Organisational and Professional Development, 9 October 2017

OPD Training Opportunities Available to PGRs - October/November

The following Organisational and Professional Development (OPD) workshops, taking place October/November 2017, for Postgraduate Researchers have places available. For further information, please follow the links provided after the workshop descriptors below, and make a booking by signing into your OPD account.

Workshops for which there is information below include:

• Responsible and Ethical Practice in Research and Publication - PGRs
• Welcome for PGRs
• Getting to Grips with Referencing - How to Cite Right and Avoid Plagiarism
• Introduction to Research Statistics for BioScience Research Staff and Postgraduate Researchers
• Good Laboratory Practice
• Creating Academic Posters Using PowerPoint
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship NEW
• Practical Presentation Guidance for Researchers NEW
• Enhancing Your Resilience – Understanding and Coping With Stress
• The Writing Process: Getting Started with the Literature Review
• Build a Research Website in Under Three Hours
• Spectacular Images and Visualising Information
• Introduction to Project Management For Researchers
• Finding Humour in Your Research - Bright Club
• Creating Academic Posters Using Publisher
• Research Data Management at the University of Dundee
• Finding and Harnessing Your Motivation NEW

Sessions are provided free of change. If you have any issues, please contact OPD@dundee.ac.uk.

Please note: We require sufficient notice of cancellation and non-attendance to allow others the opportunity to attend these workshops, or to allow the workshops to be cancelled if insufficient places are filled. Our Terms and Conditions are available to read on our website.

Responsible and Ethical Practice in Research and Publication - PGRs

25/10/2017 13:30 16:00

Researchers have an obligation to act responsibly and ethically when carrying out research and publishing their work. Breaches in research integrity and publication ethics are damaging not only to the individuals and their institutions, but also to public trust. It isn’t, however, always clear to researchers, what the accepted principles are and they may unwittingly breach these. Awareness will be raised of problems that can arise for research groups as well as individual researchers, whatever their career stage, and advice given on how to avoid these.

The following topics will be discussed: Responsible conduct of research (RCR); Concept of research integrity; Conflicts of interest; Plagiarism; Authorship, including in the digital age and avoiding/ minimising disputes; Peer review; Collaborative research; Data ownership, management and integrity; Digital images - inappropriate manipulation; and Research misconduct and questionable research practice.

For more information and to book.

Welcome for PGRs

26/10/2017 9:15 12:00

The Vice-Principal (Research, Knowledge Exchange and Wider Impact), extends a welcome for new postgraduate researchers at this event. The Director of Student Services will provide an overview of the support facilities at the University. Informative and interactive sessions throughout the workshop will provide significant opportunities for social interaction and building networks with fellow postgraduate researchers from across the University, as well as providing a more general introduction to the UK postgraduate research culture. There will be an opportunity to hear from and talk to other key representatives from areas of interest to new postgraduate researchers as well as interact with peers in an informal setting over tea and coffee. This event complements your local school induction.

For more information and to book.

Getting to Grips with Referencing - How to Cite Right and Avoid Plagiarism

01/11/2017 10:00 12:00

Accurate citation and referencing are crucial elements of PhD research, yet many candidates find it a confusing and stressful process. This workshop aims to provide reassurance and to equip participants with the skills to go about this task with confidence. We will demystify the process by exploring the general mechanics of referencing, and applying these mechanics to the specific referencing systems employed in the candidates’ disciplines. Where anxieties over referencing exist, they are often linked to fears about plagiarism. We will thus also consider exactly what is meant by plagiarism, and examine ways in which good referencing can ensure we do not fall into such a trap. Similarly, we will also explore and practice techniques for effective quotation and paraphrasing, and look at the ways in which all of these factors – good referencing and citation, avoiding plagiarism, effective quotation & paraphrasing – are interlinked and integral to successful completion of the PhD thesis.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Research Statistics for BioScience Research Staff and Postgraduate Researchers

02/11/2017 9:30 16:30

This two-day workshop introduces statistical analysis using the freeware program R and its
associated graphical user interface RStudio. The following topics will be covered in the order given: the use of RStudio to import data from Excel, and to explore its properties using graphics; using descriptive statistics to understand data structures; the use of keyboard shortcuts in R; checking assumptions – normality and constancy of variance in model residuals; analysis of variance (function aov); model simplification and model checking; transforming the response variable; multiple comparisons in analysis of variance; correlation, first and second order partial correlation; regression using lm (linear model); the independence of significance and explanatory power; analysis of covariance, the blending of analysis of variance and regression; model specification and model simplification – the minimum sufficient model.

