Welcome to this edition of Postgraduate Researcher Training and Development Bulletin. The bulletin is your go-to place for training and development courses and resources offered by the Researcher Development and Research Culture team, across the University and beyond.

• Can you summarise your thesis in 3 minutes for a non-specialist audience? Enter 3 Minute Thesis (3MT) to take part in this rewarding challenge.
• Learn how to apply the art of storytelling to describe your research. This approach can be applied to any research area; join Communicating your research to different audiences on Wednesday 22 April to learn more about this technique.
• Are you due to submit your thesis soon? Preparing for submission on Thursday 30 April will give you the information you need to know.

If you are unable to attend a course, you can find slides from many of our sessions on our PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint site.

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

We are delighted to announce that the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is now open for entry! 

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a National competition for postgraduate research students, run by research organisation Vitae. 3MT® challenges doctoral candidates to present a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. 

Are you up for the challenge? Head to the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) webpage to find out more. 

Last year's winner Anh Ngo has written a blog post all about her experience of 3MT and useful advice and tips for preparing and delivering your 3MT presentation.

Don't forget to bookmark our Festival of PGR Research webpage as new events will be added over the coming weeks. You can also contact PGRfestival@exeter.ac.uk with any questions, or if you'd like to volunteer to get involved.

Our training sessions are not like traditional lectures- they are interactive sessions involving group work so that you can fully engage with the topic being discussed and can share ideas with your fellow PGRs in a friendly and supportive environment. In order to encourage an open welcoming space for everyone, we ask that you join online sessions in a room where you are able to turn your camera on and speak freely.

If you have any questions around accessibility, please contact researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk to discuss how we can support your participation.

Successfully searching for Grey Literature (Tuesday 21 April, 13.30-15.00 via MS Teams)

This workshop will equip participants with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively search, identify and evaluate grey literature for research purposes.

Creating a compelling narrative for your research (Wednesday 22 April, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

Exploring the use of different narrative techniques and practices to support research dissemination including Ursula Le Guin`s bag, Hero`s journey and 3 act structures amongst others. There will be applicable examples to support anyone involved in research to create compelling narratives to support engaging research, which will be applicable to a wider audience, providing accessibility and reach.

NEW- Searching Smarter- Advanced Search Techniques (Thursday 14 May, 10.00-11.30 via MS Teams)

Do you want to be able to search faster and more successfully for electronic resources for your research, learning or teaching? This session will cover advanced search techniques you can use for everything from Google Scholar to Web of Science.

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).

For other topic areas such as Conducting a Literature Review, Organising your References with End Note, Drafting Your Thesis and How to Thrive in Your Final Year, please see our PGR Training and Development Resources SharePoint and researcher-development.co.uk.

Digital tools for research & productivity: Streamlining your workflow (Wednesday 29 April, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

This course introduces essential digital tools that enhance research efficiency and overall productivity. You will explore platforms for organising your referencing, reading and writing, therefore learning how to streamline workflows and save valuable time in both academic and professional settings. This workshop will encourage you to reflect on your current set up and refine to ensure that it suits your way of working and your discipline.

NEW- Digital & AI Tools for Research, Data Management and Writing (Wednesday 6 May, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

This session introduces practical digital tools to support research and productivity, with a focus on data collection, data management, collaborative writing, and AI-assisted workflows. Participants will explore some useful digital platforms, collaborative working tools, and AI applications for summarising literature, supporting writing, and analysing data.

NEW- Wellbeing strategies for PGRs (PGR panel discussion) (Tuesday 12 May, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

Postgraduate research can be an exciting journey full of personal development, academic challenges and intellectual growth. At times, it can also be a demanding and stressful process that can lead to feelings of isolation and burnout. By practising self-care and putting in place practical strategies to help you maintain your wellbeing throughout your studies, you will be better placed to deal with difficulties as they arise. This panel session introduces some approaches that current PGRs use and is designed to get you thinking about what you will include in your own wellbeing plan.

NEW- Academic job interviews: what to expect (Wednesday 13 May, 10.00-11.30 via MS Teams)

This workshop offers advice on preparing for academic job interviews. It outlines the variety of formats that job interviews can take at different universities, and the stages involved. It provides advice on how to prepare for the variety of tasks and questions you may face, and for managing the stress of the job hunting process. 

