Research Club Membership
عضوية نادي البحث العلمي
Dear MPhil/MSc/MBA/PhD/DBA Candidates:
Welcome to our new Researcher Training Program for 2018 /2019. We are delighted to share our program with you this year.
We have an extensive program of core sessions delivered by staff from the Research Club Team and academic colleagues, to support you in your development, both as a researcher and as a professional.
Our dedicated and friendly team is committed to offering you the very best provision in researcher development and we look forward to meeting you over the coming year.
With best wishes,
Introducing the Research Training Program (RTB)
مقدمة لبرنامج تدريب البحث العلمي
The Researcher Training Program (RTB) has been developed to help guide and inform the training of researchers of the future. The RTB is designed to:
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Help you understand what skills you've gained, what skills you may wish to work on, and what skills you will need as you progress through your research
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Help your supervisor and College/School understand the needs of researchers
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Help us (The Research Club Team) tailor our courses and training so we offer you things that are relevant and useful
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Help you express, in an employment context, the skills you have developed through your research degree.
The RTB guides and informs the development of the workshops found throughout this program. Our workshops are grouped under five themes:
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Research Effectiveness: Skills for research and preparation for key milestones
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Methods and Tools: Introductory and more advanced sessions on a variety of research methods and tools
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Professional Development: Activities and events designed to enable you to develop and tailor your employability as you move through your research degree and on to your future career
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Academic Writing: Sessions focussed on helping you write your thesis and writing for publication
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Engagement and Impact: Workshops dedicated to presenting and communicating your research and exploring its wider societal impact.
Doing Your MPhil/MSc/MBA/PhD/DBA
as distance or part time
!عمل الدكتوراه او الماجستير بعيدا عن الجامعة وانت في بلدك
Many MPhil/MSc/MBA/PhD/DBA researchers at many universities undertake their research on a part-time basis or away from the campus. To ensure you feel supported in your studies wherever you are, we are pleased to announce that many of the workshops in this program will be available as online webinars. You can identify which workshops are delivered online by looking for this symbol:
We also have a range of online materials that you can access anytime and anywhere under Research Essentials Online available on Blackboard. To access Blackboard, you need to login with your Research Club username and password.
Researchers Community
مجتمع طلبة البحث والدراسات العليا
Cafe Research
Many MPhil/MSc/MBA/PhD/DBA researchers at many universities undertake their research on a part-time basis or away from the campus. To ensure you feel supported in your studies wherever you are, we are pleased to announce that many of the workshops in this program will be available as online webinars. You can identify which workshops are delivered online by looking for this symbol:
كافي الباحثين
Researcher Magazine
مجلة الباحثين
The Research Club’ postgraduate research magazine
• Issues come out every half year
• Editors welcome researchers to send an article about their research Content is written by researchers and guests across disciplines
Doctoral Introductory Lectures
محاضرات مقدمة للدكتوراه
Each college or university invites their best PhD graduates to deliver presentations on their thesis
• Each event features two lectures
• Held between September and June
Lunchtime Lectures
• Researchers present their work to the public
• Organised with the Research Club
• Each Saturday at lunch during term-time
• To find out more, or register your interest in speaking
contact info@research-club.com
محاضرات خلال لقاءات الغداء او العشاء
Researchers Support
دعم طلبة البحث العلمي
Doctoral Writing Group
مجموعة الدكتوراه للكتابة
• Each college or university invites their best PhD graduates to
deliver presentations on their thesis
• Each event features two lectures
• Held between September and June
Mental Wellbeing and Support Day
يوم الدعم الذهني والنفسي
• Learn techniques to cope with stress
• Learn to use techniques from mindfulness and meditation to overcome challenges
• Spend a day in ALShaheed Park gardens
Professional Development
التطوير الاحترافي المهني
PhD Internships
منح الدكتوراه
• Designed for Researchers who wish to develop their employability
• All internships are paid
• Minimum of 20 days duration, no formal upper limit
• Contact: Academic Director
Careers Events
أنشطة وفعاليات المستقبل الوظيفي
• Evening events featuring talks on key employment sectors
• Day events and seminars comprising skills workshops, networking opportunities, and career talks
• Career talks include hints and tips for finding jobs in different sectors
Enterprise Training
التدريب للوظيفة
• Develop key employability skills
• Learn about intellectual property rights, market access, business plans, and more
• Take the opportunity develop your own business plan •
Contact: Academic Director
Researchers Competitions
بطولة الباحثين
3-Minute Thesis Competition
منافسة عرض رسالة البحث ب 3 دقائق
• 1 slide and 3 minutes to describe your research
• Internationally-recognized competition
• University-winner competes nationally
• Great way to share your research
Festival of Research
تكريم الباحثين
• Research poster competition
• Short-listed research students present their research to judges from the government, industry, charities, the media as well as the public
• Number of specialist prizes for best overall presentation
Images of Research
شرح البحث من خلال صور
• Can you summarise your research in just one image?
