Guidance for Researchers: Previous Workshops

24: Top Tips for Undertaking A Systematic Review (2024-11-19)

Join us to find out about the different steps involved in carrying out a systematic review and how to make the most of the tools and resources available to support you. 

Speaker: Clare Langman.

Clare is currently Reading List Engagement Manager at Birmingham City University, working on the new Resource List system implementation. She has a vast amount of experience in designing and delivering information literacy sessions for students and staff. With over 15 years of experience in delivering systematic review and other types of literature review sessions at Aston University, Clare will guide you through the workshop sharing her insights and helping you make decisions on which literature review methods are most appropriate for your own research or guiding and supporting others doing their research.

23: Insightful Research Design Workshop for Researchers (2024-10-18)

Unlock the secrets to successful scientific research with our comprehensive workshop - "Insightful Research Design."

This workshop is designed to empower researchers with essential research concepts and innovative strategies necessary for crafting robust and impactful research studies. Whether you're at the beginning of your research journey or looking to refine your methodology, this workshop will equip you with the tools needed to design studies that are ethical, valid, and reliable.

Through this interactive session, participants will learn to formulate research questions, differentiate between various research methods, and design experiments that stand up to scrutiny. By comparing laboratory-based and community-based studies, understanding the importance of sample size, and mastering statistical approaches, you'll gain the confidence to carry out research that contributes novel insights to your field.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• Formulate precise research questions and hypotheses to establish a strong research background.
• Distinguish between quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, and select the appropriate method for your study.
• Design experiments that are ethical, valid, and reliable, ensuring the integrity of your research.
• Compare and contrast laboratory-based studies with community-based research.
• Accurately calculate sample size and define the population for your study.
• Establish clear inclusion and exclusion criteria for participant selection.
• Develop effective recruitment strategies to ensure a representative sample.
• Interpret, process, and analyse experimental data with confidence.
• Implement a range of statistical approaches to support your research findings.
• Analyse real-life examples of research methodologies from published scientific studies.

Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your research design skills and take your scientific research to the next level 😊

Speaker: Professor Ahmad Alkhatib, Professor of Life Sciences, based in the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences.

Professor Alkhatib is a world-renowned expert in lifestyle medicine with over 30 years of experience across academic, clinical, and industry roles. He currently leads the Public Health Cluster research at Birmingham City University, focusing on ageing, metabolic disease, and multimorbidity prevention. His research, which spans randomised trials and epidemiological cohort studies, has led to groundbreaking discoveries in reversing and managing chronic conditions such as obesity, type-2 diabetes, and vascular diseases.

Professor Alkhatib has secured over £10 million in research and academic funding and has published over 200 high-impact research outputs, including three books and sixteen book chapters. His work has influenced global health, sport, and nutrition policies. Additionally, he holds leadership roles such as an executive of the Asian Nutrition Society for Sport and Health (ANSSH), and is a Fellow of several prestigious institutions, including the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal Society of Public Health (FRSPH). 

22: From Systematic to Narrative: Types of Literature Reviews (2024-06-21)

This workshop introduces various literature review methods and demystify the confusion surrounding systematic reviews, narrative reviews, scoping reviews, umbrella reviews,...

Presenter: Clare Langman

21: Navigating EndNote: A Workshop on Efficient Reference Management and Seamless Citation Integration (2024-03-13)

oin us for an interactive workshop that will empower you to harness the full potential of EndNote Web. Whether you're a seasoned user or just getting started, this session is designed to enhance your proficiency in utilising EndNote Web for effective reference management and seamless integration with Microsoft Word using the Cite While You Write plugin.

Highlights of the workshop include:

Efficient Reference Management:

• Learn how to import and export references into EndNote Web from various sources.
• Create and organise a comprehensive library of references.
• Manage your library effectively by utilising features like creating groups.

Collaboration and Backup:

• Discover strategies for organising references, sharing them with collaborators, and creating secure backups.

