Talk About Your Thesis

Posted on 6 January 2026 by kharris

Talk About Your Thesis: Share Your Research, Build your Confidence

Are you a science or medicine postgraduate looking to develop your presentation skills and share your research with a wider audience? The Radcliffe Science Library invites you to take part in Talk About Your Thesis — an engaging lunchtime event where postgraduates present their work in concise 5–7 minute talks to an interdisciplinary audience.

Whether you’re preparing for your DPhil transfer workshop, a Masters student thinking about doing a DPhil or gearing up for future conferences, this is a valuable opportunity to practise presenting your research clearly, confidently, and in an accessible way. You’ll gain experience speaking to listeners from different fields — a skill essential for both academic and professional success.

Talk About Your Thesis also offers the chance to meet and network with fellow researchers from across science and medicine, exchange ideas, and build connections within Oxford’s postgraduate community.

Deadline for applications: Noon. 11th February 2026

Speaker Selection Criteria

Eligibility

All postgraduates from the University of Oxford whose proposed topics align with the event’s theme and standards are considered eligible.

Topic Diversity

Priority will be given to ensuring that selected speakers represent a wide range of topics, perspectives, and areas of expertise.

Random Selection

Once topic diversity has been maximized, final speaker selection will be made at random from the eligible pool.

Event Details

📅Friday 20th March 2026

⏰Talks 12.00 – 13.00. Lunch 13.00-14.00

📍Radcliffe Science Library

A complimentary pizza lunch will follow the presentations — an ideal setting for informal discussion and networking.

If you’re interested in becoming a speaker, please complete the speaker interest form to register

Holidays are coming, holidays are coming….

Posted on 10 December 2025 by kharris

Before you go

As we move past the end of the teaching term, thoughts start to turn to the holidays or, as we know many of you like to call it, working from home!

The RSL is now open in line with the vacation timetable until Sunday 18th January, this includes a Christmas break between the 24th December & 1st January (inclusive) where the library will be closed.

Books borrowed during this period are taken on extended terms and will be due for return or renewal the first week of Hilary Term (exclusions may apply).

Help & assistance

Reader Services remain available to support you either in person or virtually throughout the holiday season when the library is open. The desks will be staffed as usual and, whether you are physically in the library or now working remotely, you can address any queries via e-mail enquiries.rsl@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or use the Live Chat function between 9am – 5pm on weekdays.

Accessing library services from home

Gone are the days when being unable to visit the library meant that you could not access the library….. Using your Oxford University Single Sign On (SSO) you are able to access a huge variety of resources from the RSL at home (or indeed wherever you may find yourself this holiday season).

Solo

Search for the books that you need and apply filters to access those titles that are available online, wherever you are.

Screenshot of a search in the SOLO system. It features a festive Santa Claus query in the search bar and three listings for books. Each has a flag highlighting that they are available online

ORLO

Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO) brings together almost 200 reading lists and can be accessed and searched at anytime using your SSO.

E-Journals

You can access E-Journals through SOLO and Browzine. Browzine provides access to all journals licenced by Oxford University from 2005 onwards

Screenshot of the Browzine search facility. On the left of the screen is an alphabetical list of subjects starting with Arts and humanities. The Central image is a collage of magazine covers illustrating the large collection of journals all stored in one place.

Databases

Databases are also accessible through SOLO. You can filter your resources to Databases in your search or use the Database A-Z function on the home page. Overall there are almost 2000 Databases available including our recently publicised new resources – the Global Health Archive and the Science of Synthesis.

Subject & Research guides

Like a dog, Subject & Research guides are not just for Christmas (!) but this a handy time to remind people of these resources at your disposal. The A-Z Subject guides provide a summary of the tools to support your work in each area including details of key journals and Databases.

Guidance for researchers provides insights on services, materials and tools for researchers in all disciplines.

We hope that you all have a fantastic holiday and wish you and all of your families the very best for a happy and prosperous 2026.

A cat and two dogs sat in front of a Christmas tree wearing festive headgear

Chocca block with happy readers

Posted on 25 November 2025 by kharris

New traditions

Over the last two weeks we hosted the latest events from our Wellbeing Calendar, providing free hot chocolate to any member of the University community who dropped in during the sessions held on the mornings of Thursday 13th and Tuesday 18th November.

As we approach the end of term, and deadlines loom, we know it can seem even more difficult to take the breaks you should so we thought there was no better time to offer an incentive to enjoy a sweet, warming treat on us.

Free Hot Chocolate at the RSL is rapidly becoming amongst the most looked forward to dates in our Wellbeing Calendar and we are well on the way to establishing them as a real winter tradition of our own, almost two years after the inaugural event.

New Records!

Back in 2024, we served almost 90 hot chocolates to grateful readers as part of our Wellbeing week. In 2025 we doubled that filling and giving out almost 200 warming cups over the two days as over 60 people visited us on the 13th November and a whopping 120 waited patiently for their turn between 10.00 & 11.30am on Tuesday 18th. That’s something like 50 litres of hot chocolate (and a whole lot of marshmallows) going out at an average rate quicker than a cup a minute to some very happy students. The efforts of the RSL team were much appreciated by the readers. They made sure that everyone was served promptly but never forgetting that the perfect hot chocolate is always properly stirred (not shaken!)

Some took the opportunity to take five and relax with friends whilst for others it was pour into the takeaway cup, on with the lid and straight out back to work (with that extra warm spring in their step).

