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

Workshops for which there is information below include:

• Writing-Up, Proof-Reading, and Editing Your Work (Arts)
• Build a Research Website in Under Three Hours
• Critiquing and Evaluating a Paper [PILOT]
• Research Data Management at the University of Dundee
• Defining Your Digital Presence [PILOT]
• Introduction to Research Statistics Using R for Arts Research Staff and Postgraduate Researchers
• Getting to Grips with Referencing - How to Cite Right and Avoid Plagiarism
• Advanced Excel - Functions, Tricks and Short-cuts
• Finding Humour in Your Research - Bright Club Workshop
• Enhancing Your Job Interview Skills: A Practical Approach [NEW]
• Creating Academic Posters Using PowerPoint
• Networking for Researchers [NEW]
• Leadership and Teamworking for Postgraduate Researchers

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

PLEASE NOTE: Though places on the OPD workshops are free of charge, the workshops are costly to run. Therefore, 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 avalable to read on our website.

19/05/2017 13:30 - 16:00

The format is based on an a short introductory presentation, followed by a practical session during which participants will have the opportunity to create a portrait A0 poster using Publisher, inserting backgrounds, titles, text, graphics, and charts (images and text will be supplied).

Tutors will be on hand throughout the session to offer help and guidance.

For more information and to book.

22/05/2017 14:00 16:00

This workshop aims to assist post-graduate students with the writing-up process. We will examine some of the key components of good academic writing and identify some of the common writing errors that detract from the quality of submitted PhD theses. We will also stress the importance of proof-reading and editing your work, and will explore and practice some proof-reading/editing techniques.

For more information and to book.

23/05/2017 9:30 - 12:30

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.

25/05/2017 9:30 12:30

This half day workshop is designed specifically for researchers who are interested in developing their literature analysis skills. The workshop will also cover how to get the most out of journal clubs: understanding the aims, what your supervisor expects, tackling interdisciplinary papers and how to ask pertinent questions that stimulate discussion. We will cover the key aspects to critiquing a paper, how to extract the main points and techniques to optimise your time.

For more information and to book.

25/05/2017 13:30 16:30

What is research data and data management planning? 
Why do this now? 
What does my publisher require? 
What formats and systems should I use? 

The benefits of sharing data are well understood, this half-day workshop will help explain how to do this legally and ethically taking into consideration security, copyright and restricted access. It will also introduce you to the tools you will need to create a data management plan prior to submitting a funding application.

For more information and to book.

25/05/2017 16:00 16:30

This half day workshop is designed specifically for postgraduates & staff who are interested in developing their digital presence, with a particular focus on using the professional networks ResearchGate and LinkedIn. This workshop will cover how to set up an effective online profile (for networks such as LinkedIn, RG and Piirus), how to engage online and how to develop an online strategy that works for you. We will also cover professional integrity, a digital “health check”, the challenges of online engagement and privacy issues.

For more information and to book.

25-26/05/2017 9:30 16:30

This course introduces statistical analysis using the freeware program R and its associated graphical user interface RStudio.

For more information and to book.

01/06/2017 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. 

For more information and to book.

02/06/2017 9:30 12:30

Are you daunted by the more advanced functions of Excel? Would you struggle to navigate your way around workbooks, create formulas and create pivot tables? Will you need to apply advanced features of Excel during your PhD?

If you answered YES to any or all of the above, or just want to find out more, then this half-day session is for you.

For more information and to book.

05/06/2017 17:00 21:00

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 research. 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.

The biggest incentive we can offer is that the workshop enhances skills and is brilliant fun.

For more information and to book.

06/06/2017 13:30 16:30

Have you got an important interview coming up? Do you want to improve your interviewing technique? Do you want to learn more about how to handle those tricky questions?

This highly interactive workshop offers plenty opportunity to practice your interview technique and gain feedback from fellow participants and an experienced careers professional in a relaxed and informal environment.

For more information and to book.

07/06/2017 13:30 16:00

The format is based on an a short introductory presentation, followed by a practical session during which course participants will have the opportunity to create a portrait A0 poster using PowerPoint, inserting backgrounds, titles, text, graphics, and charts (images and text will be supplied).

Tutors will be on hand throughout the session to offer help and guidance, and refreshments will be provided.

For more information and to book.

08/06/2017 9:30 12:30

Building a network and using it effectively is a key requirement for all professionals, whether it is in an academic research setting, industry engagement or a conference. This workshop will focus on how to establish a network and build it to support your career and aims.

For more information and to book.

08/06/2017 13:30 16:30

This half-day workshop is specifically for postgraduates who are interested in further developing their skillset in order to enhance their employment prospects beyond graduation. When hiring new team members, the professional environment is now increasingly choosing individuals with transferable skills such as leadership, team-working, strong communication, negotiation and cooperative working. How an individual perceives their own working style, what their preferences are and how they interact with and manage others is a key part of this, and researchers can benefit from exploring their own personal method of working.

For more information and to book.

Are you interested in providing input into the future direction of researcher development training on the OPD programme? Would you like to contribute to activities that support the career development of researchers?  If so, we’d like to hear from you, please contact opd-secretary@dundee.ac.uk for more details.