• This competition is open to all researchers
• Short listed images go on display throughout the year
• A range of prizes are available
Communication Skills Competitions
منافسة مهارات التواصل
• Discover how to communicate research with impact to diverse audiences
• Develop enterprise skills and acquire new knowledge
• Understand how project funding is sourced and managed
• Win prizes
• Contact: Acadamic Director, info@research-club.com
Research Effectiveness Workshops
ورش عمل فعالية البحث العلمي
The following feature descriptors of workshops that will support you in how you manage yourself as a researcher throughout
the whole research degree.
The focus of workshops is centred around two aspects: preparing for formal milestones in the research cycle (e.g. Preparing for the Probation Review, Preparing for the Viva, etc.) and the development of key skills (e.g. Managing Your Research Data, Effective Reading and Note-Taking, etc.).
This workshop provides many useful techniques and tips on how to get the most out of your reading time and how to make
and store notes that will be useful to you throughout your studies.
At the end of this workshop you will be able to:
• recognise the importance of critically engaging with literature
• employ tools and questions for critically engaging with literature
• evaluate the note-making options available and determine which suits you best.
Managing Your Research Project
ادارة مشروعك البحث العلمي
This workshop aims to provide a transparent account of the process of research by introducing key stages in the research degree cycle.
It will invite discussion around some of the potential challenges and opportunities in undertaking a research degree and offer practical suggestions on ways you can manage these aspects more effectively.
Effective Reading and Note-taking
الية القراءة وتسجيل الملاحظات الفعالة
This workshop provides many useful techniques and tips on how to get the most out of your reading time and how to make
and store notes that will be useful to you throughout your studies.
At the end of this workshop you will be able to:
• recognise the importance of critically engaging with literature
• employ tools and questions for critically engaging with literature
• evaluate the note-making options available and determine which suits you best.
Ethics & Integrity in Research
الاخلاقيات والنزاهة في ممارسة البحث العلمي
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What are the obligations on you as a researcher when you are working with human participants directly (interviews, ethnography, working with patients etc.) or indirectly (online surveys, big data analyses)?
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How do you conduct research with integrity, and work to the highest standards, right from the design of your research to its publication?
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What is the process for seeking and getting ethics approval for your research?
These are some of the questions that this session will seek to answer.
Planning Your Literature Search
تخطيط الية الحث عن الدراسات السابقة
This session is a starting point to help guide your ability to uncover useful literature. At the end of this session you will learn to:
• review information
• recognise elements of an effective search strategy
• plan your search strategy
• identify resources relevant to your research.
Conducting your literature Research
القيام باعمال البحث للدراسات السابقة
This session is designed for you to start work on an integral section of your research degree, the literature search, while receiving peer and expert support. You will be able to apply your literature search plan and evaluate your results. This session will also help you to revise your literature search plan as appropriate.
Finding Grey literature
Here the focus is on searching for 'grey literature':
unpublished or hard to find research materials. These include PhD theses, conference papers, reports, and government publications.
Every researcher wants to feel confident in the quality of their
literature review. However, not all relevant material appears in the main databases. We provide you with strategies for finding grey literature and improving the strength of your literature review
Advanced Literature Searching
This session looks at some of the more advanced search options and strategies that can be used when searching literature databases.
This session is also useful for anyone writing a review article for a
journal, or who has to provide a literature review as part of a funding application.
At the end of the workshop you will be able to:
• locate advanced search options on the information databases
relevant to you
• test out different search strategies including keywords vs
subject/index terms and systematic searching
• compare how to perform searches across different interfaces
• export search results in a usable format, such as csv files
Scientific Resilience
This workshop will discuss practical ways to deal with challenges
and help you keep the flame of your scientific curiosity burning
bright through difficult times. Participants will have an opportunity
to develop mental resilience strategies to enable them to maintain motivation in the face of such experiences.
Copyright your thesis
This workshop will introduce the copyright issues that apply to your thesis and help you navigate the path to submission. It will help you to:
• recognize which copyright regulations apply
• test knowledge of copyright regulations via interactive activities.