Four female students smile with their hot chocolate

A close up shot of a cup of hot chocolate. The cup is full of small marshmallows floating in the top

Old Friends and New…..

The best part of any event is knowing that the people who took the time out to visit enjoyed it. We met everyone from RSL Wellbeing Room regulars to the casual library users. Everyone had a big smile on their face but hey, chocolate and marshmallows are supposed to do that to a person!

For a couple of undergraduates, it was a first ever visit to our library having been rounded up by an RSL regular who had insisted that the provision of free hot chocolate must dictate study location on the groupchat the night before

We received some fantastic feedback including a first time visitor who said that the Wellbeing space was wonderful (and so was the chocolate). A frequent reader noted that the evolving nature of the Wellbeing Room and the different things we are able to offer had them coming back “…to see what great stuff you have added next.” Another commented that they thought the free chocolate was such a lovely idea, thanked the team and said they thought that the “… RSL is the only library doing nice things like this”.

New Chocolate dates, New Events & New ideas

The value of taking regular breaks should never be underestimated so remember that outside of the events calendar, the Wellbeing Room is available to everyone, every day from 2pm – 5pm.

Don’t be blue if you missed out on the free hot chocolate this time, we’ll be back with more dates in the Hilary term. Keep an eye on the events calendar on the RSL website for this and other activities you can be a part of. Enjoy a break and aid your studies by taking the time to look after your own wellbeing.

If you have any ideas for events (or items) that you think would enhance the offering of the RSL Wellbeing Room then why not drop us a line to rsl-wellbeing@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

A group of student women sit on a corner sofa enjoying their hot chocolate. Another student is writing on the desk. Only his arm is in shot

Two smiling female students stand wrapped up ready to go out into the cold with their take away hot chocolate. There is a snowy plastic fir tree in the background behind them

Wellbeing at the Radcliffe Science Library

Posted on 8 October 2025 by kharris

As we start a new term, we wanted to take the opportunity to let both new undergraduates and returning readers know about the facilities and events here at the library to support your personal wellbeing. Making the time to take a break will allow you to be more rested, energised, and prepared for your everyday challenges.

RSL Wellbeing Room

The Wellbeing Room is located on the lower ground floor of the library and can be accessed using your library card. The room is spacious, calm and full of diversions to help clear the mind of ever growing to-do lists. From jigsaws and board games to bean bags and soft toys, there’s something for pretty much everyone who just wants to enjoy that bit of quiet time. We have a selection of wellbeing books, which are available to borrow, and the room itself can be booked by e-mailing rsl-wellbeing@bodleian.ox.ac.uk. The Wellbeing Room is kept free for drop in visitors every weekday from 2-5pm so you can be sure that, in the event of a stressful morning, there is always some respite available in the sanctuary of this space.

Photograph. A wide shot of the interior of the Wellbeing Room. It shows shelving full of books and games with a large screen in the centre. There are comfy armchairs and potted plants in the foreground

Photograph of a colouring book and a set of coloured pencils on a table top. One page of the book is completed and coloured in, the other just the unused outline

The regular building blocks of wellbeing…

As well as the daily drop in slot, the library offers a series of regular events to get your creative juices flowing and help sooth body and mind. Every Wednesday we host a double header, starting with free tea & coffee available from 10am-12 noon in the vending area. After a caffeine hit, remind yourself that everything is awesome with Lego Lunch from 1-2pm in the Wellbeing Room. There are various sets to choose from – will you follow instructions or simply freeform your way to master builder status? No bookings are required for either of these weekly sessions.

Need to slow the pace and chill with like minded others? On the 1st Tuesday of every month the Wellbeing Room hosts ‘Craft & Chat’ where you can wax lyrical about wool or let off some steam with a good old chunter as you crochet. You can book these sessions through our Wellbeing calendar here.

Things get on top of all of us from time to time and we are here to help you shed those nagging woes as the Wellbeing Room houses the RSL Worry Box. Pour in your concerns, big or small, throughout the course of term and we’ll get together for an extremely cathartic shredding event at year end.

Photograph of a Peacock made out of Lego. The colourful Lego feathers are on full display

Image features a desk top post box. Red in colour featuring the words 'Worry Box' above the letter slot. A female had is posing a piece of paper into the box

Can we interest you in one of our specials?

Keep a regular eye on the Wellbeing calendar as additional events are added throughout the year. Highlights this term include a warming winter treat where we’ll be dishing out free Hot Chocolate and a Mindfulness session with Susan Hargreaves (helping us with the tools to gather scattered thoughts and train our attention). Registration for these special events will open a few weeks prior to the date of the activity.

Stylised image of a blue and white mug in the snow. Steam is coming off the brown liquid and a caption reads 'Get a warm hug in a mug'

Suggestions

What’s missing? The current offering in the Wellbeing Room was developed through the feedback of library users and it will be you that helps us with the next steps. There is a whiteboard in the Wellbeing Room where you can jot down anything that occurs to you or use the rsl-wellbeing e-mail to share your thoughts on the facilities themselves or any ideas for potential new events.

Wider wellbeing

The commitment to supporting you and your wellbeing extends beyond the RSL, throughout the Bodleian libraries estate and across the wider University. Find details of what the Bodleian has to offer and explore the University of Oxford student Welfare & Wellbeing hub.

Science and Medicine

A Bodleian Libraries blog

Author Archives: kharris

Talk About Your Thesis