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.

For resources on Getting Stuff Done, Developing and Using your LinkedIn Profile, Managing Stress, The Seven Secrets of Successful Researchers and much more, see our PGR Training and Development Resources SharePoint and researcher-development.co.uk.

NEW- An introduction to Research Integrity (Thursday 14 May, 11.30-12.30 via MS Teams)

Research Integrity is a priority for research funders and is a foundational value for all research. This course explains what is meant by 'Research Integrity' in the UK research context, why it's important and will help you think about how it applies to your research. 

NEW- An introduction to research ethics review (Friday 15 May, 10.00-11.30 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 researcher-development.co.uk and PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint site for other useful resources on this topic area.

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

Researcher Presence: Raising your Profile as a Researcher on Social Media and Digital Metrics (Tuesday 5 May, 10.30-12.00 via MS Teams)

This workshop will provide an overview of the various interconnecting sites across social media and research analytics which will help to raise your profile as an effective researcher, maximising your presence and developing networks.

There will be information on successfully utilising ORCID, Linkedin, and Symplectic profiles; connecting and reviewing your research in Dimensions and Altmetrics in addition to successfully utilising commercial social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok and Bluesky whilst using a personal website as a central hub will also be covered.

NEW- Planning for meaningful public engagement (Tuesday 12 May, 10.00-11.30 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.

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. Join our MS Teams PGR Study Space channel or contact our PGR coordinator Ellie Hepworth at PGRStudySpace@exeter.ac.uk for more information.

For resources on Getting Published, Presentation Skills, Writing Conference Abstracts and more, see our PGR Training and Development Resources and researcher-development.co.uk.

The University has some excellent resources to help with careers. Whether you plan to work in industry, set up your own business, join the third sector, stay in academia, or are not yet sure and want to explore your options, you can find guidance and helpful pointers using these resources:

PGR Career Planning Guide - a dedicated website to support your career development. This resource provides in-depth information and practical guidance specifically tailored towards postgraduate researchers whether you are thinking about working in academia, industry, self-employment or research.
Career Zone- much of the online content is open to all current Exeter students, including PGRs
PGR Training & Development Resources SharePoint- contains presentation slides from past training sessions. For career skills, check out the Personal Effectiveness section
PGR Training and Development Bulletin- find out what courses and opportunities are happening at the University in this monthly newsletter, which all PGRs are signed up to
Upcoming training courses- our training programme is available to book now

Have you explored The Writing Brain? It's a one-stop website to help support your academic writing development. It contains a wealth of resources from the basics, through clarity and style to structure and includes mini video lectures and practical worksheets on a wide variety of topics.

A big thank you to Dr Emily Bernhard Jackson for curating all content and to Research England for funding this resource.

We have developed some new training and resources to help you prepare for your fieldwork, which can be found at PGR Resources.

This includes a new 'one-stop' handbook that contains key information and advice, timelines and flowcharts, and new online and in-person training workshops. The resources cover everything from planning and selecting fieldsites at the start of your programme, to ethics and risk assessments, budgeting, packing and travel advice, to tips on lone working when you are in the field, and what to do when you get back to your desk at the end.

We hope that you will find these resources really useful, and that they will make preparing for your fieldwork (and trying to navigate all the related university websites) easier and more straightforward. Happy planning and safe travels!

The Insessional team run the Academic Literacy and English programme for all students studying at the University of Exeter who are speakers of languages other than English.

There are a variety of ways you can learn:

• Guided Independent Learning- an online resource for you to independely improve your language skills through self-study
• Attend in-person workshops
• Book a one-to-one session via MS Teams
• Join their Viva Engage community to ask questions, get advice, and find out what other students are asking about.

The Coding for Reproducible Research training initiative - which runs free-to-access programming training for Staff and Students - is pleased to release details of their course offer for the rest of this academic year. This includes two new courses on Image Processing and Large Language Models, created in response to participant requests.

Places for each workshop series will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. To register, complete the booking form.

Introductory Courses: Providing an all-purpose introduction to using the specific software, these sessions are aimed particularly at those looking to refresh their understanding or add another language to their repertoire.

