Bodleian iSkills workshops aim to develop your skills in information discovery and scholarly communications, covering a variety of resources across a wide range of disciplines. They are primarily aimed at University of Oxford students and staff. Some workshops take place face-to-face, whilst others are run online.
The workshops are FREE but online booking is essential. A list of the sessions taking place this term can be found on the iSkills Workshops webpage.
Monday 28th October: 14:00-15:30
iSkills: Unlocking Critical Thinking and Research Skills for Undergraduates
Unlock the power of critical thinking and research skills in our engaging workshop designed for undergraduate students. Learn to question assumptions, analyse information critically, and develop information discovery and search strategies that will set you apart in your academic studies. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Describe what critical thinking is
- Understand a critical thinking model
- Apply the model to your academic work
- Explain the fundamentals of conducting research, including how to pinpoint key search terms and databases to search.
Format: An interactive teacher-led online session.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Tuesday 29th October: 14:00-16:00
iSkills: Managing research data and Data Management Planning (DMPs)
Good research data management is a vital component of academic practice. Part of this is the principle that the data used to develop the arguments and outcomes of your research should be effectively stored and managed during a project, preserved for the future and – where possible – shared with other academics. This session introduces the University’s research data policy and outlines the practical impact this will have on your work. The services available at Oxford to assist you will be outlined. This session is not only essential during your current studies but will be invaluable if you plan to continue in research as a career. Topics to be covered include:
- Common dangers and pitfalls of digital data
- Key principles of RDM and organising your data effectively
- Producing a data management plan
- Institutional, funder and publisher requirements
- Issues around preserving data and cybersecurity
- ORA-Data, GitHub and other preservation services
- Sharing thoughts and insights about the potential of data management in your own field
- Accessing Oxford based tools for research data management
Format: Classroom-based. Presentation with discussion.
Location: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room. Manor Road, OX1 3UQ.
Wednesday 30th October: 14:00-17:00
Referencing: Choosing and using software for referencing
Formatting your in text citations, footnotes and bibliography correctly for your thesis or publication is crucial. Reference management tools make this easier and save you time. This classroom-based session comprises a 30-minute presentation, which gives an overview of reference management tools. The rest of the session is dedicated to practical exercises at the computers, giving you the opportunity to try out three tools (RefWorks, EndNote and Zotero), so that you can work out which one is best for you. Library staff will be there to help and guide you, and answer any questions you might have. You can leave at any point once you have tried out the tools you want, and do not have to stay until the end. At the end of the session you will be able to:
- Understand how reference management works
- Understand the advantages and disadvantages of a range of reference management tools
- Add, edit and organise references using a number of different tools
- Add references to documents and create bibliographies using a number of different tools
- Make an informed decision about which reference management tool works best for you
Format: 30-minute presentation followed by practical exercises.
Location: Thames Suite, IT Services 7-19 Banbury Road, Oxon, OX2 6NN