Welcome to this month's edition of Postgraduate Researcher Training and Development Bulletin. We have some great courses, important information on new mandatory training portal, and don't forget our new training resource.

In the bulletin, you will find some of our courses which are coming up soon, divided into four key areas of researcher development as per the Vitae Researcher Development Framework:

• Knowledge and intellectual abilities
• Personal effectiveness
• Research governance and organisation
• Engagement, influence and impact

You will also find other training and development opportunities across the University and beyond. The date of the next bulletin will be Wednesday 12 March 2025.

Our full list of courses can be found on our upcoming training webpage.

As a postgraduate researcher, you will have many demands on your time. Before booking onto a course it is important that you read the course description fully and consider:

• Does this course cover what you expected from the title?
• Is it relevant for you at this stage in your studies?
• Is it relevant for your discipline?
• Which courses should I prioritise (your supervisor might be able to help advise on this)?
• Can I attend the date, time and venue (the majority of our courses are online but some are in person)?

All our courses have limited spaces so it is important that you book onto the courses that are suited for your specific needs.

We appreciate that unexpected things come up and you may no longer be able to attend, or you may find that a course you have booked onto is no longer relevant to you. Please don't forget to cancel via iTrent so that someone else can book on, as our courses are in high demand.

Systematic Literature Searching (Wednesday 5 February, 10.00-11.30 via MS Teams)

This session will introduce you to a systematic literature review as a specific research methodology.

Conducting a literature review (Part 1): searching, reading and note-taking (Monday 24 February, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

A thorough literature review allows you to position your work within the wider academic field and articulate the need and value of your research. This session will help you get started. It offers practical strategies for searching, efficient reading and note-taking. Please note that this workshop is the first of two focusing on literature reviews and will be followed by Conducting a literature review (Part 2): critiquing, structuring and writing. You are advised to attend both sessions.

Organising your references with End Note (Thursday 27 February, 10.00-11.30, in person in Old Library Training Room 4, Old Library, Streatham Campus)

Do you find organising all your references time consuming and difficult? This session shows you how to use EndNote to store; organise; and format them for you.

Conducting a literature review Part 2- critiquing, structuring and writing (Monday 3 March, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

A thorough literature review allows you to position your work within the wider academic field and articulate the need and value of your research. This session will help you understand how to engage critically with your reading, identify a structure for your literature review and explore how to go about planning and writing. Please note that this workshop follows on from the Conducting a literature review (Part 1): searching, reading, note-taking. You are advised to attend both sessions.

Preparing for submission (Thursday 6 March, 10.00-11.30 via MS Teams)

This workshop demystifies the process of submitting your thesis and preparing for your viva voce examination. It offers advice for managing the stress of submission, and ensuring that you know how and where to submit your thesis. It then discusses advice for various strategies for preparing for your viva voce examination. It will explain what happens during a viva examination and what the outcomes from the viva can be.

Advanced EndNote (Tuesday 18 March, 10.00-11.30 in person, in Old Library Training Room 4, Streatham Campus)

This in-person workshop will explore some of the advanced features and functionality in EndNote including organising your library, PDF handling and merging theses chapters.

Copyright for Researchers (Wednesday 26 March, 10.00-12.30 in person in Old Library Training Room 4, Streatham Campus)

Would you like to feel more knowledgeable about copyright matters? This in-person session takes a playful approach to copyright training through the use of a card game. You will work as part of a team to think about and discuss a number of common copyright scenarios. Concepts covered will include copyright works, usages, licences, and legal exceptions.

Did you know that as a PGR at the University of Exeter, you can access the Consortium for the Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis (CARMA) though our institutional account for free? This gives you access to lots of online research methods webinars and resources. Sign up here using your University of Exeter email account (scroll down the page to ‘Find Out More’, then expand the arrow for CARMA (Consortium for the Advancement of Research Methods & Analysis) and follow the registration/sign up instructions).

Mapping and Marketing Your Skills (Tuesday 11 February, 10.30-11.30 via MS Teams)

This course will provide you with the tools to successfully apply for positions when you finish your research degree. Mapping your experience, skills, competencies & attributes will enable you to write CVs and personal statements, and market yourself and answer questions effectively in interviews.

Preparing for your viva (Thursday 13 February, 14.00-15.30 via MS Teams)

The viva examination can feel like the most daunting part of the research degree process. What does the viva test? What will it be like? What can you do to prepare? This session will help to 'demystify' the viva, talking you through everything from choosing your external examiner to what to expect on the day.

