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.
Tuesday 12 November
10:00-12:00 Scholarly literature for your research
In this online interactive workshop, you will learn how to create an effective search query and have the opportunity to try out a range of tools that you can use to search for scholarly materials to support your research. You will:
- learn how to find books and other scholarly items in Oxford libraries using SOLO
- search for journal articles using subject databases and scholarly search engines
- be signposted towards learning materials you can use if you are interested in searching for conference proceedings, theses and dissertations.
Format: Interactive teacher-led online session.
Location: Online using Microsoft Teams.
13:00-14:00 Research metrics and citation analysis tools: Part 1 journal metrics
*waiting list available*
In this session we will cover how to locate and interpret journal level metrics such as the Journal Impact Factor (JIF). We will examine the tools you can use to locate journal level metrics, such as Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources. We will also consider the uses, limitations and pitfalls inherent in these metrics and how they can be used responsibly. By the end of the session, you will be familiar with:
- The major journal metrics and how these are calculated
- Accessing journal citation data using Journal Citation Reports and Scopus Sources
- Using JIF, CiteScore and SJR journal metrics to rank journals
- Limitations of different metrics, including how journal metrics may be skewed or distorted
Format: Classroom-based. Presentation with practical exercises.
Location: Radcliffe Science Library, Seminar Room
Parks Road, OX2 3QP
Newspapers are a valuable resource for researching not only news but also many other aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life. In this session we will introduce key online sources of news and how to make best use of them. The focus will be on historical and contemporary newspapers from the 17th century across most countries of the world. After the session participants will understand:
- the value of newspapers in research;
- the difficulties of using newspapers in research and effective search techniques, and will be able to use a range of sources for searching and reading:
- historical newspapers
- contemporary newspapers
- historical audio-visual news sources
Thursday 14 November
10:00-11:30 Discovering archives and modern manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries
This class will introduce participants to the key catalogues and finding aids for post-1800 archives and manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries. In particular the session will focus on Bodleian Archives and Manuscripts, the online catalogue for post-1800 archives and manuscripts. The session will also briefly introduce some of the major UK online gateways for discovering archives. The topics covered include:
- How to use the Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts online catalogue
- Other printed archive catalogues in the Bodleian Libraries
- Major subject areas covered in Bodleian archives and modern manuscripts
- National archive gateways
The workshop will include a question and answer session with Bodleian archivists.
This session does not cover:
- Pre-1800 manuscripts (Medieval and Early Modern periods).
- Manuscripts in Middle Eastern, Semitic, and Asian languages
Format: Classroom-based presentation with a question and answer session.
Location: Weston Library Lecture Theatre.
Weston Library, Broad Street, OX1 3BG
14:00-17:00 Referencing: EndNote
An introduction to EndNote, open to all, that teaches you how to use the software so that you can effectively manage your references. The workshop will cover:
- what EndNote can do for you
- adding references to EndNote from a range of sources
- managing your references in an EndNote library
- adding in-text citations and/or footnotes to your essays and papers
- creating bibliographies.
Format: Classroom-based. Presentation with practical exercises.
Location: Thames Suite, IT Services
7-19 Banbury Road, Oxon, OX2 6NN