments make their research outputs available openly. What kind of impact do they have outside the academy – and outside the global north? What more can we do to make these outputs useful to innovators and to those researching outside the academic sector?

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event: visit our booking page.

The OSC is delighted to bring you a lunchtime screening of the documentary that has taken Open Access issues to the big screen.

Paywall: The Business of Scholarship is a documentary which focuses on the need for open access to research and science, questions the rationale behind the $25.2 billion a year that flows into for-profit academic publishers, examines the 35-40% profit margin associated with the top academic publisher Elsevier and looks at how that profit margin is often greater than some of the most profitable tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google.

Bring your lunch and enjoy some popcorn!

Everyone is welcome to attend this free event: visit our booking page.

• Where should you publish your monograph or book chapter?
• How do you assess the appropriateness of a publisher for your work?

Picking where to publish your research and in what format is an important decision to make.

This session looks at the things you need to consider in order to reach your audience effectively, including:

• Turning your thesis into a monograph
• Choosing a publisher
• Understanding the publication process

Being a reflective practitioner is something which doesn’t come naturally to all of us but it is a surprisingly easy skill to develop. As well as helping you to think critically about your own personal development, undertaking reflection can help library staff to improve their service and deal with user feedback in a constructive way.

Delivered as part of our Conference with Confidence series, this interactive workshop will help you to understand the theory of reflective practice, how to overcome barriers to integrate it into your everyday role and offer a chance to practice reflective writing. All skills that come in handy when preparing those conference abstracts… It is also useful if you are thinking of undertaking any level of professional qualification such as CILIP Chartership or Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy.

Delivered as part of our Conference with Confidence series

• Where should you publish your research?
• How do you assess the appropriateness of a journal for your work?
• How do you respond to reviewers?

Picking where to publish your research and in what format is an important decision to make.

This session looks at the things you need to consider in order to reach your audience effectively, including:

• Indicators to use to assess a journal - Journal Impact Factor, publisher fees and publication times
• Who should own the copyright to your work?
• What happens during peer-review

Confused by copyright? You are not alone!

Copyright involves much more than checking how much you are photocopying, but it can be difficult to know where to start.

Join the Office of Scholarly Communication as we answer your copyright queries, looking at:

• Copyright transfer agreements

• Creative Commons

• 3rd party copyright

• Open Access publisher requirements

The session will start with a 40 minute presentation, after which the time is open for you to raise questions and discuss issues you have encountered.

Data Tree is a new online course that has been developed by the Institute for Environmental Analytics. It is designed for PhD students and early career researchers with all you need to know for research data management, along with ways to engage and share data with business, policymakers, media and the wider public.

In this interactive workshop, course Director Vicky Lucas will introduce Data Tree. This will be an opportunity to find out about the leading experts who have contributed to the course, its interactive quizzes, videos and real-world examples, and to delve into some of the topics covered. Attendees of the hour-long session will leave fully prepared to use this excellent free resource to build on their data management skills, solve data handling problems and communicate the results of the research to non-academic audiences.

Read more information about Data Tree

One thing that puts many people off speaking at conferences is a perceived lack of presentation skills. Although this is one way to undertake public speaking, presentation skills are a much wider part of the information profession and can encompass anything from leading a tour to working at an enquiry point.

Delivered as part of our Conference with Confidence series, this workshop will take you through the process of creating and delivering a presentation, offer tips on design, outline techniques to deal with nerves and help you to feel more confident in communicating with others. Offered as a more accessible version one-hour version of our previous interactive workshop, this session offers you a chance to refresh your knowledge in a supportive environment.

Delivered as part of our Conference with Confidence series