A-Z Course List

Would you like to participate in the 3-Minute Thesis Competition and tell a wider audience about your research? This session is for you! 

The session will include information about the competition and about the training in communication and presentation skills to enable you to present your research in this particular format. 

The semi-final of the 3-minute thesis competition will take place on Wednesday 3rd May (please register separately on the course booking system). The Aberdeen final of the 3-Minute Thesis competition will happen on Thursday 25th of May, as part of the Founders’ Day. 

Please make sure you are available for both the 3rd and 25th of May. 

About the competition: The Three Minute Thesis (3MT ®) competition celebrates the exciting research conducted by PhD students. Developed by The University of Queensland, 3MT cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The competition supports their capacity to effectively explain their research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience. 

The competition has become so popular that many universities across the world now hold their own Three Minute Thesis competitions. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs in line with competition dates

At this University, we expect all students to undertake their research with integrity. 

From the beginning of the academic year 22/23 (September) all year 1 annual progression exercises and final thesis submissions must be submitted to Turnitin.  

What does this all mean? 

This session will provide you with an overview of academic integrity and discuss how this relates to your thesis. We will discuss plagiarism, including self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. 

General tips and advice on how to avoid plagiarism in terms of correct referencing and citing conventions will be provided, before we undertake a group activity on how not to plagiarise!  

Target Audience: 1st year onwards 

Format: Online 

Date: Runs twice a year 

This workshop will give you an overview of qualitative data analysis software and explain what NVivo can and cannot do. How to code data (text from transcripts and surveys, photos, video etc.) in NVivo will be covered. 

The University has a licence for NVivo and there are instructions on how to install it at https://www.abdn.ac.uk/toolkit/systems/nvivo/ 

Particants should download the NVivo software and check that you can open it before the session. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: In person and Online 

Date: Runs four times year 

Do you feel uncomfortable negotiating a new deadline?  

Have you ever felt it is difficult to put your ideas forward in a convincing manner or to defend your interests?  

Do you know how to best create win-win situations at work?  

If you feel stressed when a challenging conversation is due, understanding assertiveness can help you prepare for complex professional interactions and help you voice your needs towards achieving your goals. Communicating in fair and effective ways requires practice and specific techniques.  

This workshop will provide you with tools for achieving the skills necessary to handling challenging conversations and navigating the work context with more confidence.

Target Audience: 1st year onwards

Format:  In person

Date: Runs once a year 

Presenting your research at a conference or seminar is a fundamental activity in any academic career, and it is also a task that can make a large portion of the research community feel anxious.  

This workshop will show you techniques for presenting effectively and best engaging your audience. Most importantly, this workshop will help you work through your fears before a presentation and help you to feel more confident in such situations. 

 It will build a foundation of presentation techniques for both in-person and online presentations.  

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards

Format: In person

Date: Runs once a year

The art of giving and receiving feedback well is very much an under-estimated skill, but crucial at PGR research level.

Here we will discuss how to take constructive feedback e.g. from your supervisor, positively and and how to act on it, the benefits of self-reflection, and also peer review.

Target Audience: All Years

Format: Online

Date: Runs Twice a year

This will be an interactive session which will focus on editing your work to improve sentence structure, grammar and punctuation. Participants should think of questions to ask on this topic in advance. 

Target Audience: 1st year onwards 

Format: Online 

Date: Runs twice a year 

This will be an interactive session to stress the importance of writing with a reader in mind. To engage the reader, writing should be logical, coherent and clearly argued.  

Participants should think of questions on accurate spelling, paragraph structure and construction of argument in advance. 

Target Audience: 1st year onwards 

Format: Online

Date: Runs twice a year

In this interactive workshop we will examine the differences between writing a summary and writing a paraphrase.  

In practical exercises, we will consider the purposes and use of summaries and paraphrases in academic writing. 

Target Audience: 1st year onwards

Format: Online

Date: Runs twice a year

In this session, members of the Impact and Knowledge Exchange team will help you to gain an understanding of the wider impact that can come from research (beyond the advancement of knowledge) and steps that researchers can take towards planning for change. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs twice a year

When you enter the room for an interview, do you know how to make a positive impression on your interviewers within the first 30 seconds? 

Do you fear going blank during complicated questions? 

Do you know how to engage interviewers and present the best you have to offer? 

This workshop is a highly practical session in which you will learn how to perform most effectively at each of the stages of an interview for an academic position. 

You will test your skills with effective and practical techniques.

The experiential session will enable you to feel more confident and in control before and during your interviews. 

Target Audience: 3rd year onwards 

Format: In Person 

Date: Runs once a year

Early Career Fellowships are a common ‘next step’ on the researcher career path.  

This workshop will introduce you to key Early Career Fellowship schemes and provide you with tools and tips to enable you to identify a suitable scheme for you and to begin making an application. 

Target Audience: 3rd  year onwards 

Format: In Person 

Date: Runs twice a year 

LaTeX is a text-processing environment very different from MS Word. It is valuable if your texts involve mathematical equations, programming code or you need synoptic typesetting.

No prior knowledge of LaTeX is necessary, but registration is limited to PhD students who plan to use LaTeX as part of their research. 

You will look at: 

• Structuring larger LaTeX documents such as a thesis or dissertation
• Inserting references with BibTeX
• Figures with subfigures
• Commands to facilitate use of mathematical equations
• Importing tables from MS Excel. 

Target Audience: 2nd  year onwards 

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs three times a year

An introduction to living in Scotland, with advice on areas such as travel, banking, healthcare, part-time work and also a guide to local culture and exciting things to do in and around Aberdeen.

