News and Upcoming Events for April 2024

This post provides an overview of what’s coming up at the University of Melbourne for researchers; and highlights updates from the research support community. 

Visualise Your Thesis has launched for 2024!

VYT challenges graduate researchers to present their projects in a 60-second, eye-catching, video. It’s a great way to showcase your research impact, learn digital communication skills and win cash prizes. Find out more about VYT, and how you can participate, via the Research Gateway here. 

Image description: Dark blue and grey banner with text “Visualise Your Thesis: a programme for graduate researchers” and “Find out more”

Researcher@Library webinars

Image description: Green and blue gradient Researcher@Library banner with byline “Supporting your research journey.”

DIY Digitisation

The University’s Digitisation Centre will take you through how you can digitise your own research materials, and what equipment they have that UoM researchers can use at no cost. Register to attend here. 

Automating Image Processing (Windows)

Have you got a heap of images that you’ve taken of your research materials, in the archives, or out in the field? Learn how you can quickly organise or edit hundreds at a time using command line prompts. Register to attend here. 

Open Access and Your Thesis

Everything you need to know to prepare a PhD or Masters by Research thesis for the University of Melbourne’s institutional repository. Find out the benefits of making your thesis open access, how to select an embargo period, managing third-party copyright, and issues to be aware of early if submitting a thesis-with-publications. Register to attend here. 

Reference Management webinars

These upcoming webinars are for users who are familiar with the basics of adding references and working in Word with their reference management software, and want to learn how to use more features.

• Endnote: learn how to import existing folders of PDFs, merge multiple chapters in Word, sync with online and library, and edit citation styles. Register here.
• Zotero: learn how to use document annotation tools, set up RSS feeds from databases, use tags, create and follow groups, sync across your devices, and understand storage options. Register here.

Digital Skills Meet Up: AI and Academic Publishing

The next Digital Skills Meet Up for 2024 will focus on how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) is being used throughout the research lifecycle, and how this is impacting publishing choices that researchers are making. Join us on 24 April 2024 for short presentations, and open discussion about AI tools, software, considerations and questions in publishing.

Events and training beyond the Library

Graduate Research Orientation

If you are a new PhD or Masters by Research candidate, make sure you register for the Graduate Researcher Orientation on 8 April 2024. It will start with a welcome and panel in the morning, and continue with a provider fair of the University’s support services in the afternoon. The Library team will have a stall at the provider fair, so come say hello and pick up a Researcher@Library postcard: register for both parts here.

Using LabArchives

LabArchives is an Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) which is provided to University of Melbourne researchers for recording, management, and safely storing all their data. Register via the RDU portal for a workshop on using LabArchives. 

Academic Skills: Crafting the Writing, Literature Reviews, Writing a Paper for Publication

• Crafting the Writing: covering writing skills for clear and effective communication of research.
• Literature reviews: focusing on the purpose, structure and organisation of a literature review; and how to write a clear and critical one.
• Writing a Paper for Publication: explaining the article writing process and the essential steps for getting started on a journal article.

Digital Skills training: NVivo Drop In and Intro to R

• Need NviVo help? Head along to a drop in where you can ask any of your questions. No registration needed, find the details here. 
• Intro to R will be running in four parts. Take your first steps into the world of R, learning how to run code, the different data types, cleaning data, and using it for data visualisation. Register for all four sessions via the RDU portal. 

Practicalities of Research Data Management

Melbourne Bioinformatics is offering an in-person workshop on research data management. Learn how to organise your files, tidy and transfer data, work with collaborators, and more. Register via the RDU portal here. 

File Management 101: New Open Educational Resource

The University’s Digitial Stewardship team have created a new Open Educational Resource (OER) to guide you in good file management. Why bother? File management allows your work to be understandable and identifiable by both humans and machines – avoid having to open every document in your folder because you can’t remember which one is your final report!

The module takes you through file naming, version control, directory structures and systems/tools that you can use to store and share your data. Access the File Management 101 OER here. 

New newspapers – Pressreader and Newsbank

The Library has arranged trial access to two newspaper and magazine providers: Pressreader and Newsbank’s Access World News Research Collection. Pressreader has 7000 titles, and Newsbank has 14,2000, from different countries around the world. You can access both via the Library catalogue: click here for Pressreader and click here for Newsbank.

 

Featured image credit: White, Blue, and Purple Stars Illustration by Bich Tran on Pexels.