Applying for academic jobs (Tuesday 18 February, 13.30-15.00 via MS Teams)

This course will enable you to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the process of applying for positions in the academic job market. We'll explore what academic recruiters are looking for, where to source vacancies and explore the different stages of the recruitment process. There will be a particular focus on how to write effective CVs, cover letters, application forms and perform well at interviews.

Emotionally challenging research: impacts, coping and proactive interventions to support researchers (Wednesday 19 February, 09.00-12.30 via MS Teams)

Join Dr Tina Skinner, the leader of the Researcher Wellbeing Project, and equip yourself with knowledge and tools essential for maintaining emotional wellbeing in research on emotionally challenging topics (e.g. death, illness, war, crime, extreme poverty).

Maintaining momentum and focus after your upgrade (Wednesday 26 February, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

You have made it through the upgrade- now what? This course will help you clarify the process of the final stages of your research degree and help you take the next steps. As your research journey continues you will be faced by growing challenges, an increase in criticism, and a changing workload. How do you maintain your momentum as the deadline looms?

Turbo-charge your writing (Wednesday 5 March, 09.30-12:00 via Zoom)

Would you like to know the secret to high output, low stress scholarly writing? In academia it is often assumed that writing comes naturally. However, an overwhelming body of research shows that there are very clear and practical strategies that can greatly increase your writing productivity.

LinkedIn for Researchers: Developing and Using Your Profile (Thursday 6 March, 13.30-14.45 via MS Teams)

The tools and techniques introduced in this session will be applicable to all those who wish to develop their LinkedIn profile and be proactive in developing online relationships with the wider professional and research community. There will be information provided and opportunities for Q & A as well as a live demonstration of using LinkedIn to engage with the wider researcher and professional community beyond Exeter.

Success at Interviews (Thursday 20 March, 13.30-15.00 via MS Teams)

The tools and techniques introduced in this session will be applicable to all those who wish to develop their skills and knowledge of how interviews are used in the recruitment process for roles within and outside of academia. There will be information provided and opportunities for Q and A as well as live input from former PhD researchers who have been successful in securing both post-doc roles and industry/public sector opportunities.

PGR Skills Development & Network building (Tuesday 25 March, 10.30-13.00, in person at Daphne Du Maurier Masters Suite Seminar Rooms 1 and 2, Penryn Campus)

The aim of this in-person session is to develop your communication and networking skills and to get to know some of your fellow Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs) in a welcoming and supportive environment. Undertaking a PhD can sometimes be a lonely experience, so this is an opportunity to connect with others who are on their own doctoral journey and to build up your community of peer-support, all while having fun and learning something new along the way. The theme of this session is the VITAE Researcher Development Framework and Action Planning.

Postgraduate research can be challenging at times, but the Wellbeing Services team are available throughout the year, to offer support if you need it. Check out the services available here.

The Wellbeing Thesis offers all sorts of useful resources to help you on your doctoral journey.

Publishing in open access (Wednesday 5 February, 14.00-15.00 via MS Teams)

This virtual session will explain what it means to publish in open access, the types of publishers, and open access licensing options. Funds available to publish open access and publishers' agreements through which authors can publish without paying any publishing fees will be presented.

An Introduction to Research Ethics Review (Thursday 6 February, 10.00-12.00 via MS Teams)

The course is an introduction to the main principles of ethics review to assist researchers with little or no experience of applying to a Research Ethics Committee.

Check out researcherdevelopment.co.uk and PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint site for useful resources on this topic area.

Research governance and organisation covers areas such as Research Ethics and Health and Safety.

Getting published (Wednesday 12 February, 10.00-11.30 via MS Teams)

This workshop demystifies the academic publication process. It offers advice for planning your publication strategy, and preparing various formats of academic output for publication, journal articles, book chapters and monographs. It explains the peer review process and how to respond to feedback.

Planning for Meaningful Public Engagement (Friday 28 February, 10.00-12.00 via MS Teams)

This interactive workshop will guide participants through filling in a planning worksheet for public engagement. Participants will be expected to bring an idea to use as a basis for filling in their worksheet during the training. The worksheet will be used as a learning tool; participants should not expect to have a full engagement plan in place by the end of the workshop.

Creating impactful public engagement content (Wednesday 12 March, 10.00-12.00 via Zoom)

This workshop will share clear, practical steps for creating effective, impactful public engagement content, whether it is for oral presentations or written platforms. We will examine key principles for creating content that will be relevant and relatable to audiences, and engage them at the highest levels.

