A-Z course list

This workshop is aimed at researchers wishing to learn more about the academic interview process. The workshop will cover what to expect at academic interview, how to prepare and give you a chance to practice interview questions in a group setting.

Please note: Eligibility: Early Career Researchers ONLY (Those on Fixed Term Contracts)

Publishing your work and sharing your findings is a key component of a successful research career. In the last years publishing open access became a (research funder) requirement and a (publisher) expectation. In this rapidly changing landscape, it is very easy to get confused between Green and Gold or Bronze and Platinum Open Access publishing models. Add on top some Creative Commons licenses and the confusion is complete. This workshop is designed to explain the relationship between copyright, Creative Commons licenses and Open Access and how authors can navigate the publishing process meeting all their funder’s requirements, ensuring maximum impact and visibility of their research while not breaking the law (nor the bank). 

At the end of this workshop participants will have:

• a clear overview of the publishing models;

• an understanding of open access, creative commons licenses and copyright and how this applies to scholarly communications;

• an understanding of what is required of authors

This workshop relates to domains C1, D2 and D3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

The aim of a structured writing retreat is to use dedicated writing time to progress writing projects in a supportive environment. Example projects include, book chapters, journal articles, research proposals and reports.

Most of the time is used for writing, with everyone logged into the online session working on their own projects.  This is not a writing workshop, but just gives participants space and time to write. Participants should come to the session with an idea of what they are going to be working on. 

A retreat works best when you focus exclusively on writing, defining specific goals you want to achieve i.e. sections of a paper/chapter, number of words, etc.  

This 1-minute video covers what the retreat session will, and won't involve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcR47DpBgfQ 

This Afternoon writing retreat will be held online via Blackboard Collaborate.

Timings: 

13:30 – 13:35 Check-in and planning

13:35 – 14:25 Writing (50mins)

14:25 – 14:35 Break (10mins)

14:35 – 15:25 Writing (50mins)

15:25 – 15:30 Wrap up

Additional Information:

The programme is based on retreats run by Professor Rowena Murray, University of West of Scotland. Rowena has published extensively on academic writing and is a very experienced facilitator. Rowena’s research indicates that writing retreats can result in significant outcomes in terms of growing research-orientated interactions and ral information:elationships, building confidence in writing and research and creating cross-disciplinary research conversations.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Develop an awareness of how to use time and space for productive writing;
• Develop an understanding of how to plan writing and generate solutions to writing problems.

This workshop relates to domains A1, B1, B2 and D2 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

This workshop provides an overview on the fundamentals of copyright as it applies to students and academic researchers in terms of writing dissertations/theses, journal articles and other types of research outputs. Much of the content will be delivered by presentation, but there will be plenty of room for questions and discussion as part of the session.  In addition, the Scholarly Communications Team will be able to provide follow-up support for individuals or small groups. 

After attending this workshop, you will:

1.Understand the types of works covered by copyright.

2.Understand the intricacies of copyright ownership.

3.Know what issues to consider when (re-)using third party materials in a dissertation/thesis or in a scholarly output.

This workshop relates to domains C1, D2 and D3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzA

Public engagement is one of the many ways that research can have positive impact beyond the four walls of the University – not to mention benefits to the researcher. Done well, it can boost your communication skills, give you fresh perspectives on your research, inspire others and maybe even lead to a practical change in how society does things. But how do you get started? And would members of the public honestly be interested in what you do?  This introductory workshop helps answer these questions.

At the end of the workshop you will:

• Develop a deeper understanding of the social context for your research
• Make sense of the variety of stakeholders in your research
• Identify the next steps you need to take in developing your public engagement skills

A career in research is exciting, varied and gives you the opportunity to be at the cutting edge of discovery in your chosen field, but it is a highly competitive environment and researchers from all over the world aspire to reach the top of the profession. If you are aiming for a career in academic research it is crucial to publish regularly, be independent and attract your own funding. You can start to do this early in your research career: if you are awarded a postdoctoral fellowship, not only will you stand out from the crowd, but you will demonstrate that you can propose innovative projects that attract research funding - this is a key requirement for a successful academic career.

How do you go about the process of applying for your own postdoctoral research fellowship? There is more to it than filling in an application form: you will have to propose and design an innovative project, identify a senior researcher to advise you and approach them about being involved in your project, convince the application reviewers that you are the right person, name referees and more. To be successful requires planning and preparation and you will need to use your network and be proactive. In this workshop you will find out what steps you should take, time frames, what a fellowship involves, international options, how to apply, the different types of fellowships available and how to use your connections to your advantage.

This workshop is suitable for early career researchers/ postdocs who have less than five years of postdoctoral experience. The workshop will include case studies, individual exercises and the instructor’s own experience of successfully obtaining a postdoctoral research fellowship.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand the process and requirements for applying for a postdoctoral fellowship;
2. Apply what you have learned to writing your own fellowship application;
3. Design your own strategy for attracting funding and moving forward in your research career.

This workshop relates to domains B3 and C3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Career Management for Researchers is a bespoke online course developed by specialist researcher careers consultants at the universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and Sheffield. It has been designed for PhD students and research staff who are exploring their career options and preparing for the next stage in their career, whether in academia or beyond. It is a 4-part course designed to address key career issues pertinent to researchers. Each week the course content provides a range of articles, videos, reflective activities, exercises and discussion topics. You are encouraged to set aside 2-3 hours to complete all of the content available in a week.  

Course themes 

Week 1 - Making career plans and identifying what you want 

Week 2 - Exploring career options beyond academia 

Week 3 - Careers in Higher Education - research, teaching and professional roles 

Week 4 - Job search, CVs, applications and interviews within and beyond HE. 

