Zotero is a reference management tool that helps you build libraries of references and add citations and bibliographies to word processed documents using your chosen citation style. This introduction covers the main features of Zotero.

Objectives:

• Install Zotero and related plug ins on your computer
• Understand how to synchronise Zotero across several computers
• Add, edit and organise references using Zotero
• Add in text citations and /or footnotes to your papers
• Create bibliographies

Intended Audience:  Students, researchers and staff needing to manage references and create bibliographies

When: Fri 12 May, 14.00 to 17.00

Where: IT Services, 13 Banbury Road, Isis Room

Click here to book a place. 

This session will introduce key information sources for African Studies. You will be shown useful finding tools to locate relevant material via SOLO and how to search them, as well as important portals and gateways to libraries and archives of online primary texts. There will be time for a brief hands-on.

Subjects to be covered include:

• Locating relevant material via SOLO
• Using key portals and gateways to libraries and archives of online primary texts

Intended Audience:  Students, researchers and anyone interested in the topic

When: Thu 11 May, 10.00 to 11.30

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place. 

An introduction to Oxford Libraries including guidance on which libraries to use; finding and using books, journals and other materials in print and online; and making the most of Library services. This workshop will help you settle into searching for literature at Oxford with confidence.

Objectives – By the end of the session you will be able to

•  Find out which libraries are most relevant to your topic and study requirements
• Use SOLO to find printed and online books, journals and other materials
• Use OxLIP+ to access databases
• Use LibGuides to find key resources for your subject
• Access help and advice from the libraries on searching, current awareness, reference management, open access, research data management and more.

Intended Audience: All Oxford Library users

When: Wed 10 May, 09.30 to 12.30

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place.

The Bodleian’s Weston Library has a wealth of resources covering almost all aspects of modern British society and culture. This session will introduce key finding aids and get you started with the research skills needed to make the most of these resources.You will have an opportunity in the session to handle some actual examples.

Subjects to be covered include:

• Identifying relevant material in Oxford and elsewhere
• Considerations when working with archival material
• Types of archives and modern papers
• How to find out more

Intended Audience:  Students, researchers and other Bodleian Libraries’ readers considering using modern papers and archives in social science or historical research.

When: Wed 10 May, 14.00 to 16.00

Where: Weston Library, Horton Room

Click here to book a place.

This session provides an opportunity for doctoral students to learn about using Social Science data archives to inform their research. It will also outline the workings of the University of Oxford’s institutional data repository, ORA-Data.

Objectives:

• Locate and cite data from a range of data archives
• Have an understanding of the benefits and operation of ORA-Data
• Provide feedback on the usability of ORA-Data deposit mechanism

Intended Audience: DPhil students and research staff (particularly in Social Sciences)

When: Tue 9 May 10.00-12.00

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place. 

A practical introduction to searching for scholarly materials to support your research, covering a range of tools for finding monographs, journal articles, conference papers, theses and more.

Subjects to be covered include:

• Run effective literature searches
• Find monographs and other scholarly items in Oxford Libraries using SOLO
• Search for journal articles using subject databases and scholarly search engines
• Search for theses and dissertations from around the World using Proquest and eTHos
• Search for theses from Oxford University using SOLO and ORA
• Search for conference papers using Proquest, OCLC and other databases

Intended Audience:  Postgraduate students, researchers and academics.

When: Thu 4 May, 14.00 to 17.00

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place.

Tools and tips for starting your research in film studies.

Subjects to be covered include:

• Overview of the Film Studies collections at Oxford – films, books and more
• Effective searching for Film Studies monographs
• Finding Film Studies journal articles
• Tips for Finding Films
• Citing films

Intended Audience:  Anyone doing a dissertation, thesis or research in Film Studies

When: Wed 3 May 10.00 to 11.00

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place. 

RefWorks is an online tool which allows you to manage your references, insert them into your work as in text citations or footnotes and automatically generate bibliographies. This introduction to RefWorks is open to all, but the section on importing references will focus on Humanities examples.

Objectives – By the end of the session you will be able to:

• Understand the pros and cons of RefWorks
• Create a RefWorks account
• Add references to RefWorks from a range of sources
• Add in text citations and /or footnotes to your essays and papers
• Create bibliographies
• Get help with RefWorks

Intended Audience:  Oxford Students, researchers and other staff plus Oxford alumni

When: Tue 2 May 09.15 to 12.15

Where: 13 Banbury Road, Evenlode Room

Click here to book a place. 

Bodleian iSkills are a series of information workshops designed to help postgraduates & researchers find and make effective use of scholarly publications and reference management tools. These workshops are FREE and we run approximately 30 per term.

For the full list of courses, and for further information CLICK HERE 

Google is often dismissed as being irrelevant to the academic literature search. However, changes to the nature of the dissemination of scholarly research and official information in recent years mean that a wealth of relevant information can be accessed via standard Internet search engines such as Google. Too often however such information is lost amongst thousands of irrelevant, spurious and misleading results. Based on an understanding of how the Google search engine works this practical workshop will show you the basic techniques to hone in on high quality academic material from Google searches. Given concerns about the privacy costs of a ‘free’ search within search engines such as Google, alternative search engines will also be explored and compared, including DuckDuckGo.

Objectives. By the end of the session you will:

• Be able to find high quality academic material using Google
• Understand how Google works
• Use alternative search engines including DuckDuckGo.

Intended Audience:  All DPhils and Research Students in the Social Sciences

When: Thu 27 April 14.00 to 16.00

Where: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room

Click here to book a place.