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 April 2025 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.
Format: Online teacher-led presentation with opportunities for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Monday 28th April 2025 15:30-17:00
iSkills for Medicine: Introduction to EndNote
Do you need help managing your references? Do you need help citing references in your documents? This online session will introduce you to EndNote, a subscription software programme which can help you to store, organise and retrieve your references and PDFs, as well as cite references in documents and create bibliographies quickly and easily. On completing the workshop you will be able to:
- Understand the main features and benefits of EndNote
- Set up an EndNote account
- Import references from different sources into EndNote
- Organise your references in EndNote
- Insert citations into documents
- Create a bibliography/reference list
Format: Online presentation and demonstration with time for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Tuesday 29th April 2025 10:00-11:00
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.
Format: Online teacher-led presentation with opportunities for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Tuesday 29th April 2025 13:00-14:00
iSkills: Getting started in Oxford libraries
If you are new to the University of Oxford and want to find out more about the University’s network of libraries or have been at the University a while and would like a refresher, join us for this online introduction to understanding and accessing the libraries, their services and resources. By the end of the session, you will:
- Be familiar with the network of Oxford libraries
- Know the logins needed to access Bodleian Libraries services
- Be able to conduct a search in SOLO (the University’s resource discovery tool), filter results and access online and print resources
- Know how to manage your library account including loans and requests
Format: Live online session with a mixture of PowerPoint presentation, live demonstration and practical exercises.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Tuesday 29th April 2025 13:30-16:30
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 four tools (RefWorks, EndNote, Zotero and Mendeley), 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: IT Services, 7-19 Banbury Road, Oxon, OX2 6NN
Thursday 1st May 2025 10:00-11:30
iSkills: Discovering archives and modern manuscripts at the Bodleian Libraries
This workshop 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 & 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
Thursday 1st May 2025 13:30-14:30
iSkills for Medicine: Literature searching – getting started
Puzzled by PICO? Daunted by databases? Baffled by Boolean? This one-hour online 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
Format: Online teacher-led presentation with opportunities for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams