Scheduled PGR workshops and events
Researcher Development provides year-round training for postgraduate researchers to help you successfully complete your research degree, and prepare for your future
Our PGR workshops open for booking four to six weeks in advance, on a rolling basis, and close to bookings one working day before each session. If a workshop isn't bookable, add your name to the waiting list and we'll let you know when registration opens.
Visit the all workshops pages for the full list of workshops taking place this year, organised by theme to help you find the training you need. The booking links will take you to Sussex Direct, where you can also search our training offer for any topics you're interested in.
If you have any questions about our workshops, or any issues with booking a place, email us researcher-development@sussex.ac.uk.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to Ethics
Theme: Induction
Date: Tuesday 1 October 2024
Time: 11.00am - 12.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University.
PGR Essentials: Careers and Entrepreneurship
Theme: Induction
Date: Thursday 3 October 2024
Time: 2.00 - 2.45pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This participatory event promotes the University's Careers and Entrepreneurship services. You’ll find out how the Sussex Careers team supports researchers and explore various career destinations for PGRs, including setting up your own business or social enterprise.
Working with your supervisor: Practical tips for optimising the supervisory experience
Theme: Induction
Date: Monday 7 October 2024
Time: 11.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: The supervisory relationship is crucial to the success of your research degree. In this interactive two-hour workshop, you’ll discover practical tips for optimising this relationship, consider common problems and develop strategies for overcoming them.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to the Library
Theme: Induction
Date: Monday 7 October 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: This workshop will introduce you to the Library's collections and discovery tools. With guidance from the Library Research and Open Scholarship Team, the workshop will highlight key Library resources and services for PGRs.
Becoming a postgraduate researcher: Skills, strategies and support
Theme: Induction
Date: Tuesday 8 October 2024
Time: 1.00 - 4.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: Make a successful start to your postgraduate degree with this practical workshop, designed to prepare you for the journey ahead. You’ll get the opportunity to meet researchers from across the University and build your skills in communication, problem-solving, and time management.
Managing your research data: Introduction to data management plans
Theme: Core
Date: Wednesday 9 October 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.30am (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: A DMP covers how data will be collected, organised, managed, stored, secured, backed up, preserved and, where applicable, shared. Writing a DMP will help you to anticipate any challenges for working with your data and make the research process much smoother.
Making progress in your research degree
Theme: Induction
Date: Thursday 10 October 2024
Time: 11.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Are you part-way through your research degree and wondering how to keep going? Do you need a push to progress to the final stages? If yes, this session is for you.
Literature searching part 1: sources and search strategies
Theme: Core
Date: Thursday 10 October 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.30am (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: Literature searching is an essential part of postgraduate research. This workshop explores how to effectively apply search strategies and techniques to online databases in order to find the most relevant literature to support your research.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to Ethics
Theme: Induction
Date: Friday 11 October 2024
Time: 10.00am - 11.00am (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University.
Planning for the final year of your research degree
Theme: Induction
Date: Tuesday 15 October 2024
Time: 11.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: There's so much to fit in to your final year and careful planning is essential. With clear guidance, individual exercises, and group discussion, this practical workshop will help you prepare for the last stages of your PhD, including submission, the viva, and what happens next.
Literature searching part 1: sources and search strategies
Theme: Core
Date: Tuesday 15 October 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.30pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Literature searching is an essential part of postgraduate research. This workshop explores how to effectively apply search strategies and techniques to online databases in order to find the most relevant literature to support your research.
Becoming a postgraduate researcher: Skills, strategies and support
Theme: Induction
Date: Wednesday 16 October 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Make a successful start to your postgraduate degree with this practical workshop, designed to prepare you for the journey ahead. You’ll get the opportunity to meet researchers from across the University and build your skills in communication, problem-solving, and time-management.
PGR Essentials: Introduction to the Library
Theme: Induction
Date: Thursday 17 October 2024
Time: 1.00 - 2.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: This workshop will introduce you to the Library's collections and discovery tools. With guidance from the Library Research and Open Scholarship Team, the workshop will highlight key Library resources and services for PGRs.
Undertaking a literature review (Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 18 October 2024
Time: 1.00 - 4.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: The literature review forms a substantial part of your postgraduate thesis and is also an ongoing process. Through clear examples, individual exercises, and group discussion, this workshop gets you started with your review.
Managing your research data: Supporting qualitative data sharing
Theme: Core
Date: Monday 21 October 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Qualitative data has rich potential for re-use in future research, but it can be challenging to navigate routes for data sharing. This session will support attendees with data management planning that will help embed consideration of data sharing principles throughout the research process.
One-day academic writing retreat for PGRs and ECRs
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 25 October 2024
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: Are you struggling to get started with your academic writing? Or have you hit a block? If so, this intensive one-day writing retreat can help you get back on track and make significant progress with your chapter, article or book.
Working with your supervisor: Practical tips for optimising the supervisory experience
Theme: Induction
Date: Monday 28 October 2024
Time: 11.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: The supervisory relationship is crucial to the success of your research degree. In this interactive two-hour workshop, you’ll discover practical tips for optimising this relationship. We’ll consider common problems and develop strategies for overcoming them.
Preparing for your viva (Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Tuesday 29 October 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This workshop will demystify the viva process and requirements, and provide you with useful guidance on preparing for the big day. It is geared towards PGRs from Arts and Humanities and Social Science subjects.
Literature searching part 2: citation searching and making connections
Theme: Core
Date: Wednesday 30 October 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.30pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Literature searching is an essential part of postgraduate research and this workshop, by following on from Part 1, takes a less structured approach to search startegies and considers the connections which are made between authors and papers, normally in the form of citations.