For more information and to book.

Good Laboratory Practice

01/11/2017 13:30 16:30

The workshop will enhance understanding of Good Laboratory Practice and the reasons behind the initiation of a set of standards whereby preclinical studies are conducted from initiation to completion, and will conclude with a discussion of archiving and a Q&A session.

We will discuss: the roles and responsibilities of management, the responsible scientist, all study staff and also QA; the conduct of the study will be discussed – i.e. the need for study plans and study plan amendments, SOPs, how to record raw data – whether using a lab book or a computer – and training records; the suitability of facilities, whether they are fit for the job; equipment maintenance and calibration will be discussed and the appropriate labelling of chemicals and reagents; test/reference substances will be looked at, and the validation of computer systems; test systems, be they biological, chemical or physical; concluding the study and the dos and don’ts for reporting the study.

For more information and to book.

Creating Academic Posters Using PowerPoint

02/11/2017 13:30 16:00

You will learn how to use PowerPoint as an effective tool for creating large posters e.g. A0, A1, A2, etc. This is very useful for presenting your research data. After a short presentation, you will work at your own pace from a workbook. A tutor will be on hand to help.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship

10/11/2017 13:30 16:30

Learn how to model an outline business idea using the business model canvas and then deliver a polished pitch using a tried and tested pitch structure. You will also learn about the extensive support and funding available to potential entrepreneurs.

Learn about the Centre of Entrepreneurship service within the university including the Enterprise Challenge and the new business idea competition 'Venture 2018' which had a prize fund of £25,000 in the last academic year.

This workshop is designed to help anyone at the university who may be thinking about exploring a business idea in the future and those who can come with an outline business idea will benefit most from the workshop.

For more information and to book.

Practical Presentation Guidance for Researchers

16/11/2017 9:30 16:30

In this highly interactive workshop, participants hone their skills in preparing for, and delivering memorable presentations in a manner which will inspire and motivate their audience.

A variety of short presentations will be made during the day for practice and a brief presentation (less than 5 minutes) will be filmed at the end for feedback and personal study.

For more information and to book.

Enhancing Your Resilience – Understanding and Coping With Stress

17/11/2017 14:00 16:00

Our overall resilience and wellbeing is impacted by our ability to manage our stress levels in our increasingly busy lives. A certain level of stress is necessary to motivate us. Some people cope whilst others find it all too much. Why is this? To some extent it is not the stress that is important, but what we do with it.

The workshop will help you to identify the main physical, psychological and behavioural
symptoms of stress. It will enable you to develop better coping strategies and practice some simple methods that will make you feel calmer and more in control.

Looking at a variety of coping methods, it will help to start the process of changing how you
react to, and cope with, stress. It will help you to plan towards what you need for a better balance, to be more resilient, happier, healthier and more productive.

For more information and to book.

The Writing Process: Getting Started with the Literature Review

21/11/2017 10:00 12:00

The early stages of a PhD are often spent acclimatising to the research environment, narrowing down the focus, and carrying out a great deal of reading as part of the Literature Review. When it comes to actually writing–up that Literature Review, the prospect can seem daunting and many researchers suffer from writer’s block or produce poor and  overlydescriptive reviews. This workshop will help participants place the Literature Review within the wider context of the thesis as a whole and, through discussion and illustrations, will help establish the purpose and scope of their own Literature Review. In addition to considering the content, structure and presentation of the Literature Review, the workshop will also explore some general tools that allow researchers to approach the writing process as a whole in a focused and confident manner.

For more information and to book.

Build a Research Website in Under Three Hours

22/11/2017 9:30 12:30

You can use your website to explain your research, list your publications, point out your collaborations, blog, link to social media and note your awards and achievements and provides increased visibility. A researcher can use their own website to publish a preprint of their research article (depending on the copyright policies of the journal), allowing them to prepublish their research in one place.

