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Workshops

Workshops and training for researchers

 Attendance at MRE sessions counts towards Postgraduate Researcher training hours.  Add details to your eProg record following our MRE_eProg_guide.pdf.

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MRE Writing Retreat

The aim of this one-day writing retreat is to provide a quiet space where staff and researchers can make progress with their writing. It is a great way to carve out dedicated time to get on with those journal articles, thesis chapters, HEA Fellowships or grant applications.

The majority of the day will be spent in concentrated writing sessions where there should be no talking, no internet, no research - just writing! There will be short, scheduled breaks (with free tea, coffee and snacks) in between these blocks of concentrated writing time, to help keep you motivated and on-task.

Don't forget your laptop!

Programme for the day:

9.00-9.20 Tea, coffee and registration

9.20-9.50 Set your writing goals for the day, and learn some useful writing strategies

9.50-12.00 Concentrated writing time

12.00-13.00 Lunch and optional wellbeing activity

13.00-13.10 Reflect on your progress so far, re-evaluate your goals

13.10-15.20 Concentrated writing time

15.20-15.35 Coffee break

15.35-16.50 Concentrated writing time

16.50-17.00 Reflection

We are running this event more than once on the following dates and times:

Today, 09:00 - 17:00 GMTStudentsStaffSpacesFind out more
Fri 15 May 2026, 09:00 - 17:00 BST (GMT+1)StudentsStaffSpacesFind out more

Creating and managing your ORCID (online)

Wed 11 Mar 2026, 10:00 - 11:00 GMT

An ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a free, unique, persistent digital identifier that distinguishes you from other researchers.

It links you to your scholarly works, grants and affiliations throughout your career, regardless of name changes or organisational moves, makes your research more discoverable, and reduces admin.

In this workshop you will:

  • Learn more about the benefits of ORCIDs
  • Find out how to create your ORCID
  • Discover how to manage your ORCID account.

How to book on

This event will take place online via Teams. Booking onto the event is essential to receive the link to join.

Further support

Talk to us online via the 24-hour Library Chat service. Alternatively, you can email us for advice or to book one-to-one appointments at uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk.

Find out more about the workshops and online resources offered by My Research Essentials on the library webpage. Online resources related to this workshop include:

Find out more

Shut up and write (online)

Shut Up and Write is an event for researchers to come together for a fixed amount of time and write. The aim is not to put pressure on you to be productive, rather, to help you carve out some dedicated time to write and to present a chance to connect with other researchers. It is a great way make progress on those thesis chapters, journal articles, or grant applications.

Whilst two hours doesn't sound like much, it is amazing what you can get done if you really focus. There will be short, scheduled breaks in between writing sessions of 30 minutes, to help keep you motivated and on-task. During the breaks there will also be time to reflect on some of the challenges we are facing as a research community and how we might support one another.

How to book on

This event will take place online via Teams. Booking onto the event is essential to receive the link to join.

Find out more about the workshops and online resources offered by My Research Essentials on the library webpage. Online resources related to this workshop include:

We are running this event more than once on the following dates and times:

Tue 17 Mar 2026, 10:00 - 12:00 GMTStudentsStaffSpacesFind out more
Thu 9 Apr 2026, 10:00 - 12:00 BST (GMT+1)StudentsStaffSpacesFind out more
Mon 11 May 2026, 14:00 - 16:00 BST (GMT+1)StudentsStaffSpacesFind out more

Introduction to Research Data Management part two: Preparing research data for the end of your project (online)

Wed 18 Mar 2026, 11:00 - 12:00 GMT

Sharing research data has numerous benefits including facilitating new collaborations and allowing new research questions to be answered. Data sharing is also mandated by many research, funders and publishers.

This session aims to provide you with confidence in sharing your data and introducing you to using our institutional research repository, Figshare, to make data discoverable and increase research impact.

How to book on

This event will take place online via Teams. Booking onto the event is essential to receive the link to join.

Further support

Can't make this session? Talk to us online via Library Chat now, or send us an email: uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk.

Help and support with using Teams is provided by IT Services. Find out more about Teams and other Office 365 applications on the IT Services website: https://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/students/office365/

Find out more

Choosing a credible journal and how to avoid 'Predatory Publishers' (on campus)

Wed 18 Mar 2026, 14:00 - 15:00 GMT

This workshop will equip you with the skills to spot so-called 'Predatory Publishers', and feel confident in the credibility of the journals you will be submitting to.

By the end of the session you will be able to:

  • Feel confident in your ability to identify credible journals
  • Understand the motivations behind 'Predatory Publishing'
  • Understand the consequences of submitting your work to non-reputable journals
  • Spot the common characteristics of non-reputable publishers
  • Use established tools and processes to check the credibility of a journal

As part of this workshop we will be running an activity where a personal device (mobile phone, laptop, tablet etc.) would be useful but is not essential.

This session will take place on campus.

Find out more

Reference management with EndNote desktop for researchers (on campus)

Thu 26 Mar 2026, 14:00 - 15:30 GMT

This hands-on session will introduce you to EndNote desktop reference management software, a tool to help with collecting, managing and organising your references and creating citations and bibliographies in different formats. You will reflect throughout on how reference management software can fit into your existing research workflows.

In the session you will gain practical experience of managing an EndNote Library including using the Cite While You Write function to insert and format in-text citations and bibliographies within Microsoft Word documents, and an introduction to using EndNote with Overleaf.

How to book on

Due to popularity, booking onto the event is essential to ensure a place.