• Introduction to Python (Online- Refresher level - Thursday 23 & 30 April)
• Introduction to R (Online- Refresher level - Wednesday 13 May, Wednesday 20 May & Wednesday 27 May)

Intermediate/Advanced Courses: Please note the pre-requisites for each course to ensure it is suited to your current needs.

• Working with Data in R (Streatham Campus, Monday 20 April & Monday 27 April)

Over two sessions, learn how to use the Tidyverse to work with data in R. The Tidyverse is a collection of R packages designed to help manipulate, clean and analyse data. This course introduces the functionality and conventions of several key packages. Please note this is an intermediate course for those confident in using R.

• Python for Data Analysis (Online, Tuesday 2 June & Tuesday 9 June)

This course focuses on essential libraries and tools used for data analysis such as NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Plotly. It also covers critical software development practices such as testing, virtual environments, and version control, to provide code reproducibility and collaboration in research projects. Please note, this workshop is pitched at those confident with the material in our 'Introduction to Python' course and is not suitable for those new to Python.

• Mixed Effects Regression with R (Online, Monday 8 June)

Regression analysis is a fundamental statistical technique used to model the relationship between multiple variables.This course covers how to use regression models with R to model complex, multi-dimensional datasets and make more nuanced comparisons. Please note this is an advanced course so confidence with the content in our ‘Introduction to Regression Analysis with R’ and ‘Regression Analysis with R: Adapting to Varied Data Types’ courses is a pre-requisite for attendance.

New courses:

• Introduction to Large Language Models (Streatham Campus, Thursday 28 May)

This courses provides high-level theory on the fundamental principles of LLMs. It goes on to cover what is possible in refining them to suit participants' own use case, and what limitations may be encountered. Further course details will be available on our site closer to the delivery date. Confidence with the content of our ‘Introduction to Python’ and ‘Introduction to Machine Learning’ courses is a pre-requisite for attendance.

• Image Processing with Python (Streatham Campus, Tuesday 2 June, Tuesday 9 June, Tuesday 16 June)

This course introduces fundamental concepts in image handling and processing using Python. If time allows, the course will also cover analysis of multidimensional data (3D stacks and timelapses), including use of the Napari image viewer. Further course details will be available on our site closer to the delivery date. This course will be pitched at those familiar with the content of our ‘Introduction to Python’ course, or those familiar with another programming/scripting language.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the Coding for Reproducible Research initiative via CodingForReproducibleResearch@exeter.ac.uk. Further information on our full range of courses, self-assessment quizzes, and self-study learning resources are available on the programme's website.

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.

Thinking about adding a creative element to your research work but not sure where to begin?

Developed by the University’s Arts and Culture team, the Get Creative toolkit offers practical, step-by-step guidance for planning and delivering successful projects with creative collaborators. It combines an interactive online guide with reflective prompts, a downloadable Planning Canvas to take ideas from concept to proposal, and detailed how-to advice on running exhibitions, workshops, performances, and other activities. You’ll also find tips on engagement, communications, finance, evaluation, and commissioning creatives.

The toolkit is a flexible resource to help you explore new approaches and make your projects more engaging, innovative, and impactful. Links below:

• https://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk/resources/get-creative
• https://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk/resources/get-connected
• https://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk/resources/get-inspired
• https://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk/resources/get-involved
• https://www.artsandcultureexeter.co.uk/resources/get-learning

The Inclusive Research Hub is a living resource developed by the Inclusive Research Collective in collaboration with the People Development Team at the University of Bristol. It provides an accessible introduction to key concepts and practices in inclusive research, with over 20 sections organised across six key stages of the research process. Topics include reflexivity, literature review, budgeting, pre-registration, open-source software, and inclusive communication—alongside a growing collection of case studies that exemplify these ideas in practice.

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.

Any form of recording whether via Teams or external tools like Fellow and other AI notetakers is NOT permitted. If you have any accessibility needs and do require a recording of the session, please contact Researcher Development in advance and we will arrange this with the trainer.

We appreciate that unexpected things come up and you may no longer be able to attend, or you may realise 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 have limited spaces.