ECR Development Series

Our ECR Development Series workshops are specifically designed to support personal and professional development for early career researchers (ECRs). Events run throughout the academic year and are free to all Sussex ECRs.

Workshops are organised by theme, matching Vitae's Researcher Development Framework, which you should use to develop the skills you need to be an effective researcher.

Explore the workshops below or visit our scheduled events listings for sessions that are currently open for booking. If a workshop isn't bookable, add your name to the waiting list and we'll let you know when registration opens.

Learn: Knowledge and intellectual abilities

Adding your research data to Sussex Figshare

Title	Adding your research data to Sussex Figshare
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers and academics and PGRs are welcome to attend
Outline	Sussex Figshare (https://sussex.figshare.com/) offers a route to publish your research data, allowing you to meet funder requirements and increase the reach of your data by making it openly available. This session will introduce you to Figshare and take you through the practical steps of adding your data, including: how to generate a DOI for your data prior to publication what to consider when describing your data best formats to use to make your data accessible licensing your data how the Library will work with your data submission options for adding larger collections ways to view how your data has been used and cited by other researchers.
Presenters	Helen Webb, Research Data Management Librarian & Duncan Harrison, Research Data & Digital Preservation Officer
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Keeping up-to-date with published research in your area

Title	Keeping up-to-date with published research in your area
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Early career researchers
Outline	There are a number of quick and effective ways to keep yourself up to date with the research going on in your field. This bitesize workshop will explore some of the key tools and techniques available, from alerting services to social media. By the end of the workshop you will have: learned how to set up database alerts to discover newly published articles and track relevant citations and authors discovered services for keeping up to date with new issues of journals found out about using key resources and social media to discover who is researching in a similar field to you.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Making your research data available to support your publication

Title	Making your research data available to support your publication
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	Many journals now ask for research data to be made openly available to support publications. This session will explore options open to help researchers to do this effectively, including: identifying suitable repositories to share your data what to consider when describing your data how and when to use Sussex Figshare to generate a DOI for your data prior to publication how to use Sussex Figshare to make data privately available to peer reviewers tips for writing a data statement for your publication to meet funder requirements
Presenters	Helen Webb, Research Data Management Librarian & Duncan Harrison, Research Data & Digital Preservation Officer
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Open research: principles, practices and purpose

Title	Open research: principles, practices and purpose
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	What is open research and why does it matter? This 90-minute workshop will look at the concept of open research, and explore opportunities for implementing open research principles into your own practice. Topics covered include open access publishing, open data, open science, open source software, open peer review, and tools and techniques for the discovery of open access materials. By the end of the workshop, you will have: developed an awareness of the principles of open research explored opportunities to implement open research principles into your own research identified resources to aid the discovery of open access materials
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Using DMP Online to write your data management plan

Title	Using DMP Online to write your data management plan
Audience	Early career researchers and PGRs are welcome to attend
Outline	Most funders now require a data management plan when submitting a grant proposal. DMP Online (https://dmponline.dcc.ac.uk/) is a freely available tool which can support you in creating your plan. This workshop is a practical introduction to getting starting with DMP online. The session will begin with a demo of how to use DMP Online and will then give attendees time to try it out themselves with Library staff available to answer questions.
Presenters	Helen Webb, Research Data Management Librarian & Duncan Harrison, Research Data & Digital Preservation Officer
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Grow: Personal effectiveness

Boosting your productivity: time management for busy researchers

Title	Boosting your productivity: time management for busy researchers
Location	Online
Audience	Early career researchers and PGRs
Outline	Academic writing can be hard at the best of times. It's especially challenging when there’s so much going on. In this interactive session, you’ll discover how to make writing more manageable, even under difficult circumstances. What we’ll cover: Understanding your Circle of Control. Planning a piece of writing. Building a writing fortress. Improving productivity. Staying focused. Looking after yourself. By the end of the session, you'll have a range of strategies you can apply right away to help you keep going. The session is facilitated by Dr Catherine Pope, who has 20 years’ experience of leadership in business and academia.
Presenter	Dr Catherine Pope was awarded her PhD by the University of Sussex in 2014. Since then, she has written three books and contributed to several edited collections. Over the years, Catherine has devised methods for tricking herself into writing. She loves sharing those methods with researchers and helping them achieve their goals.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join our waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Careers beyond research: applying your skills outside academia