Designed as a 4-part course to be completed over 4 weeks you can access it individually and work on it at your own pace. Once you register, you have 6 weeks when the course is open to you.  

Alternatively, if you would like to be part of a cohort of University of Edinburgh research students from all disciplines working on it together, Eleanor Hennige, IAD Careers Consultant will be facilitating online discussion sessions around the course on set dates over a 4-week period. This will allow you to complete the course content each week before discussing it with Eleanor and fellow researchers so that you can all share strategies, ideas and experiences as well as build a support network.  

To be part of this you would register to start the course at the same time and commit to attending the 4 online discussion sessions. To register to be part of the March cohort please register for the course and then sign up on MyEd to the 4 discussion sessions scheduled on 9th,16th,23rd &30th March.

During March, researchers from across UK institutions will be encouraged to engage with the online course, so whether you join the Edinburgh cohort or do it on your own, there will be other researchers online, adding comments, experiences and suggestions.  

This workshop focuses on strategies for generating and researching alternative career options. It is aimed at researchers who are considering a change of career direction but who have no clear ideas of what to do next.

This workshop will help you to explore a range of careers open to researchers.  It will focus initially on careers linked to research, but outside an academic environment, and other common career areas researchers enter.  We will discuss different strategies for coming up with career ideas and the best ways to research careers to determine interest and suitability.

You should attend this workshop if:

• You are considering making a move away from academic research but have no clear ideas of what to do next;
• You have thought about what interests you in a future career;
• You are open to exploring a range of career ideas.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand some of the more common career areas researchers enter outside academic research;
2. Explore different techniques for generating career ideas;
3. Identify good sources of information for generating and researching career options

This workshop relates to domains B2 and B3 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

This workshop will focus on the early stages of career choice and will help you to start to identify what is important to you in a career; including the skills you want to use, values to be satisfied, preferred work environment and other factors important to you.

You may be considering moving out of academia into another career area but how do you decide what else you would like to do? 

In this workshop we will look at the early stages of career choice and you will begin to identify what’s important to you in a career through structured self-reflection.  You will start to develop a ‘wish list’ of what you’re looking for in your career in terms of skills you want to use, values to be satisfied, preferred work environment, and any other factors important to you.  This will help you in the future as you start to assess your interest in and suitability for different career areas.

This workshop will help you to:

• Identify the skills you have developed in your research career which you would like to use in the future;
• Think about your key drivers and motivations for the future;
• Consider what constitutes your preferred work environment;
• Identify barriers to change and explore strategies for tackling these.

The workshop will be followed by an optional linked workshop, ‘Changing Careers: Exploring Career Options’, which will focus on strategies to help you to generate and research alternative career options.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Develop an awareness of what is important to you when considering your future career development;
2. Develop an improved insight into your key drivers and motivations for the future;
3. Work on initial development of a personal framework for assessing your suitability for alternative career options.

This workshop relates to domains B1, B2 and B3 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Do you know how to capture your audiences’ attention? And how to keep it once you’ve got it?

This workshop is ideal for researchers who would like to improve their research communication skills and are new to engaging members of the public with their research. The skills we develop when we talk about our research with people outside our subject area can directly improve our skills when communicating with our research peers. This interactive session looks at:

– Reasons to communicate (with different publics)

– Thinking about your audience in terms of who they are, their motivations for being there, how to facilitate a good experience

– Various tools to build a narrative e.g. simple structures, jargon busting, use of questions, signposts, body language

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Draw from a selection of communication tools to perfect how you talk about your research.

2. Consider your audiences', and your own, experiences of participating in research communication.

3. Have at your disposal a tried and tested 1 minute talk about your research.

This workshop is designed specifically for staff who are interested in planning events, workshops or conferences. Organising a conference gives researchers the opportunity to boost their profile, develop new skills and to meet other academics in their field. 

In order to deliver a high-quality event it is crucial that organisers execute a sequence of well planned actions in advance, leaving plenty of time to solve any problems that arise unexpectedly. There are now a number of free online tools and event marketing systems, such as Eventbrite, that can be used to help you manage your conference so that you can achieve maximum impact and attract delegates.

The workshop is designed to cover event planning and design, management, finance, venues, online tools, marketing and promotion, attracting sponsorship and post-event actions. The content is taught via short lectures, demonstrations of free online tools and interactive group exercises, in addition to case studies and the instructor’s own experience. Participants are encouraged to share their own event ideas throughout. 

The content of this workshop is applicable to individuals who are interested in careers both inside and outside of academia.

• Generating ideas for your event
  • What is your aim? Why hold an event?
  • Timing and length
• Planning your event
  • Team, dates, venue, costs
  • Pre-event software
• Event structure
  • Cutting edge talks, workshops, posters, papers, networking (speed)
  • Inviting & attracting high-quality speakers
  • Timing & livestreaming
• Marketing and promoting your event
  • Early bird vs late bird rates
  • Digital & social engagement
  • Tools to measure your progress: website, Eventbrite, analytics
• Attracting sponsorship
  • Who to ask?
  • Sponsorship packages: gold, silver, bronze
• Event management
  • Badges, bags, stands and technical tests
  • Reminders & drop outs
  • Registration and welcoming delegates
  • Managing speakers, timing, questions and an audience
• Post-event actions
  • Surveys and feedback
  • Mailing lists, videos and blogs

List of Learning Outcomes. By the end of this workshop, students should be able to:

3. Apply different methods of evaluation and be aware of other post-event actions

This workshop relates to domains B3 and D1 of the RDF.