Cite While You Write in Microsoft Word:

• Dive into the functionality of the Cite While You Write plugin.
• Explore the automated insertion of references and formatting of citations in the BCU Harvard reference style and other popular styles.
• Generate bibliography lists effortlessly as you work on your paper or assignment in Microsoft Word.

Account Setup:

• To make the most of the workshop, please ensure you have created an EndNote Web account before the session.

Speaker: Jagjit Marwaha, an expert from IT Services, will guide you through the workshop, providing insights and practical tips to enhance your EndNote Web experience.

20: Get More from Microsoft Word with an IT Training Workshop (2024-03-14)

Are you a PhD student eager to develop your Microsoft Word skills for theses, monographs, and publications, or an academic researcher, looking to brush up your IT skills of Microsoft Word, e.g. polishing your rough drafts into professional publications? Join our tailored workshop with an experienced IT Trainer.

Highlights of the workshop include:

Efficient Document Creation:

• Learn the tips and tricks to streamline your document creation process, saving you valuable time.

Advanced Formatting:

• Make your thesis or research paper visually impressive, polished, and accessible.

Collaborative Editing:

• Explore the collaborative features of Microsoft Word, perfect for group projects and peer reviews.

Reference Management with EndNote Online:

• Use EndNote Online to handle references and bibliographies.

Who Should Attend:

• PhD students seeking to boost their Microsoft Word proficiency for thesis writing, research papers, and collaborative projects.
• Researchers conducting academic writing, with a view to producing long-ish research papers, reports and books or book chapters or monographs.

Speaker: Ceri Morgan, an expert from IT Services, will guide you through the workshop, providing insights and practical tips to enhance your Microsoft Word experience. 

Ceri Morgan (they/them) is an IT Training and Development Officer at BCU. They have a background in Humanities and Languages, and worked in Digital Assessment and Academic Practice before moving into IT Training. They provide IT Training workshops for staff and students at BCU, and their main interests lie in assessing and improving Digital Literacy across the University, as well as process improvement and change management. They can be contacted at IT.Training@bcu.ac.uk 

19: Search and Discovery in Archives and Special Collections (2024-03-20)

This workshop for researchers includes the opportunity to view rare items from the University Archive & Special Collections.

We will cover:

• an overview of our collections
• where you can find records of items in our collections
• how you can gain information about items awaiting cataloguing
• access arrangements
• search tips for items in our collections and wider national collections

The Special Collections Librarian, Nancy Jackson, will be glad to discuss how we might be able to support your research or assist you to incorporate viewings or facsimiles of collection items into your teaching.

Speaker: Nancy Jackson.

Nancy Jackson is our University Archive & Special Collections Centre Librarian at Birmingham City University. Nancy is an experienced teacher, having completed a PGCE prior to work at BCU in addition to having acquired her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education while working at BCU. Nancy would be glad to discuss items you may wish her to present to your students or which you would like to incorporate into your existing teaching. Nancy is keen to support and facilitate research in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre, wherever possible matching your research interests with items in our exceptional collections.

18: Thematic Analysis Insights (2024-03-21)

This workshop will introduce thematic analysis, a popular qualitative data analysis technique particularly in psychology and the social and health sciences.

The presenter will:

• Share their experiences and learning, with a particular focus on Braun and Clarke's (2006) method and the updates that have followed. 
• Recommend useful resources on thematic analysis (books, articles). 
• Recommend tools that could help in your thematic analysis. 

Speaker: Chloe Smith.

Chloe is a Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian at Birmingham City University, working with the Arts, Design and Media faculty to deliver information literacy sessions to all levels of students and staff. With 8 years experience in higher education libraries, Chloe will guide you through the workshop sharing her insights and experiences from her recent MA research where thematic analysis was used to analyse interview data.

Two series of quantitative research skills training took place in Spring-Summer Semesters 2024.

17: Introducing Quantitative Research for the Terrified (2024-04-5,12)

Are you conducting quantitative research and working on a research strategy that focuses on quantifying the collection and analysis of data?

