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 2nd June 2025 9:30-12:00
iSkills: Using AI to find, analyse, and share information sources
Curious about using AI to find research papers? Not sure how to properly reference GenAI and avoid plagiarism? This beginner-friendly workshop introduces three GenAI tools (ChatGPT, Elicit, and Perplexity), showing how they can support information discovery and analysis. Designed for those new to AI, this practical session will allow you to independently experiment with these tools and participate in group discussions to explore their strengths, limitations, and suitability for different tasks. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Explain what AI means and some key terms
- Differentiate between several categories of AI tools
- Describe how some GenAI tools can be used to discover information, including their strengths, limitations, and best practices
- Critique GenAI tools and their outputs at an introductory level using evaluative criteria
- State the University’s policies on AI, and avoid plagiarism by creating citations for AI-generated content
Format: Classroom-based. Presentation with practical exercises, group discussions, and an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the session.
Location: IT Services. 7-19 Banbury Road, Oxon, OX2 6NN
Monday 2nd June 2025 10:00-11:30
iSkills for Medicine: Searching systematically
This 90-minute session will cover some more advanced techniques for finding medical literature to answer a research question. We will recap some basics, then demonstrate searching in several medical databases, including using subject headings (MeSH) and the differences between platforms. By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Explain what subject headings are, and how to use them
- Search for words that appear near to other words
- Take a search from one database into another
- Save a search and document it
Format: Online teacher-led presentation with opportunities for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Monday 2nd June 2025 10:00-11:00
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 classroom-based session you will be able to:
- evaluate the effectiveness of templates, formatting, text and images;
- plan, prepare and present your poster.
Please note that this workshop is also run online. Please check the iSkills course listing for availability.
Format: Teacher-led presentation with opportunities for questions.
Location: Knowledge Centre Group Study Room. Ground Floor, Old Road Campus Research Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, Oxon, OX3 7DQ
Monday 2nd June 2025 13:30-16:30
A practical 180-minute workshop where participants will work on searches for their review across multiple databases. Librarians from the Bodleian Health Care Libraries will be on hand to demonstrate online tools for facilitating the process and give practical advice on refining individual search strategies. By the end of this classroom-based session you will be able to:
- Improve a search strategy that you are working on
- Adapt the search across multiple databases
- Use tools such as Yale MeSH Analyzer, Polyglot and the SR Accelerator to improve your searches
- Describe alternative methods for identifying references, including citation tracking
- De-duplicate results from multiple database searches
- Start screening results for inclusion in your review
- Report your search methods according to PRISMA-Search
Format: Classroom-based. Time for participants to work on their own searches with advice from a librarian. Explore tools that streamline the review process following a presentation with demonstrations.
Location: Radcliffe Science Library, Seminar Room, Parks Road, OX2 3QP
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 14:00-16:00
iSkills: Managing research data and Data Management Planning (DMPs)
Good research data management is a vital component of academic practice. Part of this is the principle that the data used to develop the arguments and outcomes of your research should be effectively stored and managed during a project, preserved for the future and – where possible – shared with other academics. This session introduces the University’s research data policy and outlines the practical impact this will have on your work. The services available at Oxford to assist you will be outlined. This session is not only essential during your current studies but will be invaluable if you plan to continue in research as a career. Topics to be covered include:
- Common dangers and pitfalls of digital data
- Key principles of RDM and organising your data effectively
- Producing a data management plan
- Institutional, funder and publisher requirements
- Issues around preserving data and cybersecurity
- ORA-Data, GitHub and other preservation services
- Sharing thoughts and insights about the potential of data management in your own field
- Accessing Oxford based tools for research data management
Format: Classroom-based. Presentation with discussion.
Location: Social Science Library, Information Skills Training Room, Manor Road, OX1 3UQ
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 15:00-16:00
Open Scholarship: Your thesis, copyright & ORA
Oxford DPhil students are required to deposit a copy of their thesis in the Oxford University Research Archive (ORA). This online session will focus on what ORA is and how to deposit one’s thesis in ORA, and how to access help with this process. It will also cover the relevant rights and permissions required and other issues that DPhil students need to take into account when preparing their thesis for upload to ORA. Topics include:
- What ORA is and what you need to deposit
- How to deposit your thesis in ORA
- Observing relevant rights and permissions
- Accessing help with depositing your thesis in ORA
Format: Live online presentation followed by interactive discussion and Q&A.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Tuesday 3rd June 2025 15:00-16:00
In this 60-minute online workshop you will be introduced to the methodologies and principles underpinning the conduct of literature searches for systematic reviews, scoping reviews and other evidence reviews. The session will cover:
- Formulating a focused research question
- Preparing a protocol
- Developing a search strategy to address that research question
- Choosing appropriate databases and search engines
- Searching for grey literature and ongoing studies
- Storing and managing references
- Documenting and reporting your search
Please note, there won’t be an opportunity to search different databases during this session. For practical help on searching databases, please have a look at the search skills tutorials or check the iSkills course listing for the Searching Systematically workshop.
Format: Online teacher-led presentations with opportunities for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams
Wednesday 4th June 2025 14:30-16:00
Open Scholarship: Playing in the open: Getting familiar with Creative Commons licences
Create content for your teaching or research with greater confidence by attending our session on Creative Commons (CC) licences. Learn how they work, how they interact with copyright and how to use them to best effect. The session will make special reference to images but is applicable to all media, including written works. The workshop is classroom-based. In this playful, interactive face-to-face session we will cover:
- What Creative Commons Licences are
- Where to find Creative Commons material
- How to apply Creative Commons to your own work
- How to reuse Creative Commons materials
And the session will finish with a Creative Commons card game.
Format: Classroom-based with an interactive presentation and game elements to reinforce learning.
Location: Radcliffe Science Library, Seminar Room, Parks Road, OX2 3QP.
Thursday 5th June 2025 11:00-12:30
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
Thursday 5th June 2025 15:30-17:00
iSkills for Medicine: Introduction to Zotero
In this online workshop you will be shown the functionality of Zotero, which is a free-to-use software programme used to manage references and create bibliographies. Zotero will be demonstrated on a Windows PC but users of MacOS or Linux computers will be able to follow the demonstration. 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
Format: Online demonstration with time for questions.
Location: Microsoft Teams