Please note you will be required to complete a preparation task in advance of this workshop.

Full Description:

Interested in public engagement but unsure how to maximise the impact of your efforts? This workshop introduces a flexible approach to planning engagement activities with focus on the outcomes. What are you hoping participants (i.e. community groups, policymakers, researchers, etc.) get out of the interaction, and what activities are most likely to make these outcomes happen?

By the end of this workshop, you will have the key tools to take forward public engagement plans that match your impact goals.

This workshop is delivered by Fiona Murray (Public Engagement Coordinator) and Anne-Marte Bergseng (Communications Manager, ClimateXChange). It draws on material from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement.

Please note that your email address will be used to share templates immediately after the event. We will also email you a short questionnaire 2-3 months after the workshop. If you wish to opt out, please let the organisers know during the workshop.

You know what your research student should be doing, but it just doesn’t seem to be happening. Despite your best efforts to set up good habits for your student, it does not work. Why is this, and what can you do to make completing a PhD easier for your students and for you?

Students attending the seven secrets workshop have consistently reported a marked improvement in their progress towards completing their PhD. Now they have asked us to please tell their supervisors the same things!

This session gives you practical strategies to deal with common problems such as:

• supervisor/student relations
• dealing with writer’s block
• attitude (or lack thereof!) in relation to the PhD – it’s not a Nobel prize
• getting your student to seek help when they are stuck
• the student who never has enough time
• treating the PHD like a job
• keeping on going when the going gets tough

Who is it for?

Supervisors of research students at any point in their candidature.

Facilitator:

Hugh Kearns, Flinders University Australia. Hugh is recognised internationally as a public speaker, educator and researcher. He regularly lectures at universities across the world and is widely recognised for his ability to take the latest research in psychology and education and apply it to high-performing people and groups.

*This is a two day workshop running on 12th and 13th December and participants must attend both days*

All researchers are expected to do public engagement – to interact with stakeholder groups and/or wider ‘publics’ in order to increase the impact of their research. Public engagement takes different forms in different disciplines, but in all cases it is most effective when researchers talk with people rather than lecturing at them, when we are open to hearing what other groups have to say.

This course gives practical guidance on how to go about such ‘collaborative conversations’ in a way that is relevant to your research. It builds on the principles of ‘dialogue’, which has proved a powerful approach to communication in public engagement and many other areas. Come to this course and you will:

• Learn to recognise and address where your publics are coming from;
• Build your skills in facilitating dialogue so that everyone is heard and contributes;
• Think strategically about how to design dialogic public engagement activities;
• Start developing the skills to reflect and improve upon your engagement and other communication practices long after the course has ended.

Our training approach combines theory and practice. We will take you through a series of focused exercises, interspersed with short presentations and time for reflection, so that you experience a range of approaches and techniques you can then use in your future work. 

Whether you are planning to engage with government bodies, business, product or service users or citizens, this course can help make you more effective. You will leave with a toolbox of skills and techniques that you can use (and refine) in a range of different settings, including – but not only – public engagement with research.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1.Recognise and address where your publics are coming from;

2.Build your skills in facilitating dialogue so that everyone is heard and contributes;

3.Think strategically about how to design dialogic public engagement activities;

4.Continue developing the skills to reflect and improve upon your engagement and other communication practices long after the course has ended.

Collaboration can be one of the most rewarding aspects of a research career, and yet can bring some of the biggest challenges.  This session is aimed at researchers new to, or thinking of establishing, a collaborative research project.  The aim is provide an opportunity to reflect on your reasons for collaborating, what each party might offer, and also look at some practical ideas for establishing effective working practices and relationships.

This interactive session will be both reflective and practical, providing an opportunity for you to stop and reflect on your own approach and openness to collaboration, as well as some of the practical aspects of managing collaboration relationships and projects.

We will consider:

• Benefits and risks associated with collaborative research;
• Strategies to identify potential partners and work with them effectively;
• Assessing your readiness to collaborate and convince funders;
• Establishing a collaborative relationship: agreements and decisions.

 After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Describe what you offer, and wish to gain from, a research collaboration;
2. Plan effective ways to enhance your visibility and attractiveness to potential collaborators;
3. Enter in to collaborations with greater awareness of how to effectively establish and manage the process.

This workshop relates to domains B3, D1 and D3 of the RDF

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Do you need facilitation skills to do your job? Probably: good facilitation skills are critical to team working, collaborating with other teams and organisations, planning and holding meetings, and small group teaching.

If you’d like to improve the communication and inter-personal skills needed to facilitate well, this workshop may be for you!

Skills You’ll Develop:

• Enabling everyone to speak openly about their views, interests and needs
• Thinking together to tackle difficult problems or get a job done
• Fostering creativity and realise the potential for ‘group intelligence’
• Handling dominant voices and ensure all participants are heard
• Working through conflict without confrontation
• Recognising different patterns of communication and encourage ‘authentic’ communication
• Using your power as a facilitator constructively

Training Approach:

Our training approach integrates some ‘theory’ with a lot of opportunities to practice. Specifically, we will:

• Introduce key concepts – about different forms of communication and styles of facilitation, and about collaboration
• Work on key skills and common challenges, giving you experience of some different techniques and approaches
• Make this relevant to your circumstances and needs, and encourage your reflective practice.

What this Course Does Not Cover:

Facilitation involves two skill sets: thinking strategically (for planning and evaluation); and attending to communication and inter-personal dynamics in these critical conversations. This workshop aims to build capacity in the latter skill set only.