Preparing for your viva (Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Thursday 31 October 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This workshop will demystify the viva process and requirements, and provide you with useful guidance on preparing for the big day. It is geared towards PGRs from Science subjects.
Open research: principles, practices and purpose
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 1 November 2024
Time: 11.00am - 12.30pm (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: What is open research and why does it matter? This workshop will look at the concept of open research, and explore opportunities for implementing open research principles into your own practice.
Please note: This workshop has been cancelled.
Managing your research data: Keeping your data organised and secure
Theme: Core
Date: Monday 4 November 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: How safe is your research data? What would happen if you lost it all? This session will help you consider how to keep your research data organised and secure.
How to edit your own academic writing
Theme: Core
Date: Wednesday 6 November 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Are you close to a full draft of your book, article, or thesis chapter? Does it resemble a baggy monster that needs taming? If so, this workshop is for you. Through activities and tutorials, you’ll learn techniques for getting your writing into shape.
Bringing creativity, reflexivity and voice into your writing
Theme: Learn
Date: Monday 11 November 2024
Time: 12.00 - 3.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This three-hour academic writing workshop is geared towards any postgraduate researcher who is actively engaged in writing at any stage of their studies. The key aim of the workshop is to discuss and pilot ways of bringing greater creativity and reflexivity into your writing.
Literature searching part 2: citation searching and making connections
Theme: Core
Date: Tuesday 12 November 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.30am (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: Literature searching is an essential part of postgraduate research and this workshop, by following on from Part 1, takes a less structured approach to search startegies and considers the connections which are made between authors and papers, normally in the form of citations.
Using Zotero for PGRs
Theme: Core
Date: Thursday 14 November 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: This hands-on workshop will help you to stay organised and reference accurately using Zotero. You will learn how to add items to your Zotero Library, how to start creating collections, how to automatically add citations from Zotero to your work, and more.
Manage your online researcher profile
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 15 November 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: Elements is the University of Sussex's system for capturing and reporting on a wide range of research-related outcomes and activities, enabling you to maintain an up-to-date researcher profile. The workshop will demonstrate how to build your Elements profile to showcase your research, professional and teaching activities.
Undertaking a literature review (Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 15 November 2024
Time: 1.00 - 4.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: The literature review forms a substantial part of your postgraduate thesis and is also an ongoing process. Through clear examples, individual exercises, and group discussion, this workshop gets you started with your review.
Planning, structuring and writing your thesis (Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Monday 18 November 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: This session provides advice and guidance on a variety of approaches to writing a thesis. As well as content on planning and structures, there will be space to write and to reflect together as part of a supportive writers' network.
One-day academic writing retreat for PGRs and ECRs
Theme: Core
Date: Wednesday 20 November 2024
Time: 9.30am - 4.30pm (UK)
Location: Library Teaching Room
Description: Are you struggling to get started with your academic writing? Or have you hit a block? If so, this intensive one-day writing retreat can help you get back on track and make significant progress with your chapter, article or book.
Looking after yourself during your research degree
Theme: Induction
Date: Tuesday 26 November 2024
Time: 10.00am - 12.00pm (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: Doing a research degree poses some unique challenges that can affect your mental health and wellbeing. In this workshop, we will explore these challenges and the factors that influence wellbeing and mental health during the research degree in a supportive environment.
Keeping up to date with published research in your area
Theme: Learn
Date: Thursday 28 November 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am (UK)
Location: Library Seminar Room
Description: There are a number of quick and effective ways to keep yourself up to date with the research going on in your field. This workshop will explore some of the key tools and techniques available, from alerting services to social media.
Planning, structuring and writing your thesis (Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences)
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 29 November 2024
Time: 10.00am - 1.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: This session provides advice and guidance on a variety of approaches to writing a thesis. As well as content on planning and structures, there will be space to write and to reflect together as part of a supportive writers' network.
Introduction to Entrepreneurship for Post Graduate Researchers
Theme: Learn
Date: Tuesday 3 December 2024
Time: 10.00 - 11.00am (UK)
Location: Online
Description: This session will give you a quick introduction to the world of entrepreneurship and the support available to Post Graduate Researchers interested in building a business/social enterprise or becoming self-employed.
Using Zotero for PGRs
Theme: Core
Date: Tuesday 3 December 2024
Time: 2.00 - 3.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: This hands-on workshop will help you to stay organised and reference accurately using Zotero. You will learn how to add items to your Zotero Library, how to start creating collections, how to automatically add citations from Zotero to your work, and more.
Keeping up to date with published research in your area
Theme: Learn
Date: Wednesday 4 December 2024
Time: 3.00 - 4.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: There are a number of quick and effective ways to keep yourself up to date with the research going on in your field. This workshop will explore some of the key tools and techniques available, from alerting services to social media.
Open research: principles, practices and purpose
Theme: Core
Date: Wednesday 11 December 2024
Time: 3.00 - 4.30pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: What is open research and why does it matter? This workshop will look at the concept of open research, and explore opportunities for implementing open research principles into your own practice.
Manage your online researcher profile
Theme: Core
Date: Friday 13 December 2024
Time: 3.00 - 4.00pm (UK)
Location: Online via Zoom
Description: Elements is the University of Sussex's system for capturing and reporting on a wide range of research-related outcomes and activities, enabling you to maintain an up-to-date researcher profile. The workshop will demonstrate how to build your Elements profile to showcase your research, professional and teaching activities.