Preparing for the Probation Review
Every researchers must undertake and pass a probation review to be allowed to continue their studies beyond the probationary period.
At the end of this workshop you will:
• have a better understanding of the probation review process
• gain practical tips on how to prepare for your probation review
• have a chance to reflect on progress made during your probation
Preparing for the Viva
This workshop is specifically for students who have already submitted their doctoral thesis for examination or are about to submit in the next six months. The session will provide information about the examination, and practical tips on how best to prepare for it.
Methods and Tools
As a researcher, you will consider what method(s) might be most appropriate for answering the questions you want to investigate.
Whether you are trying to understand the basics of statistics and how to conduct statistical tests or looking to gain experience in using software like NVivo to come to grips with your qualitative data, we have resources and training programs to help you.
Introduction to Reference Management
Bibliographic software allows you to create databases of references which can then be stored, searched and used in conjunction with Word to input citations as you write an article, or to create independent bibliographies.
This session will introduce the bibliographic software choices available and help you decide which features are most important.
RefWorks & Advanced RefWorks
These are two separate workshops
RefWorks: This session allows you to use RefWorks to start creating a database of references which can then be stored, searched, and used in conjunction with Word to input citations as you write.
Advanced RefWorks: To enable you to edit your own reference styles, try the advanced features, and ask any in-depth questions you have about RefWorks. You must already be using RefWorks to attend this session.
EndNote & Advanced EndNote
These are two separate workshops
EndNote: This session allows you to use EndNote to start creating a database of references which can then be stored, searched, and used in conjunction with Word to input citations as you write.
Advanced EndNote: Edit your own reference styles and explore the advanced features of EndNote in this session. You must already be using EndNote to attend this session.
Interviewing Skills for Researchers
This session is a practical workshop in planning and conducting one-to-one non-structured interviews for research. You will understand the process of planning for interviews, and learn how to make contacts, and persuade people to take part.
Using Focus Group in Research
This session explores the benefits and limitations of using focus groups, looks at key ethical issues, and provides you hands-on experience of key techniques in facilitating focus group.
Knowledge Translation: Planning for impact and implementation of research outcomes
Knowledge Translation is a vital consideration for all researchers and having a plan from the outset is increasingly important for research projects.
KT refers to how we exchange, disseminate and apply our research results to improve the community's health. This seminar outlines what it is, why it is so important and how to get started. It will provide an overview of KT considerations for research project design, implementation, dissemination, and measuring impact.
PhD Masterclasses
An opportunity to discuss PhD research with colleagues, with expert input from senior academics experienced in PhD research. The discussion is informal and round-table. Topics may be suggested in advance via the Convenor. Although colleagues may not be able to give expert advice on the specific subject matter of your PhD, they may be able to give advice on research generally.
For researchers, research students and their supervisors
The seminar covers
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Selecting suitable research projects
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Supervision frequency and time allocation
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Supervision styles and flexibility
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Dealing with remote supervision and multiple supervisors
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Rights and responsibilities
Getting the Most of Supervision
For researchers, research students and their supervisors
The seminar covers
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Selecting suitable research projects
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Supervision frequency and time allocation
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Supervision styles and flexibility
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Dealing with remote supervision and multiple supervisors
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Rights and responsibilities
Stress Management
Do you find it difficult to find a good balance between study and leisure time? In this workshop you look for your own stress signals and you get tools to keep stress under control. You also learn in what way good time management helps you to find a better balance between studying hard and feeling well.
Mindfulness-meditation
Mindfulness-meditation is a skill that takes considerable practice. This workshop provides a first introduction. Mindfulness teaches you to be present and attent in the here and now, so that you are aware of your current experience. Mindfulness teaches you to have an accepting attitude while doing that. It helps you to take some distance from the issues you worry about. An effect can be that your mind becomes calmer and that you feel more relaxed.
Introduction to Focus Groups
This course introduces the principles and practice of how to run successful focus groups, using a combination of practical workshops, group discussions and formal lectures.
Focus groups are increasingly used in qualitative research as a method for exploring people’s experiences of specific topics. This one-day training course, delivered in hotel, will help participants to develop skills in organizing and facilitating focus groups, and in analyzing focus group data. Practical exercises and small group work will be used throughout the course to develop competence in designing topic guides, moderating focus groups and analyzing data.
This course is suitable for those with little or no understanding of running a focus group, as well as those wishing to review and broaden their existing skills. While it is aimed at the needs of health professionals, researchers, academics and postgraduate students, the skills developed here apply to many settings - so everyone is welcome, regardless of their research or professional background.