 While this workshop is extremely useful for people wishing to engage others with their research, this won’t be a specific focus on the day.

Suitability

This workshop is intended for people who already do some facilitation and want the opportunity to reflect on and deepen their practice in this area. Those new to facilitation and dialogue, are encouraged to attend Public Engagement Beyond Public Lectures instead.

Have you recently joined the university in an academic or research role?

Attend this informal and interesting event to:

• Discover the support and resources available to you. Round table discussions will focus on career development opportunities, applying for research funding, advice on engagement, impact and consultancy, information services and developing teaching skills

• Meet other new colleagues from across the university (coffee and brunch is included)

• Hear insights from senior academics

• Get a professional profile picture (optional).  A photographer will be at this event.

The Get Connected event is an informal induction event for new research staff and academics, in all schools / colleges, who have recently joined the University. It’s also suitable for new post-docs who have previously done their doctoral studies at the University.

For more information visit the website: https://edin.ac/2ASNvP2

This workshop relates to domains B3, C1, C3 and D1 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

PRIVACY STATEMENT

Information about you: how we use it and with whom we share it

We will use your personal data to allow us to process your registration, communicate with you and obtain your feedback about the event. We are processing the information about you for these purposes because by registering for the conference, you give your consent for us to do so.

If you have given us your permission, we will share your name, affiliation and contact details with the other participants in the delegate list, and University support groups, involved in the day. We will not share information about you with any other third party.  We will hold the personal data you provided us for 6 months.

** This is a two part course, run on consecutive days (10.00 - 12.00 both days), participants should attend both days**

This two-day workshop helps researchers learn the skills of writing research papers for peer reviewed journals. It focuses on all the steps involved in the writing process after the collection and analysis of data: clarifying the message of our paper; mapping out the manuscript to get the ideas into a logical structure; writing the first draft; editing the manuscript; submitting the manuscript; and successfully navigating the reviewing process to final publication.

During the workshop, through written exercises and discussions, delegates will examine all aspects of the process, and start drafting their own research manuscripts.

This workshop is suitable for:

• Early career (postdoc) researchers with little or no experience of writing papers for peer-reviewed journals;
• More experienced researchers and staff who still struggle with the process and want to improve how they write their papers.

To get the most out of this workshop, delegates should bring results they are ready to write-up for publication, or bring a “stalled” manuscript and a recent issue of the journal in which they wish to publish their manuscript’. This workshop does NOT cover experimental design and data analysis, nor does it provide a technical editing service.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. understand and identify the steps involved in the writing and publishing process
2. understand why papers fail to be written, submitted or published
3. create a personal action plan to write and publish

This workshop relates to domains A1 and D2 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

This short workshop will outline the experience and skills expected of new lecturers.  It will encourage reflection and discussion on how to continue to build your profile and develop relevant experience to improve your competitiveness for an academic career.

You should attend this workshop if:

If you are wondering how to make the transition from early career researcher to first lecturing job then this interactive session will be of interest.  Drawing on the results of a national survey of academic staff in universities across the UK, the session will outline the experience and skills looked for in new lecturers.  We will discuss what experience you need to develop (and share tips about how you can be gaining this experience) and what to emphasise at application and interview stages.

 After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Understand the experience, skills and qualifications that make a good candidate for a lecturer role;
2. Assess your own experience and identify gaps in light of what is required for lectureship positions;
3. Share and gain ideas of how you can build additional relevant experience.

This workshop relates to domains B1, B3 and D3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

This one and a half hour session is intended for PhD supervisors who are interested in ideas for helping their supervisees - in particular, international students - to develop their written academic English.  The session will include discussion of strategies to help students enhance their writing, and an introduction to some of the relevant resources available within and outwith the University of Edinburgh.

The topics covered include:

• Raising student awareness of examiners’ expectations
• Factors which are likely  to influence students’ written academic English;
• Ways of harnessing students’ reading to enhance their writing;
• Helpful forms of feedback on students’ writing;
• Language / writing support available at COL/ELE and IAD, and web-based writing resources.

The session will be led by two members of staff from COL/ELE t currently involved in teaching PhD writing courses.

This workshop should help you  to:

1. Develop confidence in helping students with their academic writing;
2. Implement a wider range of strategies that can help students develop their writing

This workshop relates to domains B1, D1 and D3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE 

It can be difficult to design public engagement activities to be truly interactive and inclusive. You may not feel confident about how to engage people or you may sense that your activity could be more effective at meeting the expectations of everyone involved. This workshop will help by giving you strategies to design public engagement activities where everyone is engaged and comes away with something useful.

This workshop will be run flexibly according to the needs and priorities of the participants. It will address:

•    What you want from the engagement

•    Who your participants should be and what they may want from the experience

•     What kind of interaction and communication are appropriate depending on the type of participatory process

•     How to enable everyone to be fully involved and work together

•     How to ensure that the process meets both your and your participants’ aims.

The core principles covered in this workshop are relevant for anyone planning a public or stakeholder engagement process that involves dialogue or deliberation. Whether it is a short interactive event at a science festival or a longer workshop with stakeholders or an ongoing collaboration that you are planning, this course is for you.

The training approach in this course is practical, hands on with regular opportunities to do, discuss and reflect.  The course facilitators will work with you so that you can apply the course material directly to your own public engagement activities/ideas/proposals/plans (see prerequisites below).

Please note: This course does not address the facilitation skills needed to implement your process design effectively: these are addressed in a separate one day course to be run on 26 May 2020.

