Author Archives: Miggie Pickton
LLS Advisory Panel – new members wanted
LLS is reconvening this important group and it would be great to have representation from research students. The group meets online via a NILE forum so you can contribute as and when it suits you.
You don’t even have to contribute to every discussion – just add your opinions on things that matter to you. Only by hearing from research students can LLS ensure its services are meeting your needs.
Chris Powis, Head of Library and Learning Services, explains:
Researcher ‘help desks’ – Autumn 2014
This term’s dates and times are as follows: 
Avenue campus (in the library):
- Wednesday 29th October 10am – 12pm
- Monday 10th November 10am – 12pm
- Wednesday 26th November 2.30 – 4.30pm (Update 20/11/14: Please note change of time)
- Monday 9th December 2 – 4pm
Park campus (in the library):
- Thursday 16th October 2 – 4pm
- Tuesday 4th November 10am – 12pm
- Wednesday 19th November 10am – 12pm
- Tuesday 2nd December 2pm – 4pm
- Monday 15th December 10am – 12pm
New resource for marketing: WARC
The library has just purchased WARC, a database of brand case studies, campaign videos, articles and trends.
Over 8500 WARC case studies can be searched by industry sector, country, region, campaign objective, media and more. Articles and research papers are grouped into 80+ topics ranging from alcoholic drinks to utilities and WARC guides include company profiles, best practice articles and briefings on communications and branding.
Revamped A-Z list of databases
Those of you who prefer to access the library’s electronic databases directly via their native interfaces may be interested to know that the library’s A-Z list of databases has had something of a makeover.
The original alphabetically arranged list is still there, but now you can filter the list by resource name. There is also a new ‘Subjects & categories‘ classification so it is easier to find the most appropriate resources for your discipline.
New FOI exemption for research information
Phil Oakman, the University Records Manager, has just drawn my attention to the new research exemption in the Freedom of Information Act which came into force on 1st October.
The Act states:
“Information obtained in the course of, or derived from, a programme of research is exempt information if:
10 ways that PhD students can use Twitter
Here’s an interesting blog post from the University of Warwick…
To find out what other research students are discussing then try searching Twitter for one of these hashtags: #phdchat; #phdadvice; #phd; #acwri; #phdforum or #gradchat.
If you haven’t used Twitter before then there is plenty of help to get you started.
Image credit: By David Ferreira [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Resource trial: Photographic Youth Music Culture Archive
The Library has just arranged trial access to the Photographic Youth Music Culture Archive (PYMCA). This extensive resource comprises over 100,000 images of social history and youth culture covering ” fashion, music, art, design, travel, genres, social issues, lifestyles, sports, nightlife, environments, humour and much much more…”. It also includes text based materials.
The free trial lasts until the end of November.
Meeting funders’ open access requirements – your views needed
Would you like to be submitted to the next REF?
Are you likely to bid for Research Council funding?
If the answer to either of those questions is ‘Yes’ then you may already know that you will be expected to publish your research articles, and maybe even your data, in an ‘open access’ manner (HEFCE, RCUK) .
But do you know how to go about doing this? Do you have any concerns about it? Do you need any help?
Data Protection and research data: Q&A
FAQ: How can I be sure that my research does not contravene Data protection law?
JISC Legal have just published a useful set of questions and answers on Data Protection and research data. Beginning with “What is ‘personal data’?”, the 24 questions cover topics such as “What are the basic rules for processing ‘personal data’?”, “What is a Subject Access Request?” and “Can I store my data in the Cloud?”.
If you are working with any type of personal data then these Q&As could be worth a look.
Top tips for finishing your PhD
Are you a PhD student struggling to meet a submission deadline? If so, Kim Thomas’s article in last Wednesday’s Guardian may give you some useful ideas:
Finishing your PhD thesis: 15 top tips from those in the know
Enjoy!
Image credit: HeppDesigns
UON Graduate School Blog 