Public speaking and presentation skills (Wednesday 19 March, 10.00-12.00 via Zoom)

Crafting engaging content only makes for one half of a successful presentation. Delivering and presenting that content clearly and effectively is what will make a presentation stick, leave a strong impression and truly engage an audience.This workshop covers the physical and oral components of delivering effective and impactful presentations. It offers alternative ways of approaching public speaking and developing/practising oral communication skills so that speakers can step up to the podium with more confidence and ease, and less performance anxiety.

Bored of working on your own? Finding it difficult to concentrate? Looking for other people to co-work with online? Then why not join PGR Study Space, which is a welcoming and supportive environment run by PGRs for PGRs. Sign up here.

Did you know the Library runs its own training programme to help with library skills? It includes events such as:

• library research cafés where you can ask the library staff how to make the most of the Library Search service, identify and use academic databases, and build your online search skills so that you can quickly and easily find research materials to support your studies and research;
• sessions on academic writing and academic listening from English Language Skills Development Team;
• other relevant courses to familiarise yourself with key library skills.

Some courses are discipline-specific or may be aimed at undergraduates/postgraduate-taught students so don't forget to check the details before booking on.

Any questions? Click the 'Ask Us' button on the library webpages to start an online chat or email them at library@exeter.ac.uk.

Our PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint site was launched at the beginning of this year. It's the place to go for slides and other resources from courses on our training programme. Refresh your knowledge from courses you have already attended or explore new topics, this resource can be referred to throughout your degree.

The Coding for Reproducible Research training initiative continues with a packed programme for 2025. Click on the below links for further information and registration details for our February courses. All workshops planned for the coming term are now listed on our Workshop Schedule and Sign-up page, with registration for March workshops also now open.

30 spaces are available for each workshop which will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Registration closes a week prior to the course.

• REGISTRATION CLOSED: Introduction to Unix - In-person only (2 sessions, 13.00-16.00, Wednesday 5 & 12 February 2025, Penryn Campus)

This course introduces users to navigating the file system and shows how to carry out basic operations on the Unix systems using the shell (also referred to as the command line). Those wishing to attend our future Introduction to HPC & ISCA course in March must be familiar with the Unix operating system.

• REGISTRATION CLOSED: Python for Data Analysis - Online only (2 sessions, 13.00-16.00, Thursday 6 & 13 February 2025)

This course focuses on essential libraries and tools used for data analysis such as NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Plotly. Additionally, it covers critical software development practices such as testing, virtual environments, and version control, to ensure code reproducibility and collaboration in research projects. Please note this workshop is already full but waitlist places may still be available.

• Introduction to R - In-person only (3 sessions, 10.00-13.00, Tuesday 25 February, 4 March & 11 March 2025, Streatham Campus)

R is a programming language and software environment primarily focused on performing statistics, data analysis and visualisation. This course will provide an all-purpose introduction to the R programming language and may provide an accessible entry to computer programming in general.

• Introduction to Version Control - Online only (2 sessions, 10.00-13.00, Friday 28 February & 7 March 2025)

Version control systems are an incredibly valuable tool for organising software development to avoid confusion and wasted time due to untracked edits and data manipulations. This course introduces Git – a powerful tool to organize your workflow, keep research reproducible, and simplify collaboration. It will also introduce internet platforms such as GitHub. This workshop is aimed at those already familiar with programming but new to tools like Git. An intermediate course is available for those already familiar with Git and GitHub.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Coding for Reproducible Research initiative via CodingForReproducibleResearch@exeter.ac.uk.

If you’ve got a potential solution that addresses regional, national or global problems and would like to explore it further then apply now for the Entrepreneurial Research Programme (ERP) 2025.

Now in its twelfth cohort, this intensive 7-week programme is delivered via four online facilitated sessions and through your own market research activity. You’ll join a small cohort of UoE peers and mentors to draft, test and refine a model for taking your solution forward as a viable and sustainable proposition.

Postgraduate research students (MRes or PhD) are welcome to apply but must gain approval for participating in the programme from their supervisor prior to submitting an application. If you are a student and aren’t eligible for the ERP, you can access further support via the student start up team (studentstartups@exeter.ac.uk).

Cohort dates, more information on the programme, application details and application form are available via the Ideas Hub. 

Deadline for applications: Friday 14 February 2025

Why not check out some of the numerous training and development resources available through Vitae? They focus specifically on professional development for researchers and you can register for free using your University of Exeter account. Register here and then head here for general advice on various aspects of doing a doctorate and how to access further support, and guidance at all stages of your studies.