Preparation for the course:

•This workshop is especially relevant to participants who are planning an interactive public engagement activity or wish to build public engagement into a funding proposal.  As such, participants should come with a particular public engagement activity in mind which they can work on throughout the course.

•Part of the materials for this workshop involves pre-written case studies that participants use to design a public engagement process. The organisers have a bank of these, however if any participants wish to use their own activity for a case study this can be accommodated. The course organisers have a case study pro-forma that needs to be completed and sent to Jan Barfoot (j.barfoot@ed.ac.uk) 7 days before the workshop. Contact Jan Barfoot for the proforma.

•All participants are expected to have a basic understanding of dialogue and of deliberation. To this end we recommend that, prior to the course, you read the relevant sections of ‘Public Dialogue and Deliberation’ by Oliver Escobar, available at: http://www.beltanenetwork.org/resources/beltane-publications/

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1.Think strategically about the design of your public engagement activity, with a focus on inclusion, dialogue and deliberation.

3.Develop the skills to create workable plans for public or stakeholder engagement that both attends to relevant practical considerations and meets everyone’s aims.

4. Apply this learning to your own public engagements plans.

The workshop is designed specifically for AHSS research staff at an early stage of their career with little or no experience of reviewing manuscripts for journals.

The peer-review system helps to ensure the quality of published research. Journal editors are therefore reliant on experts who can deliver independent reviews in a timely fashion. The ability to review manuscripts should be a core skill of every researcher and by learning how to review quickly and effectively, you will:.

• Gain a core skill that every researcher should have;
• Free up more time for your own research;
• Develop a better understanding of how to write your own manuscripts.

After attending this course you will be able to:

1. Understand how to critically evaluate a research manuscript;
2. Apply practical methods for reviewing a manuscript quickly and effectively;
3. Understand your responsibilities as a reviewer.

This workshop relates to domains A1, A2 and D2 of the RDF. 

This workshop is for STEM research staff with little or no experience of reviewing manuscripts, this workshop focuses on the peer-review system and how to critically evaluate a manuscript.

Peer-review helps to ensure the quality and reputation of published scientific research. For the peer-review system to work, researchers who publish must reciprocate by reviewing the work of others.  Therefore, the ability to review manuscripts quickly and effectively for journals should be a core skill of every STEM researcher. Journal editors are reliant on experts who can deliver independent reviews in a timely fashion.

Through group exercises and discussions, you will learn how the peer-review system works, including what editors expect, what to include in written comments and how long you should spend reviewing a manuscript

After attending this workshop you will be able to: 

• Understand how to critically evaluate a research manuscript;
• Apply practical methods for reviewing a manuscript quickly and effectively;
• Understand your responsibilities as a reviewer.

This workshop relates to domains A1, A2 and D2 of the RDF. 

In this workshop we will explore common thoughts of self-criticism: when and where they show up, what can we do to tame our "inner critic" and develop a more effective perspective on our abilities and successes.

If you have ever doubted your ability, or thought "I just got lucky this time", “I worry that others will discover how little I know” or “I only got that praise because people were being kind", this is an indication that you have experienced imposter syndrome.

The imposter ‘voice’ is one of many that come from our ‘inner critic’ and is very common amongst researchers.  It presents itself as a feeling of inadequacy that persists even in the face of evidence that the opposite is true. It is frequently experienced, often by high-performing people, as a feeling of self-doubt and intellectual fraudulence. The good news is that it is completely normal, and sometimes even useful!  The bad news is that it may result in you missing out on opportunities or creating the wrong impression with others.

In this workshop we will look at where the imposter syndrome comes from and think more widely about how to tame your inner critic – where else does it show up or limit your confidence or proactivity?

During the session you will:

• Understand what imposter syndrome is, where it comes from and when it occurs

• Reflect more widely on where and how your inner critic might limit your progress

• Try out some approaches for dealing with the inner critic and imposter syndrome

This workshop relates to domains B1, B2 and B3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

As researcher and academics we are constantly juggling our efforts to meet the demands of our research, any teaching responsibilities and everything else that goes alongside building a career and being a good academic citizen.

This balance is of course, tricky.    Invest your time in one and you take away from the others.  Free some time for yourself to get some priority work done and lose the time you need to properly deal with the colleague who knocks on your door seeking advice.

In addition, many of the things that influence our time and workload are not always within our control, so we will also explore personal effectiveness and efficiency in a fluid environment.

This workshop will help you to:

• Reflect on your priorities – long, medium and short term and analyse how your time is spent in relation to these
• Understand some simple time management techniques so as to help you make the most of the time that you do have
• Behave efficiently as well as effectively and so identify what you need to prioritise and de-prioritise
• Build positive habits and action plan how to sustain effective work routines.

This workshop relates to domains B of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

This workshop will give you an opportunity to stop and reflect on your research career ambitions: what do you want and are you doing the right things during your postdoc to get what you want and make progress?  Aimed at postdocs who wish to develop their research careers either towards an independent fellowship or a permanent academic post, we will look at a variety of planning tools and strategies that will help you to make proactive steps towards independence.

Making the most of your time as a postdoctoral researcher requires self-leadership if you want to gain the experience and skills required to become an independent researcher.  It can also be a time of overwhelming options and demands on your time.

One of the most important aspects of leadership is having clarity on what you will achieve, and a strategy for how to get there.  From there, you can choose the best opportunities for your specific career ambitions.

In this reflective and interactive workshop, we will think about:

• What does success as an independent researcher look like?
• What is expected of you in terms of skills and experience?
• What are you expecting of yourself?
• What could you be doing with your time to be more strategic towards meeting your future career ambitions?

