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.

Bodleian Libraries Induction

Wednesday 15th January 2025 3:00-3:30pm

Thursday 16th January 2025 10:30-11:00am

Friday 17th January 2025 1:30-2:00pm

Are you an existing student at the University of Oxford and unsure of how the Bodleian Libraries can help you? Did you miss your Freshers’ week induction, or would you like a refresher? Are you a new visiting student? If so, join this 30-minute webinar to learn how we can help you with your studies and research. By the end of the webinar, you will understand:

• the network of Bodleian Libraries
• how to find items on your reading list including how to use SOLO
• how to use the Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi, PCs and printing
• where to get further help

Format: Online presenter-led instruction with the opportunity for questions

Location: Microsoft Teams

Wednesday 15 January

15:30-17:00 iSkills for Medicine: Introduction to Zotero

An introduction to the functionality of Zotero, a software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. The workshop will cover:

• Understanding the main features and benefits of Zotero
• Setting up a Zotero account
• Importing references from different sources into Zotero
• Organising your references in Zotero
• Inserting citations into documents
• Creating a bibliography/reference list.

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.

Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

Thursday 16 January

*New* 12:00-13:00 Open Scholarship: Navigating open access monographs: OAPEN and the OA books toolkit for researchers

Open access publication of monographs is an emerging movement, but also a new and potentially confusing one. This workshop (presented by speakers from the OAPEN Foundation), will help Oxford researchers get to grips with publishing long-form works open access, by detailing the resources available to them through OAPEN, the online library of open access books. Particular focus will be given to the OAPEN OA Open Books Toolkit, which provides resources to help authors better understand open access book publishing and to increase trust in open access books.

Who is this session for? Oxford academics, researchers (including postgraduates) who are looking to publish long-form research.

Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

16:00-17:00 iSkills for Medicine: Literature searching – getting started

Puzzled by PICO? Daunted by databases? Baffled by Boolean? This one-hour introductory class will offer top tips and advice on how to find literature to answer a research question. No prior experience necessary! Together, we will break down a question into the PICO format, put together a structured search, and try it out in PubMed. By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Explain what structured searching is, and when to use it
• Break your research question down into searchable concepts
• Make use of Boolean operators (ANDs/ORs) in your structured searches.

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.

Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

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 9 December

14:00-15:00 iSkills for Medicine: An Introduction to Designing a Conference Poster
Are you planning to present a poster at an upcoming conference, meeting or symposium? This introductory session will provide you with some top tips on how to create a poster presentation which will help you to communicate your research project and data effectively. There will be guidance on formatting, layout, content, use of text, references and images, as well as advice on printing and presenting your poster. This session will also provide help with locating resources such as templates, free-to-use images and poster guidelines. By the end of this online session you will be able to:

• evaluate the effectiveness of templates, formatting, text and images;
• plan, prepare and present your poster.

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.
Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

Tuesday 10 December

10:00-11:00 iSkills for Medicine: An introduction to science communication: Translating your research for a non-specialist audience
Are you looking to learn about the ways in which to transmit scientific ideas and make your research accessible to a non-specialist audience through a variety of mediums? This session will serve as an introduction to science communication and how it can be successfully incorporated into our roles. By the end of this session you will be able to:

• define science communication and provide a list of examples;
• explain why science communication is important for both our CPD and the public;
• list ways in which we can all get involved in science communication.
  

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.
Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

Wednesday 11 December

10:30-12:00 iSkills for Medicine: Introduction to Zotero
An introduction to the functionality of Zotero, a software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. The workshop will cover:

• understanding the main features and benefits of Zotero;
• setting up a Zotero account;
• importing references from different sources into Zotero;
• organising your references in Zotero;
• inserting citations into documents;
• and creating a bibliography/reference list.
  

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.
Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

14:00-15:00 iSkills for Medicine: Literature Searching – Getting Started
Puzzled by PICO? Daunted by databases? Baffled by Boolean? This one-hour introductory class will offer top tips and advice on how to find literature to answer a research question. No prior experience necessary! Together, we will break down a question into the PICO format, put together a structured search, and try it out in PubMed. By the end of this session, you will be able to:

• explain what structured searching is, and when to use it;
• break your research question down into searchable concepts;
• and make use of Boolean operators (ANDs/ORs) in your structured searches.

Who is this session for? Students, staff and researchers from MSD and OUH.
Format: Online using Microsoft Teams.

Tuesday 17 December

10:00-11:30 Open Scholarship: Fundamentals of Open Access.

Are you baffled by open, confused by embargoes? Does the mention of the colour gold or green catapult you into a realm of perplexed irritation? Come to this session, where we’ll break down open access and all its many jargon terms, confusing publishing structures and hint at the advantages you can reap by publishing open.

• What is open access? Key terms – Gold, Green, Article Processing Charges
• Where to get more information and help
• Where to look for open access material
• Useful tools to assist you in publishing open access