Title	Careers beyond research: applying your skills outside academia
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers
Outline	There are a number of options outside of academia that are open to postdocs. Not everyone chooses to climb the academic ladder and many researchers are unaware of the variety of other options that are available. During their career, researchers develop a number of skills that they can utilise in a variety of other positions, whether these are related to their research or not. A key component to finding a job outside academia is presenting yourself well at interviews, highlighting your skills and explaining your academic experience in a way that appeals to certain employers. This three-hour workshop aims to highlight a number of these careers and to explore what particular options might be compatible with individuals. We will include overviews of a variety of different job types, case studies of researchers who have moved into different careers and provide resources to help participants explore their options. In addition, participants will be invited to complete an individual ElementsTM skills evaluation to help them with future job applications and interviews. This has proven very popular with researchers and it is designed to help them reflect on their own skills and experience so that they can communicate these effectively in written applications and interviews. At the end of this workshop, you will have: a clear understanding of their transferable skills and how to communicate these on their CV and in an interview situation; an understanding of how to present themselves and be visible online; an overview of a range of non-academic career options
Presenters	Dr Joanna Young, Scientific Editing Company
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Thinking creatively about your career: how to identify your skills as a freelancer

Title	Thinking creatively about your career: how to identify your skills as a freelancer
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers and final year PGRs
Outline	Although academia has long been the traditional route for postdocs, there are now a wealth of fulfilling opportunities available. This interactive workshop encourages participants to explore their skills, interests and values to discover alternative paths. Through discussions, self-reflection exercises and case studies, you’ll gain the confidence and knowledge to take the next step. By the end of the session, you’ll have: Discovered some alternative career options. Explored what you want from your career. Identified your transferable skills. Considered how to find the job you want. Set some achievable goals and milestones.
Presenters	Dr Catherine Pope was awarded her PhD by the University of Sussex in 2014. Since then, she has written three books and contributed to several edited collections. Over the years, Catherine has devised methods for tricking herself into writing. She loves sharing those methods with researchers and helping them achieve their goals.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Realise: Research governance and organisation

Copyright in publishing: understanding your rights as an author

Title	Copyright in publishing: understanding your rights as an author
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	This one-hour workshop will summarise the principles of copyright and explain the copyright relationship between authors and publishers for both journals and monographs. It will summarise the different Creative Commons licenses, their uses and potential limitations and highlight how the University’s Publications and Copyright Policy empowers authors to retain the rights to their work. By the end of the workshop, you will have: an awareness of the main principles of copyright an understanding of the relationship between authors and publishers with regard to copyright an understanding of the benefits and limitations of CC licences an understanding of the University's approach to copyright retention.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list(Sussex Direct)

Developing excellent research proposals

Title	Developing excellent research proposals
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers and academics at all career stages who have a research idea that they intend to develop into a proposal for funding
Outline	There are a considerable number of stages that go into the development of a research proposal that is ready to submit to a funder. Moreover, there are variety of factors that contribute to the likelihood that your proposal will be competitive in the peer review and funding process. In this three-hour practical and interactive workshop, we will examine the key elements involved in turning your initial research idea into a proposal that will get the attention and support of the reviewers, demonstrate the importance of the research and assure funders that your project will make a valuable contribution to your field. During this session you will: Explore research funding processes and expectations Identify criteria for selecting an appropriate funding mechanism for your idea Develop a convincing narrative to explain the novelty and importance of your research idea Examine the importance of selecting the right research team Consider how to effectively communicate your research plans to your audiences of peer reviewers, grant panel members and funders Explore the importance of feedback in the development of your research idea and discuss how to craft an effective response to reviewers’ comments.
Presenter	Dr Natalie James is an independent professional development coach and trainer who specialises in supporting researchers and academics in all aspects of their professional development. Natalie previously worked for the UK Research Councils (EPSRC), managing all aspects of funding policy and peer review for a £multimillion portfolio of research grants. She now supports a large cohort of coaching clients who are active in the research funding environment, helping them to develop their research strategies and funding ideas.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Introduction to the UK research funding environment