We will look at some tools and strategies that you might use in terms of achieving independence in research; including developing your reputation and visibility, collaborations, funding strategy and navigating the research ‘landscape’. Please note we cannot give advice on subject specific funding or fellowship applications.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Articulate what a successful research career would look like for you.
• Benchmark yourself in terms of current progress.
• Choose and plan a variety of activities and strategies to make progress towards your goals.

This workshop relates to domains B1, B2, B3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE 

If you have recently joined us and are looking to meet other new staff, come along to this informal induction session hosted by Human Resources and the Institute for Academic Development.

You will have the opportunity to meet up with other new staff, share experiences and get support from each other. HR and IAD will be on hand to answer any questions too.

Aimed at all new staff (both academic and professional services).

The aim of a structured writing retreat is to use dedicated writing time to progress writing projects in a supportive environment. Example projects include, book chapters, journal articles, research proposals and reports.

Most of the time is used for writing, with everyone logged into the online session working on their own projects.  This is not a writing workshop, but just gives participants space and time to write. Participants should come to the session with an idea of what they are going to be working on. 

A retreat works best when you focus exclusively on writing, defining specific goals you want to achieve i.e. sections of a paper/chapter, number of words, etc.  

This 1-minute video covers what the retreat session will, and won't involve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcR47DpBgfQ 

This Morning writing retreat will be held online via Blackboard Collaborate.

Timings: 

09:30 – 09:35 Check-in and planning

09:35 – 10:25 Writing (50mins)

10:25 – 10:35 Break (10mins)

10:35 – 11:25 Writing (50mins)

11:25 – 11:30 Wrap up

Additional information:

The programme is based on retreats run by Professor Rowena Murray, University of West of Scotland. Rowena has published extensively on academic writing and is a very experienced facilitator. Rowena’s research indicates that writing retreats can result in significant outcomes in terms of growing research-orientated interactions and relationships, building confidence in writing and research and creating cross-disciplinary research conversations.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Develop an awareness of how to use time and space for productive writing;
• Develop an understanding of how to plan writing and generate solutions to writing problems.

This workshop relates to domains A1, B1, B2 and D2 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

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.

We will cover networking strategies, engagement methods and how to “pitch” yourself and/or your ideas. Participants will be introduced to various techniques that they can use in a variety of situations with a range of different audiences. How can we turn conversations to our advantage? How do we approach and engage with senior academics? When and how should we follow up with people?

Each individual will be encouraged create a personal strategy that they can use after the workshop and build on in future. The workshop will comprise a mixture of group work, class discussion and individual exercises.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Develop an understanding of networking strategy and be incentivised to develop a personal networking strategy;
2. Draw on the networking experience gained at the workshop to spot opportunities and “pitch” themselves;
3. Apply the knowledge from the workshop to the development of their own personal networking plan.

This workshop relates to domains B1 and B3 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

As the research projects you are involved in grow in size and complexity the project management approaches that you need to implement will adapt and become more structured.  This workshop will explore a range of project management processes and tools to enable you to:

• Understand the role of stakeholders in your research projects and how to set up effective working relationships to ensure smooth project delivery.
• Understand the project lifecycle and how it links to research projects.
• Apply a range of project management tools to enable:
  • Realistic scheduling using a model of schedule development designed for research projects.
  • Effective risk management
  • Clear role allocation
  • Proportionate progress reporting.
  • Effective project close out.

Throughout the workshop examples will be drawn from the participants’ research areas.

This workshop relates to domains B1, B2 and C2 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Thinking about engaging with audiences online, but don’t know where to start?

There is currently an unprecedented demand for public engagement activity online, however there is a need to maintain the quality of any public engagement activity and online engagement is a different skill set to the usual public engagement carried out by staff and students.

This workshop will address some of the considerations for engaging online, where this differs from face to face engagement and where there are similarities.

Online environments offer some enormous freedoms compared to 'real world' events, but, of course, they also have some drawbacks and difficulties. We will help you explore the possibilities for creating an effective online activity that achieves the same aim as your intended offline activity. And we will take you through key considerations for planning and delivering a successful online activity, including looking at accessibility, safeguarding, privacy, and evaluation.

This session is aimed at researchers with some public engagement experience and staff in a role supporting public engagement

Please note that this course will proceed with attendees taking part remotely.

Please book your place by Friday 8 May - an email will be sent on this date providing details of setup requirements and relevant links for taking part in the course. 

A career development consultation is a 30 minute one-to-one appointment with a professional careers adviser. You can have as many consultations as you need and they are available all year round. You can use this appointment for many purposes, including:

• discussing your career options, pathways and planning strategies
• practical advice on preparing a targeted CV or application form.
• undertaking a mock job interview for an upcoming role you have applied for
• general advice and discussion on any career issue relevant to you or your current situation

Consultation appointments can help you, whatever your current stage. You may:

• have recently joined the University.
• be coming to the end, or potential end, of a project or contract.
• have been here a number of years and aim to develop a long term career in the University
• be actively looking to move in a new career direction

Eligibility: Our 1:1 appointments are only open to early career academic research-only staff on fixed term contracts, e.g. research assistants and associates, post-docs, and research fellows; and early career academic teaching staff on fixed term contracts, e.g. teaching assistants and teaching fellows.  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide support to academic staff on open-ended lecturing contracts.

Please note:

1. After you book a slot for a consultation, please email any supporting documents to ResearchStaff.Careers@ed.ac.uk.  Providing supporting documents such as a CV or job description will help you to gain more from the consultation process
2. Consultations are available on Monday to Thursday. 
3. Consultations will be held via Mirosoft Teams, the careers consultant will call you at the appointment time.
4. Advice is available via email if you have a quick query or perhaps have an approaching application deadline. We will endeavour to reply to all email requests within one working week.

