Library Help: Office For Open Research

What is My Research Essentials? 

Developing Open Research skills is central to Manchester’s commitment to a values-led, socially responsible research environment. We equip researchers to share knowledge and best practice through a combination of Library professional expertise and researcher- and research technical professionals (RTP)-led training, supporting a culture where openness, collaboration, and impact are at the heart of every project.

My Research Essentials (MRE) is our programme of workshops, information sessions and online resources to support researchers in making their research more open. 

How can I access training via My Research Essentials? 

You can find details of the full MRE offer, comprising interactive workshops and online resources, below. You can access online resources at anytime and anywhere, and you can book a place at an upcoming workshop and information sessions, open to all researchers. Workshops are scheduled to run each Semester; if there’s no option to book a place at this time, please check back in a few weeks. 

We also welcome bespoke training requests, such as:

• embedding a series of online resources into a Central Learning Environment (CLE);
• one-off and tailored facilitation of any of our workshops;
• or new training based on the skills and practices within our Open Research Skills Framework.

From Faculty Doctoral Academies to individual research teams, we would be happy to discuss your needs. Please complete our MRE bespoke session request form and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. Ideally, please allow six weeks' notice when requesting a session to be delivered as part of a School training activity, but please get in touch to discuss options if you have a shorter timeframe.

MRE catalogue: workshops and online resources 

Our offer is aligned with the Open Research Skills Framework to allow you to identify the support that fits your Open Research needs. 

Open data 

[Workshop] Introduction to FAIR data principles 

Ensuring that data is well-managed and reusable can be complex, but the FAIR principles are here to help. Making your data more Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable can help you work more effectively, raise your research profile, and engage with Open Research initiatives. 

[Workshop] Introduction to Research Data Management part one 

Managing your data effectively takes some work, 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 (RDM). 

[Workshop] Introduction to Research Data Management part two 

Sharing research data has numerous benefits including facilitating new collaborations and allowing new research questions to be answered, and is mandated by many research institutions, funders and publishers. This session aims to provide you with confidence in sharing your data and introduce you to using our institutional research repository, Figshare, to make data discoverable and increase research impact. 

[Workshop] Research Data Conversations community events

These quarterly events bring together the Research Data community at the University of Manchester. Each 'conversation' is led by a member of research or research support staff and begins with a short presentation on a current theme within research data and its use, before opening the discussion up to the group. If you are interested in leading a conversation then please get in touch at openresearch@manchester.ac.uk.  

[Workshop] Introduction to Research Data Stewardship - a key role in modern research

This workshop gives attendees the opportunity to discover and learn about research data stewardship and the work of research data stewards; an emerging profession in higher education and an increasingly key role in managing data for research projects at research-intensive universities. Attendees will learn about the concept of research data stewardship and how it is applied to embed Research Data Management (RDM), FAIR, and open data practices into the research project lifecycle.

[Online resource] Research Data Management 

[Online resource] Research Data Explained 

[Online resource] Start to finish: Personal data 

Communications and publishing 

[Workshop] 7 steps to raising your research profile 

This workshop will help you to raise your research profile by getting noticed through promoting yourself and your research online. We will explore useful strategies for managing your online research presence. 

[Workshop] Choosing a credible journal and how to avoid 'predatory publishers' 

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

[Workshop] Your thesis as a research output: training and support

The Library offers this workshop, delivered in partnership with the Researcher Development team, to support PGRs to apply Open Research practices throughout the research lifecycle, and to increase PGRs’ understanding of processes and expectations related to planning, submitting, publishing, and sharing research outputs, including PhD theses. You can find out more, and book a place at an upcoming session, via the University training catalogue:

• Session ID: RESDEV0003
• Session title: Your doctoral thesis as a research output
• Link to session: https://app.manchester.ac.uk/training/profile.aspx?unitid=9406&parentId=4
• Link to University training catalogue: https://app.manchester.ac.uk/training/default.aspx

[Online resource] 7 Steps to maximise the profile of your next paper 

[Online resource] How to get published in academic journals 

[Online resource] Using citation analysis to measure impact 

[Workshop] 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. 

[Workshop] Shut Up and Write 

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, but rather, to help you carve out some dedicated time to write and to present a chance to connect with other researchers.  

[Workshop] Sharing research with confidence: developing your public speaking skills

Communicating research through public speaking is an important part of sharing research and ideas. We will focus on the application of improvisation for improving public speaking skills and will provide you with practical exercises to help you build confidence in communicating with a variety of audiences.  

[Workshop] Reference management with EndNote desktop for researchers

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

[Workshop] Communicating your research differently 

This interactive workshop invites you to think about your audiences and the way in which you communicate to them, considering the impact and appropriateness of research output formats for different audiences. We will look at written, visual, audible and immersive mediums and will touch upon the idea of Open Research. You will get to explore why these have or haven't worked for you and as a result, look at new and existing ways in which you can communicate your research. 

[Online resource] Peer review 

[Online resource] Editing a journal  

Transparent methods 

[Workshop] Measuring research and researchers - an introduction to metrics (forthcoming - in development)

[Online resource] Introduction to Open Research practices for PGRs: a PhD. Engineer's perspective    

Responsible methods 

[Workshop] Introduction to Open Research at the University of Manchester 

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. 

[Online resource] Using citation analysis to measure impact   

Open software 

Support in the skills required to make your research software and code more open can be found in the Research IT training offer.

If you are already participating in open research software and code practices, the Computation and Data in Research (CaDiR) community is a great place to find support and to share your own work.

Find out more about skills and training provided by the Office for Open Research.