Cambridge University Libraries course timetable

This event will allow participants to explore lots of different tools and resources that can help them with their work at Cambridge.

Tools and resources on offer include:

• streamlining academic work (IFTTT, LaTeX, Overleaf, alerts)
• managing academic outputs (ORCiD, Apollo, Symplectic Elements, Metrics)
• industry and the world of work (LinkedIn & advice from the Careers Service)

Participants will be able to rotate between different areas to hear short presentations (15 mins) and explore tools that they want to know more about. Handouts on all the tools and resources on offer will be available. The event will be led by librarians from across the Cambridge University Libraries community.

Participants can drop in to the event at any convenient time but we do encourage you to book so we can have an idea of numbers. All are welcome but this event will have a particular relevance for STEMM graduate students and researchers.

You do not have to stay for the full event duration.

Refreshments will be available on a first come, first served basis. Support for this event has been provided by the Researcher Development Programme.

Need help with iDiscover? Call in at the General Enquiries Helpdesk (on the landing above the Entrance Hall) where a member of Library staff will be able to help you search our print and online collections, answer any questions you have, or give you a general overview.

Every Friday between 9.00 and 10.15.

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.

An introduction to the UL's Rare Books Reading Room and its collections, which include material from the first European printing presses and from the wider world up to the present day.

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.

There are lots of "experts" out there in science but how do you know who you can trust and who should be taken with a pinch of salt?

This session will enable participants to develop critical evaluation skills around trustworthiness in scientific disciplines by evaluating different indicators of perceived quality such as seniority, funding, publishing records and even celebrity status. Participants will work through anonymised case studies in groups as well as being introduced to concepts such as publishing, open science and reproducibility, fake news, and effective science communication.

If this session is fully booked please join the waiting list - we will move venues if there is demand.

Session 1: Introduction to working with digital manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to digital manuscripts by exploring how and where to find them, what to expect when you do, understanding digital manuscript resources and what you can do with them.

Session 2: Tools for working with digitised manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to some of the tools that can be used when working with digital manuscripts. We will also explore further ideas and tools in addition to some other sources for assistance and further learning opportunities.

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.

Need help with iDiscover? Call in at the General Enquiries Helpdesk (on the landing above the Entrance Hall) where a member of Library staff will be able to help you search our print and online collections, answer any questions you have, or give you a general overview.

Every Friday between 9.00 and 10.15.

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.

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 device with you to the session.

Need to create a conference poster but are not sure where to start? This session will introduce participants to the fundamentals of designing an effective and engaging poster that is perfect for communicating research ideas. The session will look at good design practice, where to source free high quality graphics, as well as deciding what you should (and maybe shouldn't) include in your final poster.

If this session is fully booked please join the waiting list - we will move venues if there is demand.

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?

Session 1: Introduction to working with digital manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to digital manuscripts by exploring how and where to find them, what to expect when you do, understanding digital manuscript resources and what you can do with them.

Session 2: Tools for working with digitised manuscripts This workshop will introduce you to some of the tools that can be used when working with digital manuscripts. We will also explore further ideas and tools in addition to some other sources for assistance and further learning opportunities.

A course specifically for NHS staff. Attendees will learn how to search databases accessed 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.

This session equips participants with all the fundamental skills that they need to build and execute effective search strategies to locate and critically evaluate relevant materials for assignments, literature reviews, projects and other related research activities. The structure of the session with move through the processes of basic keyword generation, constructing search strings, understanding which resources to search, before finishing with developing critical evaluation skills to assess quality and relevance of found items

Useful databases such as Scopus and Web of Science will be demonstrated as part of this session.

If this session is fully booked please join the waiting list - we will move venues if there is demand.

Your SSC will require that you find scientific literature in order to read around a topic, even if you're are not doing a systematic review as the eventual outcome. It is a great opportunity to gain Key Skills which will be valuable for the SSC, your Year 5 Paeds CAT, and the rest of your professional life.

This session will be a refresher in how to search medical/healthcare databases effectively and efficiently, save and record literature search terms, and keep track of the results that you find.

This is a course designed for students undertaking a systematic review for their SSC project. It will cover all aspects of the systematic review process: ensuring your database search is as comprehensive as possible (and knowing when to stop), how to manage the process and results of the systematic review, and how to save references and cite them effectively.

An introduction to the UL's Rare Books Reading Room and its collections, which include material from the first European printing presses and from the wider world up to the present day.