CONTENT
The course will include:
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an overview of focus groups as a qualitative research method,
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key stages in organizing and conducting focus groups,
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approaches to analyzing focus group data.
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Feedback sessions will help improve understanding and provide opportunities for participants to relate the course to their own research projects.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course participants will have developed knowledge and skills to:
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discuss the use of focus groups as a qualitative research method,
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identify the key stages in organising and conducting focus groups,
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explain the role of the moderator in facilitating focus groups,
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design a topic guide,
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moderate a focus group,
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analyse focus group data.
Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods
This course provides an overview of the use of qualitative research methods using a combination of practical workshops, group discussions and formal lectures.
Delivered over five days in hotel, this training course provides hands-on practical experience of different qualitative methods including in-depth interviewing, focus groups and ethnography, as well as developing skills in thematic analysis. It is particularly suited for people who are starting work on a project with a qualitative dimension, doctoral students at the beginning of their projects, and those who are thinking about using qualitative research methods for the first time. The course also provides a useful introduction or refresher for researchers, academics, or managers who are supervising students or those doing qualitative research projects.
While this course is aimed at health professionals, researchers, academics and postgraduate students, the skills developed here apply to many settings - so everyone is welcome, regardless of their professional or research background.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the course participants will:
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have an understanding of different methodological approaches to qualitative research,
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be able to search effectively for online resources using sensitive or specific search filters,
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understand the key issues around recruitment and sampling in qualitative research,
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have developed skills to write an interview schedule,
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have practical experience of conducting in-depth interviews, ethnographic observation, and organising and running focus groups,
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be able to discuss some of the ethical issues associated with conducting qualitative research,
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have developed skills to analyse qualitative data using a thematic approach,
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be aware of other approaches to analysis
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be able to appraise the quality of qualitative research.
Research Ethics & Integrity
In this module you will be encouraged to be sensitive to issues of research integrity and ethics, starting from research design, through to publication and beyond. The module is designed to support you to understand research activity as more than the generation of research questions, collection and analysis of data, and dissemination of results. When you conduct research you will become involved in a complex set of relationships with a range of stakeholders, and will require students to make decisions that involve ethical questions and considerations of values. Good research is inherently ethical, and the best research has integrity and ethics considerations built in from the beginning.
Principles of Research Design
This module will introduce you to the key principles related to the design and practice of research. You will cover three broad areas that underpin research, namely: a range of philosophical frameworks within which research is conducted; a variety of strategies and approaches to designing, conducting and appraising research; and reflections on your place as the researcher and your skills in the research process.
The module will examine key themes, core concepts and common critiques associated with the range of epistemological and ontological positions available to social science researchers. It will also explore how these ideas and principles shape the design and conduct of research across disciplines, as well the implications for the knowledge produced.
Introduction / Advanced Qualitative Research
Introduction to Qualitative Research
In this module you will be introduced to a variety of qualitative research techniques. You will become familiar with a full range of research methods and analyses in common use in social science. You will cover interviewing, observation, document work, the use of visual data and mixed methods. As well as learning how to use these tools, techniques and processes, you will learn how to apply them to your own research projects. You will also learn to evaluate these research methods and techniques and you will learn to develop an understanding of how qualitative methods are used to create knowledge.
Advanced Qualitative Methods
In this module you will learn a number qualitative research techniques common to the social sciences that can be used in wider cross-faculty research contexts. You will gain a philosophical introduction to advanced qualitative methodology, and will be introduced to a selection of advanced and pioneering research techniques, including: creative approaches to qualitative interviewing, the use of sensory and mobile methods, participatory research techniques (including the use of diaries and drawings), qualitative longitudinal research, memory work, and life history approaches.
You will learn the potential of re-using qualitative data and to advanced analytical techniques (including Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis). You will also learn about innovative approaches to writing and communicating qualitative research. Finally, the module will also introduce you to a range of ethical issues arising from creative and innovative approaches to qualitative research.
Interviewing Skills for Researchers
This session is a practical workshop in planning and conducting one-to-one non-structured interviews for research. You will understand the process of planning for interviews, and learn how to make contacts, and persuade people to take part.
Introduction / Advanced Quantitative Research
Introduction to Quantitative Research
In this module you be will introduced to the uses of quantitative research in the social sciences-including basic concepts such as sampling, distributions, hypothesis testing and descriptive statistics. You will then progress on to bivariate statistics such as correlation and cross-tabulation along with relevant statistical tests. You will become familiar with the key role that secondary data analysis now plays in the social sciences. You will build a portfolio of work throughout the course and will gain proficiency in using the statistical software package SPSS. You will also learn the fundamentals of primary quantitative data collection and be exposed to elements of mixed methods techniques.