Or, are you doing qualitative research but are finding it useful to learn another skill set and be equipped to carry out cross-disciplinary research?

Or simply, you would like to be able to understand statistics when you read an article and know how to interpret the data presented.

Either way, this research skills series could help you understand data and statistics and the use of them for academic research.

Speaker: Dr. Philip Dee, Academic Development Department (ADD), Faculty of HELS.

This series serves as an introductory level suitable for beginners or individuals seeking a refresher, paving the way for deeper exploration into research skills and the establishment of a supportive community tailored to meet the unique needs and interests of its members. (For participants who attended the three-session series on quantitative research training in November-December 2023, the content of the first session may have some overlap with the previous series, while session 2 presents fresh material. You are very welcome to join us.)

1. Overcoming the Jargon Barrier in Quantitative Research

An introduction to quantitative research through the lens of a ‘Jargon-busting’ approach. The session will remind you, as early researchers (or supporters of research), of the difference between descriptive and inferential statistics, as well a deep dive into what we mean by a ‘variable’ – a key component in approaching your research question that gets you thinking about what you intend to measure and how you can analyse your outcomes.

2. Core Methodologies in Quantitative Research 

This session will build upon session 1 and introduce the more common methodologies such as RCTs, Cohort studies and case-control studies. The emphasis will be on their applicability as well as their strengths and limitations.

16: A Beginner’s Guide to SPSS for Quantitative Research (2024-04-26 & 2024-05-3)

SPSS serves as a valuable tool for understanding statistical significance by providing the means to analyse, interpret, and visualise data effectively, thereby aiding researchers and analysts in making informed decisions based on empirical evidence.

This SPSS training series provides an introductory journey into visualising statistics and findings from quantitative research. Designed to build upon your existing knowledge, these sessions serve as a stepping stone toward enhancing your research skills. By covering essential topics such as understanding associations, correlations, descriptive and inferential statistics, participants gain valuable insights into employing SPSS for their research analysis. Equipped with these foundational skills, attendees are better prepared to explore more advanced research methodologies and analyses. Additionally, the series fosters a supportive community tailored to meet the diverse needs and interests of its members, creating a collaborative environment conducive to growth and learning.

Speaker: Dr. Philip Dee, Academic Development Department (ADD), Faculty of HELS.

1. Introducing the SPSS Environment

Accessing, downloading and running SPSS. Undertaking basic descriptive statistics and visualising the data through charts and graphs.

2. Basic Inferential Statistics using SPSS 

Carrying out and interpreting common inferential statistical tests. We will look at using the t-test and some non-parametric tests such as the Chi-Square, the Mann-Whitney and the Wilcoxon tests.

3. Running with Scissors (looking at your own data using SPSS) 

This session will be an ‘open’ but facilitated opportunity to bring along your own data (or randomly generated data that matches your own research design), so that you can begin to become familiar with and more confident using SPSS on your own terms. If you do not have your own data we will partner you up with students who do have data, so you can also get a flavour of collaborative working.

Speaker: Dr. Philip Dee, Academic Development Department (ADD), Faculty of HELS

Dr. Philip Dee has worked at BCU for nearly 20 years and in that time has evolved his support role to include research and statistics. He has a PhD in Nuclear Physics and during his time at BCU has ‘translated’ his research knowledge in order to offer support in the faculty of HELS to research-active staff and students and is currently an active supervisor up to PhD level. To consolidate his research skills, Philip has recently completed a degree with the Open University in ‘Mathematics and Statistics’ and is a member of the Royal Statistics Society (RSS). He maintains a YouTube channel which supports many aspects of academic support, numeracy and statistics.

