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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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Shut up and write (online)

Tomorrow, 10:00 - 12:00 GMT

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:

Find out more

Reference management with EndNote desktop for researchers (on campus)

Tue 2 Dec 2025, 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

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

Wed 3 Dec 2025, 10:00 - 11:30 GMT

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.

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Research Data Conversations with Dr Samantha Pearman-Kanza, CaSDaR Network+ (online)

Thu 4 Dec 2025, 14:00 - 15:00 GMT

Research Data Conversations is part of a series of My Research Essentials and Data Stewardship Community events exploring themes within research data and data stewardship.

In this session, we will be joined by Dr Samantha Pearman-Kanza, Principal Investigator of the Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research (CaSDaR) and Principal Enterprise Fellow, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Southampton. Dr Pearman-Kanza is an expert in digital research practices, data stewardship, and interdisciplinary community building.

Online (Teams)

Unlocking the Magic of Human Input in a Data-Driven World: An Interdisciplinary Tale

Abstract: Reproducibility and the creation of FAIR data is often seen as a technical challenge, but my journey has shown it to be a socio-technical challenge with humans at the core of the process. In this talk, I will talk about my journey from computer scientist to web scientist, to masquerading as a chemist, into leading large-scale initiatives that place people at the heart of data processes.

I'll explore the great need for data stewards across the research data lifecycle and reflect on the current state of data stewardship and Research Technical Professionals (RTPs) in the UK.

Finally, I'll introduce CaSDaR (The Careers and Skills for Data-driven Research Network+) and outline our vision to create a diverse, self-supporting community of data stewards, and outline how we plan to unlock the full potential of human input in a data-driven world.

Find out more

Shut up and write (on campus)

Mon 8 Dec 2025, 14:00 - 16:00 GMT

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

MRE Writing Retreat

Fri 12 Dec 2025, 09:00 - 17:00 GMT

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

Find out more