Further support

Talk to us online via Library Chat now, or send us an email: tls@manchester-uk.libanswers.com.

Find out more

Resilience for PGRs: Managing the challenges of research (on campus)

Fri 27 Mar 2026, 10:00 - 12:00 GMT

In this workshop you will explore three of the most common challenges identified by PhD candidates: managing your relationship with your supervisor; time management and procrastination; and dealing with setbacks during research.

You will explore the context around these issues and how they affect the research process, before working with other postgraduate researchers to help develop the necessary skills and approaches for dealing with them.

Finally, you will be introduced to established models and strategies for working effectively with your supervisory team, beating the procrastination cycle and maintaining resilience in the face of setbacks.

Further support

Can't make this session? Talk to us online via Library Chat now, or send us an email: tls@manchester-uk.libanswers.com.

Find out more

Sharing research with confidence: developing your public speaking skills (on campus)

Tue 31 Mar 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 BST (GMT+1)

In this interactive workshop you will reflect upon and discuss ways to improve your public speaking skills, helping you to present your work more effectively. Using some improvisation techniques we will look at ways we can become more relaxed about public speaking, and practice responding to unexpected questions with confidence, which will support you when at academic conferences or presenting your research to peers. We will provide you with practical exercises to help you build confidence in communicating with a variety of audiences.

Find out more

Seven steps to raising your research profile (online)

Wed 22 Apr 2026, 13:00 - 14:00 BST (GMT+1)

This workshop will help you to raise your research profile by getting noticed promoting yourself and your research online.

We will explore useful strategies for managing your online research presence by considering the following questions:

  • Which online tools and platforms are the most useful to me?
  • How can I find the time to use social media tools to promote my research?
  • How can I maximise access to my research?
  • How do I know if my online presence strategies are effective?

How to book on

This event will take place online via Teams. Booking onto the event is essential to receive the link to join.

Further support

Talk to us online via the 24-hour Library Chat service. Alternatively, you can email us for advice or to book one-to-one appointments at uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk.

Find out more about the workshops and online resources offered by My Research Essentials on the library webpage. Online resources related to this workshop include:

Find out more

Shut up and write (on campus)

Mon 27 Apr 2026, 14:00 - 16:00 BST (GMT+1)

Shut Up and Write is an event for researchers to come together for a fixed amount of time and write. The aim is not to put pressure on you to be productive, rather, to help you carve out some dedicated time to write and to present a chance to connect with other researchers. It is a great way make progress on those thesis chapters, journal articles, or grant applications.

Whilst two hours doesn't sound like much, it is amazing what you can get done if you really focus. There will be short, scheduled breaks in between writing sessions of 30 minutes, to help keep you motivated and on-task. During the breaks there will also be time to reflect on some of the challenges we are facing as a research community and how we might support one another.

Booking on

Due to popularity, booking onto the event is essential to ensure a place.

Further support

Talk to us online via the 24-hour Library Chat service. Alternatively, you can email us for advice or to book one-to-one appointments at tls@manchester-uk.libanswers.com.

Find out more about the workshops and online resources offered by My Research Essentials on the library webpage. Online resources related to this workshop include:

Find out more

Introduction to Open Research at the University of Manchester (on campus)

Tue 28 Apr 2026, 14:00 - 15:30 BST (GMT+1)

Open Research is a broad and evolving field encompassing various practices, all of which contribute to a more transparent, responsible, and ethical research culture. In this interactive workshop, we will explore some of the research practices that enable Open Research, under the University's Open Research Skills Framework.

We will discuss what these practices entail within different research disciplines, the tools and systems that enable open and transparent research, and how a more open research culture can benefit researchers, the sector, and society in general. We will reflect on how Open Research can be applied to your own research, and signpost to the University's Open Research communities, activities, support and training, via the University of Manchester Office for Open Research.

This session will take place on campus.

Find out more

Introduction to Research Data Management part one: Starting your research journey (online)

Wed 29 Apr 2026, 11:00 - 12:00 BST (GMT+1)

Researchers collect, receive and manage research data in many forms.

Managing your data can be complex, but a little planning at the beginning can save you time, raise your research profile and help you work more effectively.

This session aims to provide you with confidence in data and information management and introduce you to resources and services to help with Research Data Management.

How to book on

This event will take place online via Teams. Booking onto the event is essential to receive the link to join.

Further support

Talk to us online via the 24-hour Library Chat service. Alternatively, you can email us for advice or to book one-to-one appointments at uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk.

Find out more about the workshops and online resources offered by My Research Essentials on the library webpage. Online resources related to this workshop include:

Find out more

Introduction to FAIR data principles (online)

Wed 29 Apr 2026, 14:00 - 16:00 BST (GMT+1)

Researchers collect, receive, and manage data in many ways. Making sure this data is well-managed and reusable can be complex, but the FAIR Principles are here to help. The concepts underlying the FAIR principles are grounded in good scientific practice and aim to guide people to maximise the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets. Making your data FAIR can help you work more effectively, raise your research profile, and engage with open research initiatives.

This workshop is for people in academia with little or no experience of FAIR. This course aims to be succinct in introducing FAIR, its concepts and terminology, and supplements all material with introducing and signposting to useful FAIR resources.

Participant information

This session will take place on Teams. We will send you the Teams link for the workshop a day before the workshop is to take place, booking onto this workshop is essential.

Please note: This event is bookable by all staff and PGRs, simply follow the 'Book on this event' button below to register.

Find out more