Download the programme:

13: Introducing quantitative research - descriptive statistics

•    Overview to the series
•    Overcoming the Jargon barrier
•    Numbers in research
•    Summarising the data – Measures of the average
•    Summarising the data – Measures of the spread
•    Demonstration with SPSS

14. Introducing quantitative research - inferential statistics 

•    Confidence Intervals
•    Clinical significance
•    Statistical significance – the p-value
•    Common inferential statistical tests (chi-square, correlation, t-test)
•    Demonstration with SPSS

15: Bringing together descriptive and inferential statistics - critical appraisal of research articles

•    A first look – using common sense
•    What must we address and what might we ‘ignore’?
•    Reliability and validity
•    Sampling issues
•    Data collection issues
•    Types of bias
•    Critical appraisal tools

12: Advanced Searching Using Web of Science and Scopus (2023-11-21)

This session will help you design a search strategy, conduct a basic document search, expand your search results, download and export your results and save your searches and create search alerts. Key features include:

1. Advanced searching using Scopus
2. Advanced searching using Web of Science
3.  

Speaker: James Dean, Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian, The Library & Learning Resources. 

James is a Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian at Birmingham City University, working with the Faculty of Computing Engineering and the Built Environment to deliver information literacy sessions to all levels of students and staff. James has worked at Birmingham City University for over 30 years in much the same role. He has been nominated in the Professional Services staff of the year category at the I AM BCU awards for 4 of the last 5 years.  He had previously worked at the Mott MacDonald library in Croydon supporting the information needs of civil engineering consultants and worked for a year at the London Library, one of the world's leading literary institutions.

11: Using EndNote to Manage Your References (2023-11-22)

This session will help you create an account with EndNote Web and show you how to use EndNote to cite and manage your references. Key features include:

1. How to import and export references into EndNote from a range of sources.
2. Creating a library of references and manage your library by creating groups.
3. Organizing your references.
4. Using EndNote with Word, selecting BCU Harvard as a bibliographic style and inserting citations into a document.

Speaker: Jagjit Marwaha from IT services.

Wednesday 22nd Nov., 10-11.30am, Online. 

This session has taken place. Any queries about EndNote and bookings for training, contact Jag Marwaha directly. Brief notes are enclosed below for your information.

10: Maintaining momentum: using aggregators to facilitate your current awareness (2023-11-28)

Keeping on top of the disparate sources of information in order to ensure you are constantly abreast of changes in your subject area can be time consuming and overwhelming. Here we will introduce you to the idea of aggregators which, as online tools, will help you organise the many strands of information you need to monitor into a simple newsfeed for your own use.

Speaker: Andrew Sayer.

Andrew Sayer is a Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian at Birmingham City University, working with the School of Health Sciences to deliver Information Literacy sessions to all levels of students and staff. Andrew has worked at Birmingham City University for over 20 years in various roles for Library and Learning Resources.

The workshop took  place on Tuesday 28th November, 10.00-11.30, in person with online option, Seacole SCT010. Recording will be made available in due course.

9: Researcher's Workshop: Search and Discovery in Archives and Special Collections (2023-11-29)

This workshop will provide you with an opportunity to meet Special Collections Librarian Nancy Jackson. She will present a selection of rare and culturally significant items which represent different collections within the University Archive & Special Collections Centre. 

The session can be viewed online and you can follow-up with an appointment to visit the items in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre. Join us to discover how resources within these collections could be incorporated into your teaching and support your research.

Speaker: Nancy Jackson

Nancy Jackson is our University Archive & Special Collections Centre Librarian at Birmingham City University. Nancy is an experienced teacher, having completed a PGCE prior to work at BCU in addition to having acquired her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education while working at BCU. Nancy would be glad to discuss items you may wish her to present to your students or which you would like to incorporate into your existing teaching. Nancy is keen to support and facilitate research in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre, wherever possible matching your research interests with items in our exceptional collections.

