FOCUS Series: Information research and academic skills workshops for research students, 30-31 May

Focus Series is a set of workshops especially designed for Higher Degree Research students in the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. Its aim is to assist with the development of advanced information research skills, including researching and composing Literature Reviews, using EndNote, managing research data and maximising research profiles. The series will be run at the Hargrave-Andrew Library (HAL) on 30 and 31 May 2016. For further information, please contact Anne Young (Anne.Young@monash.edu) or Tomas Zahora (Tomas.Zahora@monash.edu).

Participants can attend the entire series or select individual workshops, to suit their individual requirements. The workshops can be booked through the Library Booking System, using the search term ‘focus series’: https://my.monash.edu.au/news-and-events/bookings/library/    

Incoming Graduate Research Students in BMS and Psychological Sciences who wish to take these workshops for credit towards their PhD will need to complete an attendance register provided at the sessions. 

Monday 30 May 2016: TEACHING ROOM 2, HAL

9:30-11:00am	Searching the medical literature	Develop comprehensive search strategies to uncover relevant literature for your project.  Discover important resources and powerful search features, including results management and current awareness tools.  Learn how to find literature using cited references.
11:10am-12:40pm	Introduction to EndNote X7	Learn how to use this software to manage your references. This hands-on session will cover creation of an Endnote library of references, importing database records into an Endnote library and applying Endnote styles to a bibliography.
1:30-3:00pm	Effective reading and note taking	In this workshop we will look at managing large reading lists, prioritising reading, skim reading and noting from reading. A theme in this workshop will be to build strategies for dealing with the reading load in a smarter and more confident way that encourages critical thinking rather than information overload.
3:10-4:10pm	Using mind maps to improve writing	Mind maps, whether hand-drawn or created using mind mapping software, are a powerful tool for generating thoughts and logically organizing large amounts of material. In this workshop we will explore the possibilities of mind mapping by using Free Mind software.

Tuesday 31 May 2016: TEACHING ROOM 2, HAL

9:30-11:30am	Doing the literature review	Analysis, critical evaluation, review matrix, synthesis, and maintaining your voice as a writer while maintaining academic integrity—these will be the main themes in a class aimed to simplify and improve your literature reviewing process.
12:30-1:30pm	Manage your research data	Gain an overview of some common research data management issues experienced throughout the research process and research data lifecycle. Discover best practice guidelines for creating, preparing, storing and sharing data.
1:40-2:40pm	Evaluate and maximise your research impact	Explore the benefits of developing a targeted publishing strategy to maximise research impact, including avenues for dissemination and researcher profiles. Discover methods to review your impact and profile after publication.