Target Audience: Students new to Aberdeen

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs three times a year 

A workshop for those at the start of their PhD journey.

There will be a networking event after for PGRs across all stages of their research.

Target Audience: 1st year students

Format: Hybrid

Date: Runs once a year during PGR Orientation in October

A workshop aimed at those in the mid stage of their PhDs - a chance to ask questions and learn how to keep the momentum going.

There will be a networking event after for PGRs across all stages of their research.

Target Audience: 2nd year students

Format: Hybrid

Date: Runs once a year during PGR Orientation in October

Workshop for PhD students nearing the end of their research.

There will be a networking event after for PGRs across all stages of their research.

Target Audience: 3rd year students

Format: Hybrid

Date: Runs once a year during PGR Orientation in October

This interactive session, facilitated by the Careers and Employability Service, will explore PhD researchers' current stage and confidence in knowing what to do after the PhD. The session is most suitable for 2nd and 3rd year PhD researchers. 

The session will cover: 

• The different options available for PhD researchers 
• What skills PhD researchers have
• What skills postgraduate recruiters look for
• How to connect with opportunities, and where to find these. 

Target audience: 2nd and 3rd year 

Format: In person

Date: Runs twice a year 

This session is for postgraduate researchers who want to know how to be ready for their viva. Suitable for PhD students planning to submit their thesis in the next few months. 

The first hour will cover formalities around viva, what happens on the day, and what you can do to prepare. 

For the last hour, we will be joined by academics from different disciplines who will help answer any questions and share insights into the process.

Target Audience: Final year students

Format: Online 

Date: Runs twice a year 

A practical session that will provide you with a variety of storytelling techniques to make your next presentation outstanding! 

We will learn about the importance of storytelling in public speaking and different ways of telling a story. There will be practical exercises where participants develop elements of storytelling for future use in their presentations. 

Prerequisites: Participants must bring a research abstract. It can be an outline of a future conference paper, a talk at your department or a presentation for your annual progression exercise. The text should already have some structure to it: Title, Introduction, Main sections (just an outline). 

You will get most out of the workshop if you have a presentation coming up in the next few weeks. Otherwise, it is best to attend another time. The workshop runs several times a year, both in person and online. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: In person and online 

Date: Runs three times a year 

An interactive session on how to use your voice and body language to make your presentations more effective and engaging. 

At the start of the session, you will be offered an opportunity to speak about your research for half a minute. It is an optional exercise, but it will be a great opportunity for you to practise your public speaking skills and receive feedback, in a friendly and supportive environment. Please try to arrive on time. 

We will do exercises where you learn about the importance of vocal variety, gestures and other elements of body language when giving a talk. 

We will also look at video examples of good presentations, and you will receive plenty of tips and advice on public speaking.  

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: In person and online 

Date: Runs three times a year

An interactive session on how to use your voice and body language to make your presentations more effective and engaging. 

At the start of the session, you will be offered an opportunity to speak about your research for half a minute. It is an optional exercise, but it will be a great opportunity for you to practise your public speaking skills and receive feedback, in a friendly and supportive environment. 

We will do exercises where you learn about the importance of vocal variety, gestures and other elements of body language when giving a talk. 

We will also look at video examples of good presentations, and you will receive plenty of tips and advice on public speaking. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: In person and online 

Date: Runs three times a year 

An interactive session on how to use your voice and body language to make your presentations more effective and engaging. 

At the start of the session, you will be offered an opportunity to speak about your research for half a minute. It is an optional exercise, but it will be a great opportunity for you to practise your public speaking skills and receive feedback, in a friendly and supportive environment.

We will do exercises where you learn about the importance of vocal variety, gestures and other elements of body language when giving a talk. 

We will also look at video examples of good presentations, and you will receive plenty of tips and advice on public speaking. 

Target Audience: 2nd year onwards 

Format: In person and online 

Date: Runs three times a year 

It can empower researchers, help develop new and transferable skills as well as influence your research. 

This workshop will explore the world of engagement and introduce you to different approaches as well as outline the engagement opportunities that are available at the University of Aberdeen.

Target Audience: 3rd  year onwards 

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs twice a year 

This session will outline the importance of thinking critically at doctoral level. At the session, we will discuss what it means to think critically about your PhD.

Consider the following: What are my aims? What will be my contribution to my field of research? Why should someone in my field wish to read my thesis? How does my research sit in comparison to the related literature on the topic?

As well as from myself, participants will hopefully learn from each other across disciplines, building up a community of learning.

Target Audience: All Years 

Format: Online 

Date: Runs once a year 

First launched by the University of Sheffield, the initiative promotes 4 key themes for better writing: Habits (developing good practice); Blocks (overcoming procrastination); Protect (ensure regular academic writing time); Social (writing with others).

This session aims to encapsulate these aspects and provide practical advice on how to write more productively. Hopefully, participants will also share across disciplines, their various strategies around these themes.

Target Audience: All Years

Format: Online

Date: Runs twice a year

This course is designed to explore how to set up the relationship with your supervisor, what your expectations are, what supervisors expect from you and how to work together during your degree. 

Target Audience: 1st year 

Format: Online 

Date: Runs twice a year 

Struggling with your postgraduate literature review? Unsure where to start? Not sure if you’re reading the right book? Daunted by the sheer volume of material you need to get through? Terrified that you’re going to leave something out? Doing a literature review at postgraduate level requires knowing what you want, having the right mind-set when approaching it, and using the right strategy to deploy your time best. This talk will approach all of these problems and help you develop a system that will save time, clarify focus and build confidence.

Target Audience: 2nd  year onwards 

Format: Hybrid 

Date: Runs twice a year