The workshop took place on Wednesday 29th Nov., 10.30am-.12.00pm, In person in Curzon Room 422, with online option. Nancy's presentation slides are available, see below 

8: Opportunities for Research at the University Archive and Special Collection (2023-06-27)

This workshop will provide you with an opportunity to meet Special Collections Librarian Nancy Jackson. She will present a selection of rare and culturally significant items which represent different collections within the University Archive & Special Collections Centre. We will share opportunities for research at the Centre, while showcasing publications which exhibit a range of different bindings, paper and printing techniques. You will be provided with opportunities to browse the items in-person and to ask questions about the items, collections and potential links to your research interests.

The session can be viewed online and you can follow-up with an appointment to visit the items in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre. Join us to discover how resources within these collections could be incorporated into your teaching and support your research.

Speaker: Nancy Jackson is our University Archive & Special Collections Centre Librarian at Birmingham City University. Nancy is an experienced teacher, having completed a PGCE prior to work at BCU in addition to having acquired her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education while working at BCU. Nancy would be glad to discuss items you may wish her to present to your students or which you would like to incorporate into your existing teaching. Nancy is keen to support and facilitate research in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre, wherever possible matching your research interests with items in our exceptional collections.

Time: Tuesday 27th June, 10-11.30am. Format: In person in Curzon Room 272, with online option. Book your place via the Library Events. 

Presentation slides will be shared below post-event. A Special Collections Menu is enclosed below for your information.

7: Exploring the Landscape of Statistics in Research (2023-06-26)

This session will highlight the key elements of statistics that are used as part of the research journey. We will explore descriptive statistics as well as inferential statistics, but most of all the session will aim to demystify the jargon that is often a barrier to both the understanding and carrying out of quantitative research. Key features include:

1. Descriptive Statistics – measures of the average and the spread
2. Inferential Statistics – What is a p-value and why does it matter?
3. Using computer software to analyse date – a brief overview of the use of SPSS and Excel

Speaker: Philip Dee from the Academic Development Department (ADD) within HELS. Philip has worked at BCU for nearly 20 years and in that time has developed his support role from ‘academic’ topics to include numeracy and statistics. He has a PhD in Nuclear Physics and has since ‘translated’ his research knowledge in order to offer support in the faculty of HELS to research-active staff and students and is currently an active supervisor up to PhD level. Philip has recently completed a degree with the Open University in Mathematics and Statistics and is a member of the Royal Statistics Society (RSS). He maintains a YouTube channel which supports aspects of academic support, numeracy and statistics.

This event took place on Monday 26th June 2023, 10-11.30 In person on City Centre Campus -- Curzon B, Room 282 (accessible via lifts or staircase from the ground floor of Curzon B, next to the IT Help Desk).

Presentation slides were enclosed below. The recording could be found via  the ADD YouTube channel.

A new series of 3 sessions on quantitative research skills have been developed to expand on this workshop and made available for the 2023 autumn term. Get in touch with Guojin Liu or Philip Dee if you have any questions. Thank you.

6: Open Access requirements UKRI, REF and BCU and routes to compliance including green route via institutional repository (2023-03-30)

The workshop that took place on 30th March 2023, 10-11.30, explored the current open access requirements of research funders, the Research Excellence Framework and Birmingham City University's policy on open-access. The Gold and Green routes to open access were explained and the role of our ePrints institutional repository and our Pure current research information system (CRIS) were discussed in supporting green-route open-access compliance and improving discoverability and re-use of our research outputs. Presentation slides can be found below. 

Speaker: Professor Keith A Osman is the Director of Research Excellence, based in the University's Research Office in RIEE. The Research Excellence team led by Keith supports important aspects of the university's research environment including policy and strategy development, open access, research information, research ethics, integrity and impact. Keith coordinated the University's submissions to REF2014 and REF2021 and is the institutional lead on the implementation of Pure. 

If you are interested in attending this workshop in the future, get in touch by using the Booking a Workshop button below.

5: Opportunities for research at the University Archive & Special Collections Centre (UA&SCC) (2023-03-28)

This workshop that took place on 28th March 2023, 10-11.30 aimed to provide you with an opportunity to meet Special Collections Librarian Nancy Jackson. She presented a selection of rare and culturally significant items which represent different collections within the University Archive & Special Collections Centre and provided researchers with opportunities to browse the items in-person and to ask questions about the items, collections and potential links to your research interests.