Please refer to our webpage for our Privacy Statement for Career Development Consultations: https://www.ed.ac.uk/institute-academic-development/research-roles/research-only-staff/career-management/career-consultation

The aim of this writing hour is to give you dedicated time to progress writing projects in a supportive environment. Example projects include, book chapters, journal articles, research proposals and reports.

The session will include a 5-minute check-in at the start to allow you to share hints and tips (optional) and to focus on what you want to achieve in the session, there will then be a full hour dedicated to writing.

this is not a writing workshops, but just gives participants space and time to write.  Participants should come to the session with an idea of what they are going to be working on.

This 1-minute video covers what the retreat session will, and won't involve: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcR47DpBgfQ 

Timetable:

10:00 – 10:05: General check-in and planning

10:05 – 11:05: Writing

11:05 – 11:10: Wrap up and check in

This session is for all postgraduate researchers and research and academic staff

This workshop is designed specifically for staff who are looking to develop their online presence and boost their career prospects through social media.

There are now numerous channels available that can be used to amplify your research, promote an enterprising project and attract future employers. Each individual can now build their own online “brand” that friends, colleagues, collaborators and future employers can engage with. In addition, social networks can act as a valuable source of information and a personally tailored news feed.

We will explore different types of content that researchers can experiment with. What engages people? How can you attract attention? What should you post and what should you avoid? How should you manage your time on social media and optimise your engagement?

The workshop is designed to cover a selection of mainstream social media tools that can be used to build your online brand. Short group exercises, case studies and the instructor’s personal experience will be included to illustrate key points.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Identify social media tools that can be used to build your online brand.
• Understand the different type of content that you can work with to engage people.
• Develop your online presence to boost your research and promote yourself to employers.

This workshop relates to domains B2, B3, D1, D2 and D3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Working in research is both an exciting and challenging experience. It can be an emotional roller-coaster. The excitement of working on something you care about, exploring new ideas and making a contribution to knowledge. The challenges of feeling isolated and overwhelmed, dealing with setbacks, uncertainty, conflict and loss of motivation. Inevitably over the course of your research career you will experience times when things aren’t going so well. This workshop draws on evidence-based strategies to help YOU stay well during your research career. 

Topics will include:

• Managing the workload
• Resilience and finding a balance
• Learning how to switch off
• Dealing with worries about setbacks and progress
• Good habits e.g. exercise, sleep, routines
• Dealing with isolation, lack of structure and loss of motivation
• Procrastination, perfectionism and over-committing
• Disagreements with supervisors and other colleagues
• Support for more serious mental health issues
• Supporting friends/colleagues who may be struggling

Who is it for?

Post-docs, early career researchers and mid-career researchers who want to explore ways to stay well during their research career.

This workshop relates to domain B1, B2 and B3 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

A hands-on introduction to using storytelling techniques for effective research communication. We will look at how to make a story engaging as well as at the variety of creative ways stories can be used to communicate research practices and findings. You will learn simple ways of working with story structure as well as techniques for telling. By the end of the session, you will have an outline of a story about your own research to share.

Please note this workshop requires active participation. You will be asked to take part in group discussion and share creative work as part of the group exercises.

This on-line workshop provides advice and support for research supervisors who are now having to supervise more flexibly in response to changing circumstances. It will include strategies for:

• Maintaining the relationship – meetings/virtual meetings (frequency, length, structure, tools)
• Helping students with Plan B – dealing with interruptions to their research
• Contingency planning as levels change
• Responding to students’ concerns (personal, funding, time, access to data)
• Supporting students at different stages (new, mid-candidature and finishing)
• Mental health issues
• Looking after yourself

The webinar will be interactive with participants given the opportunity to share their knowledge and experience.

As part of the ‘Career Development Support for Technicians’ this 1.5hr session will provide an overview of the existing technicians career development programme, including tools and opportunities available from within the University and beyond

By attending this session you will:

·         Know what essential development opportunities are available e.g. HEaTED

·         Understand how to plan your own career.

·         Know what career pathways are available.

·         Set yourself personal objectives and future actions.

·         Understand what the career development programme is and how to access the support available)

Are you wanting to get a grant, but not sure how to approach it strategically? Or despite getting the grant and getting the research done, do you find it hard to achieve the publication outputs? And if you do publish, how strategic are you about it –do you just do the next paper on the list or do you think about which one will help with your next grant or be read by more people or have greatest impact?

Then in relation to the team you work in, are you being as productive as possible, for example using all team members or colleagues in a way that increases your publication output and theirs? And finally, do you use your limited resources (eg statisticians, senior researchers, editors etc) in the most effective way possible? This workshop is ideally suited for research teams, collaborators or co-authors, although all researchers will find it useful.

This workshop will look at:

• managing your time in a busy research environment
• publishing strategically
• linking publications to grants
• using the team (or others) to increase publication productivity
• keeping track of publications to increase motivation and accountability
• managing your publication “resources” for maximum output
• attributes of a successful (and highly productive) research leader/team.

Who is it for

Research teams, individual researchers and research team leaders.

This workshop relates to domain B2, D2, D1 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

Are you ready to take your vocal and presentation skills to the next level?

Would you like to learn how to use your body and voice to deliver a clear, confident and compelling presentation?

This workshop will promote and enhance an awareness of what makes your voice and interesting and sustainable and how you can use your body effectively to engage your audience and reinforce your message.