Title	Introduction to the UK research funding environment
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers, PGRs and researchers at any career stage who are new to the UK research environment. This workshop will be particularly relevant to researchers who are considering applying for research funding.
Outline	The research funding environment in the UK can, at first, appear complex and may be a little daunting if you have not previously applied for funding. In this interactive workshop we will demystify the policies and processes of research funding, exploring how postgraduate research fits within the funding environment and examining the types of funding that might be available to you during and beyond your research degree. We will introduce the ways in which funding applications are assessed by funders and the important factors to consider before developing a funding proposal. We will explore when, where and how you might start to seek funding for your research, and what support is available for those making applications. By the end of this workshop, you will have: an awareness of the key funders of research in the UK an appreciation of the role of policy, peer review and assessment in research funding knowledge of the tools and routes to identify suitable funding opportunities an awareness of the different types of funding available for researchers (e.g. fellowships, grants, networking funding, travel funding etc) identified the key questions they need to consider before making an application for funding knowledge of where to seek further information and support for making applications.
Presenter	Dr Natalie James is an independent professional development coach and trainer who specialises in supporting researchers and academics in all aspects of their professional development. Natalie previously worked for the UK Research Councils (EPSRC), managing all aspects of funding policy and peer review for a £multimillion portfolio of research grants. She now supports a large cohort of coaching clients who are active in the research funding environment, helping them to develop their research strategies and funding ideas.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Introduction to REF2029

Title	Introduction to REF2029
Location	Online
Audience	Early career researchers and academics, and PGRs
Outline	The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s national system of research assessment, driving the distribution of core research funding to universities. The next REF exercise will take place in 2029. Every UK university submitting to the REF uses the publications, other research outputs, and wider social impact produced by its researchers to form its submission; the quality of that submission determines the level of core research funding the university receives, and also has broader implications. Understanding the REF - its requirements, and its effects on Higher Education and research culture - is essential for everyone who is building a research career in the UK. In this workshop, Dr Dominic Dean will explain the background and structure to REF2029, and will take the group through a detailed exploration of its effects and the key elements of which ECRs need to be aware. What is the Research Excellence Framework? What is assessed and when? What is eligible? What's new for 2029?
Presenter	Dr Dominic Dean and Jen Whitehead from Research Information Quality and Impact team will explain the background and structure to REF2029, and will take the group through a detailed exploration of its effects and the key elements of which early-career researchers need to be aware.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join our waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Introduction to Ethics

Title	Introduction to Ethics
Location	Online
Audience	Early career researchers and PGRs
Outline	You can not collect any new data from humans, animals, social media or conduct auto-ethnographic research without having received ethics approval beforehand, it is essential to understand the ethics approval process. This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University. There will also be opportunities to consider some case studies, ask questions about your own work, and gain insights on how to embed good ethical practices in your research. Understand the University process for gaining ethical approval and received guidance on how to make a strong application Have had the opportunity to discuss ethical issues arising in your research and explored how to address them
Presenter	This workshop is designed and delivered by Alice Saryazdi, Carol Cooley and Alice Ashford - Senior Research Ethics and Integrity Officers from the Professional Services Research Ethics and Integrity team.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join our waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Project management essentials for researchers

Title	Project management essentials for researchers
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	Are you ready to take control of your research? In this interactive session, you’ll discover the core elements of project management and how to apply them in your research projects. Through discussion, activities and examples, you’ll learn to: Define your research goals and objectives. Create a realistic project schedule. Track your progress with milestones and celebrate success. Identify and mitigate risks. Communicate effectively with stakeholders. This workshop equips you with the skills and tools you need to achieve your research goals on time and within budget.
Presenter	Dr Catherine Pope was awarded her PhD by the University of Sussex in 2014. Since then, she has written three books and contributed to several edited collections. Over the years, Catherine has devised methods for tricking herself into writing. She loves sharing those methods with researchers and helping them achieve their goals.
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join our waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Re-using other people's work and protecting your own work: an introduction to copyright

Title	Re-using other people's work and protecting your own work: an introduction to copyright
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	Confused by copyright? Unsure how to use other people's work and protect your own work? This 90-minute workshop will summarise the principles of copyright, consider how and when UK fair dealing exceptions can be applied, and how, by understanding licensing and obtaining permissions, you can use other people's work in publications. It will also consider how you can control use of your own work. For participants attending in person, this session incorporates an interactive game and opportunities for discussion. By the end of the workshop, you will have: an awareness of the main principles of copyright discovered how to correctly use third party content in your own work discovered how to control use of your own work with the application of licenses.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct) - coming shortly

