Category Archives: Information literacy

Spotlight On… New Semester Resolutions

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As your New Year resolutions fade, how are you planning to start the new semester? What was your feedback like for your exams or coursework? Have you got plans for improving your grades next time? Come along to our Spotlight stand this week to share your thoughts and get support for any library-related issues such as:

  • Better time management
  • Better academic practice and referencing
  • More criticality 
  • More academic information resources

We look forward to seeing you at our stand in the Library foyer on Tuesday 5th February between 12-2pm, and Thursday 7th February between 2-4pm

If you can’t make these times and have a query, don’t worry, you can always contact your academic librarian directly:

http://www.lboro.ac.uk/services/library/students/contactus/academic-librarians/

LBA001: Academic Writing Workshops

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Using academic language appropriately and correctly can make a tremendous difference to the quality of your work, but it doesn’t always come naturally.

The Academic Language Support Service offers a range of support in academic writing and study skills specifically aimed at and designed for native or near-native English speaking students.

Students can sign up on Learn module LBA001 for courses on

Coherence in writing 1 Wavy Top WAV0.41 30th October 5PM – 6.30PM

Punctuation and proofreading Wavy Top WAV0.41 1st November 5PM – 6.30PM

Coherence in writing 2 Bridgeman Building BRI 2.08 6th November 5PM – 6.30PM

Paraphrasing and summarising Wavy Top WAV0.41 8th November 5PM – 6.30PM

Refreshing research skills and raising research visibility

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Gold open access; the green route; Academia.edu; Researchgate; Google Scholar profiles; h-index; impact factors… 

Are you a member of academic staff or research staff and these terms are a mystery to you? Or would you like to know more about how to make your research more visible? Or would you simply like to discover how to find information for your own research more effectively? If so, why not take some time out of the office or lab and come along to one of the Library workshops for Academic and Research Staff in March or July. They are all designed specifically for staff and research associates, with excellent feedback from attendees in previous years.

 “Really useful to understand impact of research”

“All great!”

“Practical session and useful advice.”

“Good pace and nice to try things straight after being introduced rather than all at end.  This was a very good session introducing a range of different resources.”

This year’s workshops are:

  • Finding research information;
  • Assessing your research impact with bibliometrics;
  • Increasing the visibility of your research;
  • Improving your research impact through open access.

To find out more about the sessions and book, please visit the Library’s Staff Workshops page.

'Elevenses' in the Library

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“Summer Elevenses”
Have your cake and eat it!
Research Summer School in the Library

Every Wednesday at 11 over the summer, why not down-tools and head over to the Library for a slice of cake and a morsel of research training. Come and network with colleagues whilst picking up a hint or tip on a wide range of research-related topics. Each slot is a manageable coffee-break-sized 30 minutes – just enough time for a breather before you return to your desk refreshed and informed!

Programme

Making a name for yourself with a Google Scholar Citation Profile

11 July 2012

 Presented by Helen Young.
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11603

 Building Google Sites

18 July 2012

Presented by Martin Ashby

http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11604

 In full bloom? Managing your research output in LUPIN and the Institutional Repository

25 July 2012

Presented by Angela Crawford, Naomi Dungworth and Katie Appleton
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11605

 

Managing your Research data – use it or lose it?
1 August 2012

Presented by Lizie Gadd

Managing your Research data – use it or lose it?

 

Research, organise and share it with Mendeley

8 August 2012

Presented by Frank Parry and Tariq Abdullah
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11607

 Find funding the easy way with Pivot

15 August 2012

Presented by Tracy Wootton
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11608

 Mobile apps for research

22 August 2012

Presented by Martin Ashby
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11609

Social Media – what’s hot?

29 August 2012

Presented by Ginny Franklin
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11610

All sessions are 11.00 – 11.30am in Library Training Room 1

To book your place please visit the Staff Development booking system or follow the hyperlinks in the table above.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Calling all staff – Confronting plagiarism event in the Library today

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Plagiarism is often in the headlines:

  • Students do not understand what it is;
  • Students are not utilising their academic skills to avoid being a plagiarist;
  • More students are being caught plagiarising by detection software.

Do these headlines strike a chord with you?  What does plagiarism mean to you and how does it imping on your teaching?

This lunchtime between 12noon and 2:00pm a range of colleagues are highlighting their different approaches to dealing with issues of academic misconduct and in particular plagiarism.  Why not come and hear their approaches and share your ideas. An informal buffet lunch will be provided.

 Venue: Training room on Level 3 of the Library.

