Queens’ Library Research Skills workshops – Michaelmas Term

Here at Queens' we're dedicated to developing your skills and helping you study in the most effective way possible. To that end, over the next few weeks we are running several research skills workshops aimed at both undergraduates and graduate students. All sessions will be held via Zoom so you can take part wherever you are.

For undergraduates

 

Essential literature searching skills for 2nd/3rd/4th year dissertation projects –

Monday 8th November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

These workshops will provide invaluable tips and strategies to enable you to locate and evaluate sources relevant to your project. Areas to be covered include:

  • Using Google effectively (including exploiting Google Scholar and Google Books to the full)
  • Locating and using online databases specific to your subject area
  • Using Jstor and other online journal databases for research
  • Online access to newspapers, dissertations, images, ebooks, etc.
  • Introduction to organising and building bibliographies using the free Zotero software (brief demo).

Sessions to be led by Dr Tim Eggington (Fellow Librarian). Book your place here: https://queens-lib-ug-lit-searching-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Cite it right: develop your referencing skills –

Wednesday 10th November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

Worried about referencing or panicking about plagiarism? Join Lucy Woolhouse (Reader Services Librarian) for a workshop to help you understand what referencing is, why you need to do it and learn some effective referencing strategies, including an introduction to reference management software. Book your place here: https://queens-lib-referencing-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Google and beyond: Become an expert at finding, evaluating, and organising essential readings for your course­­ –

Monday 15th November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

Complete your progression from A-level to degree by honing your ability to locate, evaluate, and organise essential information in your subject area. Intended for students in their first year of navigating their subjects at university level. This session will cover:

  • Effective use of Google Scholar and Google Books to find and evaluate essential information when tackling your essay question
  • The capabilities of iDiscover
  • Searching beyond Google using databases in your subject area
  • What is Jstor? Using online journal databases effectively
  • Finding and using ebooks effectively
  • Introduction to organising and building bibliographies using the free Zotero software (brief demo)

Sessions to be led by Dr Tim Eggington (Fellow Librarian). Book your place here: https://queens-lib-google-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk

 

For graduate students

Building and organising bibliographies with Zotero –

Wednesday 3rd November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

There are better and faster ways to build and organize a stellar bibliography besides typing it up by hand every time! This workshop will be an interactive introduction to using the free online bibliographic management system, Zotero. Lucy Woolhouse (Reader Services Librarian) and Harry Bartholomew (Graduate Trainee Librarian) will cover how to implement and master Zotero and make it a part of your life, saving you from hours upon hours of reference hunting, re-typing references, and essay stress. Book your place here: https://queens-lib-zotero-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Top tips for painless publication –

Friday 12th November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

Are you a new graduate student or early career researcher? Does the publication process fill you with fear? Worry not — attend this session to gain knowledge on essential topics such as:

  • how to pick the best journal for your output
  • how peer review really works
  • what is open access?
  • do you own the copyright to your work?

The sessions will be led by Dr Tim Eggington (Fellow Librarian) and Lucy Woolhouse (Reader Services Librarian). Book your place here: https://queens-lib-publishing-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk

 

Advanced literature searching for graduates –

Thursday 18th November, 1.30pm and 5.30pm

Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, Scopus - you may have been introduced to these online databases but learning how to make the most of them can be challenging. This in-depth workshop, led by Dr Tim Eggington (Fellow Librarian), will show you how to do ‘advanced searching’ (beyond Author / Title / Keyword) and explain the secrets and joys of citation searching, the h-index, and ‘impact factor’. It will be useful to all who need to explore their topic independently and evaluate resources.

Book your place here: https://queens-lib-pg-lit-searching-mt21.eventbrite.co.uk