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InfoPlus is an online resource for postgraduate students and researchers. It supports the use of Library resources by highlighting the range of services that the Library offers via a blend of e-learning tutorials and videos.

This event is arranged and delivered by DPhil students from the Medical Sciences Divison as part of the Medical Sciences Skills Training Programme. DPhil students are invited to register for event and if they wish to present submit an abstract. Twelve students are then selected to present at the event. Students are also invited to submit posters and prizes are given for the best talks and posters. The event concludes with a keynote speech followed by a drinks and capnapes reception. The event is partially funded by the Divisional Skills Training Programme and support from sponsors secured by the students organising the event. Sponsors of the event are invited to attend and exhibit at the event. http://www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/dphilday

Building a resource of career profiles provided by research student Alumni, to guide and inspire current research students.

This scheme funds young researchers to work within entrepreneurial technology-driven business to develop: 1) a practical understanding of how to transform research ideas into commercially successful products and services; 2) leadership and transferable business skills.

In addition to a programme of inductions, traditional information skills classes and one-to-one sessions throughout the year, the History Librarian organises three learning events in the course of the academic year: Information Fair for Graduates and the Thesis Fair are opportunities for students to explore and discover in their own time and amongst 20+ stalls what primary sources (archives, books, databases) and useful IT tools are available to them and to connect with the relevant local experts and with other students. An experienced graduate contributes by presenting the Top Tips of a Survivor. The events are embedded in the academic curriculum and are followed up with specific information skills sessions relating to aspects of locating material, organising references and using databases effectively. Canapés with Clio (CwithC) invites academics to attend brief talks on various aspects of electronic resources followed by a sponsored buffet lunch. It is a chance for library staff to meet academics, update each other of projects and ask questions.

A Roberts funded skills enhancement project entitled ‘Employing MATLAB to foster interdisciplinary cooperation: a training programme for early career researchers’ (ECRs) was proposed, organised, managed and evaluated by a team of five ECRs from the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research at the University of Southampton. The anticipated outcomes of this initiative were that the ECRs receiving this training would be able to work more efficiently, understand the differences and similarities between various methodologies, choose appropriate methods for acquiring, processing and presenting data, and communicate their work more effectively. In addition, it was hoped that providing training on a university-wide basis would allow opportunities for interaction between ECRs, encouraging collaboration between departments. The methods used to evaluate this programme are briefly described here.

In one intensive three-hour session gives participants a general understanding of the media, including how journalists work, how to get coverage, how to prepare for interviews, and how to manage expectations. This is followed by individual coaching and mentoring in interview techniques, during which the participant is interviewed twice with video playback and analysis afterwards.

“Making the Summer Count” was a half day workshop which took place in June and July 2009. It aimed to help researchers think about how to improve their time management and remain motivated to achieve their goals. It was based on a planning and project management model and involved sharing ideas and working on individual rather than hypothetical scenarios.