You will take this module through a mixture of lectures and lab sessions and you be assessed by submitting your portfolio of practical exercises.
Advanced Quantitative Methods
This will module will introduce more advanced uses of multivariate statistics in the social sciences with a focus on comparative methods. You will then learn several methods that are often employed in comparative sociology and social policy. These will include: Cluster analysis; Factor analysis; Multi-dimensional scaling; Regression (including Ordinary Least Squares and Logistic Regression); Event history analysis; and an introduction to comparative and longitudinal techniques.
You will take this module through a mixture of lectures and labs sessions and you will be assessed by a small secondary data project.
Professional Skills for Researchers
In this module you will develop and reflectively assess the professional skills that are expected of effective researchers in the social sciences. The Researcher Development Framework will provide a framework for your self-assessment, and you will undertake a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) with your personal tutor.
Through Faculty and University training sessions you will develop you own skill sets as indicated through the TNA process, and will evaluate your development within a self-reflective portfolio. In all cases, this will document your engagement with the following ‘core’ elements: Research and Project Management; Bibliographic and Computing Skills; Ethics Training; Introduction to Impact; Intellectual Property Rights and Open Access; and Communication Skills.
You will take this module as a series of lectures, tutorials and workshops. Assessment will be via a self -reflective portfolio.
Working Beyond Disciplines
This module will provide you with an introduction to interdisciplinary study in the social sciences, highlighting the importance of research which reaches beyond disciplinary boundaries, and exploring the differing approaches through which such research can be achieved.
You will work with the ESRC White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership thematic pathways which will introduce you to the `grand challenges’ for social scientists which will relate to your own proposed research areas. Through this, you will be able to link interdisciplinary epistemological approaches to your application in the context of your own proposed research projects.
You will take this module via a lecture, a series of workshops and tutorials and will be assessed by written coursework.
Doctoral Training in Discipline
This module will engage you with the research culture of your chosen discipline, integrate you within a cohort of PhD students through peer-to-peer learning, and prepare you to be a reflexive learner within the PhD process itself. The module is taught through a combination of cohort-based student workshops, individual review meetings, and attendance at and reflection on discipline-specific research activities both within the University (such as Departmental Research Seminars) and beyond (such as national and international conferences and workshops in your discipline).
Assessment for this module is via a self-reflective portfolio of work.
Doctoral Training in Pathway
In this module you will engage with inter-disciplinary approaches to your research field and link your individual project to social science ‘grand challenges’ within your thematic pathway. It also embeds you within a thematic cohort of PhD students, in which there is interdisciplinary working, collaboration, and cohort development supported through active peer-to-peer learning.
The module is taught through an ongoing program of pathway-specific research activities provided through the Doctoral Training Partnership, and you will become active participants and able to critically reflect on your own development.
The seven thematic pathways are:
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Cities, Environment, and Livability
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Security, Conflict, and Justice
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Education, Childhood, and Youth
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Data, Communication, and New Technologies
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Well being, Health, and Communities
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Sustainable Growth, Management, and Economic Productivity
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Civil Society, Development, and Democracy
Assessment for this module is via two pieces of written work that explore the interdisciplinary aspects of your own PhD, and help you highlight these within the thesis itself.
Advanced Research Methods
This module will enable continued development of methodological skills throughout your doctoral study. It builds on existing training through a focus on methodological innovation and high-level training (showcasing the work of methodological leaders and specialist workshops), and learning based around the use of methods in context (drawing on students’ own projects-in-progress, and work of experienced researchers).
Opportunities for active peer-to-peer learning are embedded within the module, and you are required to critically reflect on their own methodological development.
Assessment for this module is via two pieces of written work that explore research design and practice within your own PhD, and which help you to strengthen the methodological elements of your thesis.
Professional Skills in Research Leadership
In this module you will develop and reflectively assess the professional skills that are expected of successful researchers in the social sciences. The Researcher Development Framework will provide a framework for your self-assessment, and you will develop skills in four areas central to a research-intensive career within or beyond academia: development of skills in impact, working with non-academic partners, understanding the publication process, and preparing research grants.
You will access a range of Faculty and University provided training sessions as appropriate to your needs, which is delivered within a series of lectures, seminars and workshops.
Assessment for this module is through written work that highlights your skills development in the four core areas and helps you to articulate this to potential employers.