This workshop requires no coding skills or programming experience. Participants will be introduced to the principles of web design, usability and a few different platforms for building websites free of charge. The workshop will focus on the free Wordpress platform and participants will be taken through the website building process; by the end they will each have a functional research website that they can update and manage themselves.

For more information and to book.

Spectacular Images and Visualising Information

22/11/2017 13:30 16:30

Displaying information in a visual format is an excellent way for researchers to communicate their work. You can enhance your research papers, thesis, conference posters, presentations and public engagement activities with accurate and clear visual representations. This workshop is designed to introduce participants to various types of visual formats including standard graphs, information visualisations and graphics for publication.

Data and information visualisation is a vast and rapidly growing field. Building excellent graphics and summary figures takes time, practice and a willingness to learn the appropriate software. This workshop will provide an overview of tools and further resources for participants to explore in their own time.

For more information and to book.

Introduction to Project Management For Researchers

24/11/2017 9:30 16:30

An introduction to the process of managing projects and the tools to assist in planning and tracking progress. This course is aimed at all staff and is intended to be immediately applicable to planning and managing academic and commercial projects. It covers the theory and principles of project management within the context of the Project Management Institute.

For more information and to book.

Finding Humour in Your Research - Bright Club

27/11/2017 17:00 21:00

With the help of a Bright Club organiser and stand-up comedian, participants during this workshop will get a taste of how humour and creativity helps participants build their confidence in public speaking, teaching and as effective communicators. It is a lively, fun and participative workshop.

Bright Club is a stand-up comedy show that collides worlds of comedy and research. We hope that each participant will take part in one of our Bright Club comedy shows but there is much more to finding humour in your work. It’s useful when speaking to any audience including funders, collaborators and the general public. More importantly it breeds confidence and makes you more memorable, which supports career progression and media work.

For more information and to book.

Creating Academic Posters Using Publisher

29/11/2017 13:30 16:00

You will learn how to use Publisher as an effective tool for creating large posters e.g. A0, A1, A2, etc. This is very useful for presenting your research data. After a short presentation, you will work at your own pace from a workbook. A tutor will be on hand to help.

For more information and to book.

Research Data Management at the University of Dundee

29/11/2017 9:30 12:30

This workshop will explain the terminology around data management and the importance of adopting good practice at the start of a project. In practice this will make it easier for you and others to work with and build upon your data. It will also help bring your data to a wider audience and potentially increase citations. Good practice is straightforward and easy to put in place and will save you and others time and work. Various research funders have specific mandated requirements of grant holders and their institutions with regard to the data they create to ensure that it is managed correctly and, where possible, shared. Some academic journals require that authors provide access to the datasets underpinning conclusions drawn in their published findings. The University has systems and support in place to help researchers fulfill these criteria.

For more information and to book.

Finding and Harnessing Your Motivation

30/11/2017 9:30 12:30

In times of difficulty, and in challenging environments, perhaps the most important character trait is our ability to stay motivated and to keep going. In this short, interactive workshop we'll examine the factors around both finding and then using your motivation to achieve your goals. Specifically, we'll look at the motivational effects of self-efficacy and confidence, building motivating environments and setting focussed goals.

For more information and to book.

Research Leader’s Impact Toolkit

This Toolkit designed to help higher education institutions, research leaders and individual researchers to maximise the impact of their research.

Careers Fair

Tuesday 10th October, 10.30am - 2.30pm, Bonar Hall, Park Place

Looking for an internship or graduate job? Explore your future today - meet employers looking to recruit and discover what you can do with your degree.

All students and graduates are welcome!

Peer review: The Nuts and Bolts - Glasgow Caledonian University

Friday 20th October, 2pm - 6pm

Workshop to be held at Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcadden Road, Glasgow.

Peer review: the nuts and bolts is a free half-day workshop for early career researchers and will explore how peer review works, how to get involved, the challenges to the system, and the role of peer review in helping the public to evaluate research claims.

Should peer review detect plagiarism, bias or fraud? What does peer review do for science and what does the scientific community want it to do for them? Should reviewers remain anonymous? Does it illuminate good ideas or shut them down?

To apply to attend this workshop, please fill out the application form by 5pm, Monday 2 October.
More information.