If you feel you are not using your voice to its full potential, or you are concerned that it is not as strong or expressive as you would wish, this course will help you to improve.

We’ll cover:

• Pace
• Rhythm
• Clarity of speech
• Facial expression
• Projection
• Intonation

As part of the workshop, we will also look at how to use your body language to enhance your communication.

Please note that this workshop focuses on how you deliver rather than the content of your presentation or technical aids. It does not cover the use of PowerPoint slides, Prezi or similar.

Learning outcomes After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Warm up your voice and body effectively to develop and protect it
2. Recognise opportunities to use your voice with greater clarity and range o expression
3. Use vocal technique and body language to enhance the impact of your presentation
4. Implement techniques to increase audience engagement and ensure your presentations have more impact

Please note that there is pre course work for this workshop – you will be asked to prepare a 3 - 5 minute presentation to be delivered on the day; the topic can be anything you like.

A short workshop designed to help you to think carefully about what it takes to be an effective leader in research.  Using practical experience and theory, we will look at a variety of aspects of successful leadership and you will have the opportunity to benchmark your own skills and experience and do some action planning for your future development.

As you progress in your career you will be navigating the transition from being managed and led by others to leadership and management of yourself and others.  You are already undertaking outstanding research, so how do you become an outstanding leader?

This workshop is an opportunity for you to stop and take stock of your leadership:  to think about what are you aiming for and what needs to change to develop your research leadership skills.  We will do some benchmarking of where you are now and some planning towards where you want to be.

In this reflective and interactive session, we will consider:

• Your vision for your team and you: What leader would you like to be?
• What are the qualities of a leader in academia and research?
• Where are you now? Benchmarking yourself.
• The skills do you need to develop and how you might do this.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

• Describe the qualities required for effective research leadership.
• Articulate your own leadership strengths and areas for development.
• Make a plan to develop your research leadership skills. 

This workshop relates to domains B1, B2, B3, C2 and D1 of the RDF.

For further information on the RDF visit:  http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE

20-minute slots available with Dr David Jones

Did you attend the webinar Get that Paper Written and Published?

Have you submitted your paper, or has it stalled?

Do you need advice on how to get it finished and submitted to your target journal?

Or do you have other publishing problems you want to discuss?

The Writer’s Clinic consists of 20-minute online slots in which you can discuss your own personal writing issues with David. These confidential, 1:1 sessions will help you move stalled papers forward to final completion and publication. They’re a safe space in which you can discuss problems you may be reluctant to raise with your manager. David can provide independent advice on how to overcome obstacles that are preventing you from publishing your research.

Any specific problems to do with the writing of your papers can be discussed. However, please note, the clinics cannot cover experimental design or statistical analysis, nor can they provide a technical editing service. Examples of appropriate topics that have been discussed in previous Writer’s Clinics include:

· How to convert your PhD thesis chapters into journal papers.

· How to clarify the message of your paper.

· How to structure and present “data-heavy” findings.

· The trade-offs involved in sending your manuscript to a high ranking versus a lower ranking journal, while trying to satisfy departmental expectations.

· Who should be first author, and who should be corresponding author.

· How to deal with a difficult co-author who is delaying submission of your paper.

· How you should respond to difficult or inappropriate referees’ comments.

· How to negotiate with your department on time management issues to ensure you get sufficient time to write papers.

Sign-up for a slot and kick-start your planned publications.

This writing clinics will run with six 20 minute slots available to book each day, from 9:30am – 12:00pm. 

The aim of a structured writing retreat is to use dedicated writing time to progress writing projects in a supportive, non-surveillance environment. Example projects include book chapters, journal articles, research proposals and reports.

Most of the time is used for writing, everyone logged into the online session, with brief scheduled discussions at the start of each writing slot, often generating solutions to writing problems, developing drafts, leading to research-orientated conversations and providing feedback on writing in-progress.

A retreat works best when you focus exclusively on writing, defining specific goals you want to achieve i.e. sections of a paper/chapter, number of words, etc.  It is also valuable to be prepared to define and discuss content and structure for writing goals, allowing you to take stock of your achievements through the programme and discuss your writing-in-progress with mutual peer support.

This full day writing retreat will be held online via Blackboard Collaborate and will include two 1hr 50minute writing slots, with a large break in the middle.  Participants are asked to attend both parts. 

Timings:

Part 1: 09:30 – 11:30 – Planning at the start followed by 1hr 50min minute writing slot

Extended break

Part 2: 13:30 – 15:30 – Revising planning from start of the day followed by 1hr 50min Writing slot 

Additional information:

The programme is based on retreats run by Professor Rowena Murray, University of West of Scotland. Rowena has published extensively on academic writing and is a very experienced facilitator. Rowena’s research indicates that writing retreats can result in significant outcomes in terms of growing research-orientated interactions and relationships, building confidence in writing and research and creating cross-disciplinary research conversations.

After attending this workshop you will be able to:

1. Develop an awareness of how to use time and space for productive writing;
2. Develop an understanding of how to plan writing and generate solutions to writing problems.

This workshop relates to domains A1, B1, B2 and D2 of the RDF. 

For further information on the RDF visit: http://edin.ac/2cDDzAE 

Blogging is turning into a popular format for communicating research processes and results to different audiences. It may seem straight forward compared to other academic writing platforms, but taking the leap into publishing blogposts can be daunting. If you would like to start blogging or blog more frequently, this workshop is for you. We will explore what blogging can add to your academic practice; how to use it to support your research; and what will get (and keep) your readers interested.