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A programme of workshops, mentoring sessions and residential courses to help PhD students develop confidence and skills to enable them to realise their career ambitions

A Researcher Development Framework has been produced by the Researcher Task Group at the University of Stirling to assist researchers to make decisions regarding their personal, professional and career development opportunities.

We provide a series of 3 consecutive workshops for new PhD students and for university staff who are embarking on a PhD. The 3 workshops cover an introduction to literature reviews (1), sources and searching tips for effective use of electronic resources and strategies for keeping up-to-date (2) and managing your citations using Refworks (3). All sessions are interactive and last for 2.5-3 hours. They are deliberately informal and use a mix of presentation and activities to encourage participation. An aspect of the workshops is to help create a community of scholars so we include activities in which the participants work together. The workshops are facilitated by 2 subject librarians, and in one of them with an academic colleague also. The first workshop is seminar-based. We interview an experienced researcher about their approach to literature reviews, to contextualise the literature review within the PhD process, and to provide best advice on how to go about it. The second workshop addresses the next step of identifying information sources and resource discovery tools to support research. It is a hand-on session in a computer lab which combines a presentation on searching techniques with a hands-on session for participants. The third workshop is a lab-based session on using Refworks to manage references and bibliographies.

Glasgow’s researcher development initiative aims to develop and support a vibrant community of researchers who can participate in meaningful engagement with researchers from other fields, policy makers, the wider public, and the local community and business sector. This has been achieved through our flagship ‘Making an Impact’ event which connects researcher training with opportunities to put what has been learnt into practice in real scenarios. ‘Making an Impact’ ran 3 times in the last academic year and was well attended by early-career researchers from all disciplines, as well as prospective PhD students. The overarching aim of the event was to help researchers to consider how their research and how they as researchers can have an impact on the local community, Government policy or the economy. Each event had two distinct sections as well as networking opportunities: Part A: Presentations from PhD alumni These were designed to help participants consider the wide range of career opportunities open to them and identify possible routes into these. Many speakers brought examples of how they are continuing to work closely with academia, thus enabling researchers to understand how their research could be used to inform work in museums, policy, social enterprise and spin-outs. These talks have cemented relationships between local organisations and the University. For example, discussions are now underway between a current research student in Adult Education and one of the Social Enterprise speakers about possible research collaboration. Following the presentation from a representative of Glasgow museums, a current researcher was invited to visit and meet curatorial staff to help clarify her career goals. Part B: Presentations from current research students Current researchers presented their work, considering how best to convey its value and interest to an audience outside of their own field (including the external speakers). Pitching their talk at the correct ‘level’ was particularly challenging for many students but they appreciated having an ‘outsider’ perspective as well as finding out about research methods and practice in other fields and areas where they might collaborate or learn from each other.

In 2008, the University of Edinburgh introduced a Code of Practice for the Management of Research Staff . This has been a key initiative in support of the University’s Strategic Plan in which “Excellence in Research” is one of the three core strategic goals. The Code of Practice plays a vital part in achieving this goal by setting out in detail how the University will support the effective leadership, management and development of its research staff. The Code of Practice also underpins our approach to implementing many of the Concordat Principles. It complements the Concordat and sets the Edinburgh context for its implementation, providing practical guidance and links to resources. The aim of the Code of Practice is to encourage best practice and develop a culture of shared responsibility. The Code clarifies key responsibilities at three levels: research staff; Principal Investigators; and the institution. It provides practical guidance on supporting the career planning and development of research staff at all stages of their career: early career researchers, long-term researchers, and independent researchers. The document is written in a concise, easily read format with guidance presented as lists of prompts and questions. There are also many links to development resources and other online information. The Code was developed through close partnership working, drawing on the expertise of HR and the research community. It was created by a Working Group comprising HR professionals, research managers, and research staff, and chaired by a research professor. We were able to build on many excellent examples of good practice already in existence at Edinburgh, and link closely to the needs and aspirations of our own researchers and the culture of the University.

The session contains some useful hints to develop and maintain the quality of your voice for public speaking. There is a chance to explore vocal techniques including the use of pitch, pace, volume and tone. The digestive tract will be discussed regarding its dual function for eating and breathing. Exercises in articulation will include an emphasis on the importance of stance and posture. Breathing from the diaphragm will be encouraged to aid projection, timbre and vocal quality in general. Ways to avoid vocal strain will be discussed as well as what to do when you lose your voice through illness or overuse.

Dr. Kate Macdonald worked for 15 years in academic editing, and now conducts and writes up her own research for publication. She will take you through the processes you need to know to write a successful article based on your own research, and get it published.

Participants work on their communications skills in this lively, interactive workshop on "talking to the media". They get the chance to meet staff from our press office and public engagement unit and take part in activities designed to help them understand what makes a good press release, and make them better prepared for interviews about their work. There will also be an opportunity to take away video-casts of mock interviews and discuss ongoing opportunities to take their research to a general audience.

Outwith academia, an argument usually describes a disagreement between two or more people. It tends to be an event; a physical occurrence. This may be the sense of the word that is most familiar to you, but an academic argument describes something quite different. It is essentially a point of view. The heart of academic argument is persuasion, and the structure of your argument plays a vital role in this. To persuade, you must set the stage, provide a context, and decide how to reveal your evidence. An academic argument is a formal argument constructed according to the specific conventions of the academic discipline in which it is presented. However, some things are common to all academic arguments: The claim must be arguable: A disagreement or a number of legitimate points of view must exist regarding the claim. The argument must be rational: An argument must be based in fact not emotion. The claim must be meticulously considered, the evidence thoroughly researched and carefully selected. The logic must be cohesive: A claim must be argued linearly, step-by-step, with appropriate transitions revealing the logic that ties one point to the next. This course is designed to be an introduction or refresher to some of the concepts of Critical Thinking and Argument.

This course aims to define the responsibilities of postgraduate researchers and their supervisors, outlining techniques for improving the relationship and giving participants the chance to review and share experiences. The course is modified dependent upon the experiences of the postgraduate researchers attending to ensure the maximum value to participants.