Understanding and using publication metrics responsibly

Title	Understanding and using publication metrics responsibly
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	Publication metrics provide a quantitative approach to the analysis of both publications and researchers and can help you with information about the reach and potential impact of your research, as well as inform decisions about where to publish. This 90-minute workshop will introduce the benefits and limitations of a number of tools which provide publication metrics for both the individual researcher, research output and for institutional level analysis. It will provide opportunities to discuss the importance of the responsible use of bibliometric data and it will also look at the University’s commitment to the responsible use of publication metrics. By the end of the workshop you will have: an awareness of recent developments and debates within the field of bibliometrics learned how to find and evaluate commonly used metrics considered the benefits and limitations of each metric and understand how to use publication metrics responsibly discovered how to use both 'traditional' metrics and altmetrics to illustrate the use of your research and that of others.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Thrive: Engagement, influence and impact

Choosing where to publish

Title	Choosing where to publish
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Early career researchers and PGRs
Outline	Choosing the right journal, the right publisher or the right publishing format for your research output can be daunting. If you’re new to publishing and not quite sure where to start, this bitesize workshop can help you sort out what's appropriate and what's not. By the end of the workshop you will have: discovered how the Think, Check, Submit resources can help you decide whether a particular journal or book publisher is reputable or not an understanding of the different options to make your work openly available discovered how responsible use of publication metrics can help inform your publishing decision know where to find support and advice.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Navigating peer review: challenges, responses and publishing

Title	Navigating peer review: challenges, responses and publishing
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers and academics, and PGRs
Outline	All researchers will encounter peer review during their career, both as an author and as an expert who has been asked to review the work of another. This online workshop will introduce researchers to the peer review system including the process, the complexities, the responsibilities of the author/ reviewer and how to get the most out of the experience. An awareness and knowledge of the peer review system is important so that early career researchers know what to expect when they submit their first research paper for publication. Equally, understanding how to critically assess a research manuscript for quality, style, content, novelty and relevance gives researchers an insight into how cutting edge research is assessed and published. What should you look for in a manuscript? How can you optimise your chances of success as an author? In this online workshop, participants will be introduced to the academic publishing and peer review system through short presentations, discussions and peer review exercises. At the end of this workshop, you will have: an overview of the peer review process, author responsibilities and what to expect an understanding of how to conduct a peer review and provide constructive feedback completed a short peer review exercise using a simple workflow that you can apply to papers in your own field.
Presenter	Dr Joanna Young, Scientific Editing Company
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Open publishing: your options explained

Title	Open publishing: your options explained
Location	Online (Zoom) or in person (check when you book)
Audience	Researchers at all career stages
Outline	This 90-minute workshop will introduce you to open publishing for your research outputs and explain the options available to you as the author. By the end of the workshop you will have: an awareness of recent developments and debates within open publishing an understanding of the different options to make your work openly available considered the benefits of making your research outputs openly available identified resources to aid the discovery of openly published material.
Presenters	Library Research Support Team
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Social media bootcamp: strategy, sharing and connecting

Title	Social media bootcamp: strategy, sharing and connecting
Location	Online (Zoom)
Audience	Early career researchers and PGRs
Outline	This three-hour workshop is tailored for researchers aiming to build a robust online presence and enhance their career opportunities through social media. There are now numerous channels available that can be used to amplify your research, promote an enterprising project and attract potential employers. In addition, social networks can serve as useful sources of information via a personalised news feed. We will explore different types of content that researchers can experiment with. What does a professional profile look like? What should you post and what should you avoid? How can you effectively manage your time on social media and optimise engagement? In addition to crafting an individual social media strategy, the workshop will include a section on legal considerations, privacy and openness. This isn’t a platform-specific “how to” session, though we will touch upon a selection of mainstream social media tools for building your online profile, including LinkedIn. To illustrate key concepts, we will include short exercises, case studies and insights from the instructor’s own experience. No prior experience is required so the course is suitable for beginners, however you may wish to set up a LinkedIn account prior to the session or be logged in if you already have one. At the end of this workshop, you will have: considered the various ways to use social media to your advantage an awareness of the legal considerations and privacy issues started to design a social media strategy that you can implement in your own time.
Presenter	Dr Joanna Young, Scientific Editing Company
Booking information	Look for scheduled courses or join the waiting list (Sussex Direct)

Sussex Researcher School