Speaker: Nancy Jackson is our University Archive & Special Collections Centre Librarian at Birmingham City University. Nancy is an experienced teacher, having completed a PGCE prior to work at BCU in addition to having acquired her Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education while working at BCU. Nancy would be glad to discuss items you may wish her to present to your students or which you would like to incorporate into your existing teaching. Nancy is keen to support and facilitate research in the University Archive & Special Collections Centre, wherever possible matching your research interests with items in our exceptional collections.

Presentation slides and Menu of materials on display during the workshop can be found below.

If you are interested in attending this workshop in the future, get in touch by using the Booking a Workshop button below.

4: Maintaining momentum: using aggregators to facilitate your current awareness (2023-03-23)

The Workshop took place on Thursday 23rd March 2023, 9.30-11am. Its video recording will be made available here soon.

Keeping on top of the disparate sources of information in order to ensure you are constantly abreast of changes in your subject area can be time consuming and overwhelming. Here we will introduce you to the idea of aggregators which, as online tools, will help you organise the many strands of information you need to monitor into a simple newsfeed for your own use.

Speaker: Andrew Sayer is a Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian at Birmingham City University, working with the School of Health Sciences to deliver Information Literacy sessions to all levels of students and staff. Andrew has worked at Birmingham City University for over 20 years in various roles for Library and Learning Resources.

If you are interested in attending this workshop in the future, get in touch by using the Booking a Workshop button below.

3: Using EndNote to manage your references (2023-03-21)

The Workshop that took place on Tuesday 21st March, 10-11.30am aimed to help you create an account with EndNote Web and show you how to use EndNote to cite and manage your references. Key features included:

1. How to import and export references into EndNote from a range of sources.
2. Creating a library of references and manage your library by creating groups.
3. Organizing your references.
4. Using EndNote with Word, selecting BCU Harvard as a bibliographic style and inserting citations into a document.

Speaker: Jagjit Marwaha from IT services

If you are interested in attending this workshop in the future, get in touch by using the Booking a Workshop button below.

2: Using EndNote to Manage Your References (2022-06-22)

This session will help you create an account with EndNote Web and show you how to use EndNote to cite and manage your references. Key features include:

1. How to import and export references into EndNote from a range of sources.
2. Creating a library of references and manage your library by creating groups.
3. Organizing your references.
4. Using EndNote with Word, selecting BCU Harvard as a bibliographic style and inserting citations into a document.

Speaker: Jagjit Marwaha from IT services. 

This workshop took place Thursday 22nd June, 10-11.30am, Online.  Slides and notes were enclosed below for information. 

Students or/and staff who want to learn about EndNote or have queries about EndNote e.g. using Cite While You Write, should contact the IT Helpdesk, or alternatively email Jagjit Marwaha to arrange a tutorial.

1: Advanced Searching Using Scopus and Web of Science (2022-06-21)

This session will help you design a search strategy, conduct a basic document search, expand your search results, download and export your results and save your searches and create search alerts. Key features include:

1. Advanced searching using Scopus
2. Advanced searching using Web of Science

Speaker: James Dean, Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian, The Library & Learning Resources. 

James is a Learning, Teaching and Research Librarian at Birmingham City University, working with the Faculty of Computing Engineering and the Built Environment to deliver information literacy sessions to all levels of students and staff. James has worked at Birmingham City University for over 30 years in much the same role. He has been nominated in the Professional Services staff of the year category at the I AM BCU awards for 4 of the last 5 years.  He had previously worked at the Mott MacDonald library in Croydon supporting the information needs of civil engineering consultants and worked for a year at the London Library, one of the world's leading literary institutions.

This workshop took place on Wednesday 21st June, 10-11.30am, Online. The recording is accessible below.