Summer refreshment for your research skills. Training sessions for Academic and Research Staff

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As your thoughts start to turn to research over the summer vacation, why not participate in one of the Library courses specifically for Academic and Research Staff. These small-group, practical workshops allow you to refresh and develop your information skills and dissemination strategies, as well as meet colleagues from across campus.

The workshops are:

Finding Research Information
Update yourself on the range of new information sources and services available from your desktop. The session will enable you to refresh and refine your information finding skills, as well as identifying sources to help you keep up-to-date with development in your research field.

Wednesday 4th July
10-12 noon
Library Training Room 1

Feedback from previous courses includes:

“Good overview of resources available & time to practice using them”
“Presenters were friendly and helpful”

Book yourself a place here:
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11153

Measuring and Improving your Research Impact with Bibliometrics
Find out how to assess the impact of your research through citation analysis, or bibliometrics. The Library provides access to a widening range of tools that can be used for this purpose. The session will demystify the topic, so that you can use these tools to your advantage, and provide an opportunity for you to practise using the tools discussed and demonstrated.

Thursday 5th July
2-4 pm
Library Training Room 1

Feedback from previous courses includes:

“Hands on sessions”
“Really useful to understand impact of research”
“[Presenters] very keen to explain in detail”

Book yourself a place here:
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11149

 

Improving your Research Impact through Open Access
This session will provide an overview of different open access publishing routes and how researchers and the University can harness the benefits.

Wednesday 11th July
2-3.30 pm
Library Training Room 1

Feedback from previous courses includes:

“Opportunity to discuss the topic”
“Involving the participants – was good to hear what other people think of OA & use it or not”
“All great”

Book yourself a place here:
http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=11151

 

Finding Quality Information for your Assignments- Science

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man runningDo you need to find journal articles to complete your assignments? Are you struggling to know where to begin?  If so why not come to G Block, Room G006 at 12pm on Friday 2nd  March for the Library’s Get the Know-How course – Finding Quality Information for your Assignments-Science 

 

Book a place on the Get the Know-How module on Learn LBAOO1

 information about the course and other resources to help with finding journal articles can be found at: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/skills/understand-info.html

IIcon courtesy of alessandro rei at www.iconfinder.com

Are you up to speed with research data management?

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All the UK Research Councils – as well as other funders – are now asking researchers to provide evidence of the ways they intend to manage and protect the research data they generate.  If this leaves you cold, you may welcome the warm support of MANTRA an online course aimed at PhD students and others who are planning a research project using digital data.  You may also find the information on the Library’s Research Support web pages useful.

Good luck!

Academic Staff & Research Associate training: Measuring and improving your research impact with bibliometrics and friends

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When? Tuesday 5th July.

Time? 10-12.30pm.

Where? Room N004, Haslegrave Building.

Research active staff are frequently being called upon to demonstrate the impact of their research whether for promotion, appraisal, funding applications, or research assessment. One way of measuring the impact of your research is through citation analysis, or bibliometrics. The Library provides access to a widening range of tools that can be used for this purpose. This session will demystify the topic, so that you can use these tools to your advantage. It will not only enable you to evaluate your current research impact, but demonstrate how you can improve its impact in the future. The session will allow time for you to practise using the tools discussed and demonstrated.

To book a place please go to http://pdwww.lboro.ac.uk/eventdetails.asp?run=10030

PhD Students & Supervisors – Your library needs you

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We would be delighted if you are willing to take part in a discussion over lunch on Monday 11th April to assist us in a study on the supervisors role in developing their research students’ information and data handling skills.

RIN is funding the project, which is investigating the role and perceptions of PhD supervisors in ensuring research students possess the necessary level of information literacy to pursue their careers successfully in academia and beyond.  RIN has produced several reports on researcher behaviour in different disciplines, publishing patterns and costs, and the availability of journals (see www.rin.ac.uk).

Loughborough has been selected as a case study and we are looking to hold two focus groups on Monday 11th April:

  • PhD students in Training room 1 on Level 3 of the Library between 12:00 – 1:00
  • Doctoral supervisors in Training room 1 on Level 3 of the Library between 1:15 – 2:15

In return for an hour of your time, we will provide you with a buffet lunch and a chance to share ideas and practice with colleagues from other parts of the university.

If you are free to be part of this focus group, please get in touch with Ruth Stubbings at r.e.stubbings@lboro.ac.uk by Friday 6th April 2011.  Please indicate your Department and any special dietary requirements.  We look forward to hearing from you.