Here you'll find short descriptions of each session to help you pick what you'd like to attend.
Block One Options:
File Management and Research: Keeping everything organized
We’ve all experienced some form of digital clutter before. It could be trying to find the right song, photo or PDF for school or work. In this session we’ll discuss ways to reduce that frustration throughout different parts of the research process. Having your files organized can help make sense of the literature, speed up analysis and make writing about your research easier.
Using Zotero to Manage Your Research & Cite Sources
Zotero can help you organize your references, create citations, and share sources with other researchers. In this session, you will learn how to add citations to your account, organize your research, and create a bibliography. You will also learn how to add citations directly to a Word or Google doc.
Please download Zotero ahead of time and bring your laptop to get the most out of the session.
Finding Sources Through Citation Networks AKA Scholarship is Connected
Research literature is connected through a rich network of citations and author collaborations. Leverage citation networks, from one or more articles, to find relevant information sources for your research. In this session, Sara will highlight search tools that offer citation networks and introduce ResearchRabbit as a tool for locating related research literature and author connections.
In preparation for this session, sign-up for a Research Rabbit account. Visit https://www.researchrabbit.ai/ and select Log In or the Sign Up button.
Block Two & Three Options:
AI Tools for Research
This workshop will help identify problems that AI can help with, encourage exploration and experimentation with different tools, and provide some ways to assess the AI outputs using critical thinking and reflection.
Exploring & Finding STEM Research
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) research is communicated through a variety of source types & associated publication methods: conference proceedings, reports, white papers, preprints, as well as books, peer-reviewed journal articles, and more. Attend this session to learn how to navigate the world of STEM research and successfully locate the information you need.
Be a social success! Social Sciences Databases and Resources
In this session, we’ll discuss how to locate and use databases useful to the social sciences (Psychology, Political Science, Anthropology, and others). We'll learn where to find databases on the UC Merced Library’s webpage, and we’ll practice using search techniques in the databases and UC Library Search that will help you locate and access the materials you need.
Finding Sources Through Citation Networks AKA Scholarship is Connected
Research literature is connected through a rich network of citations and author collaborations. Leverage citation networks, from one or more articles, to find relevant information sources for your research. In this session, Sara will highlight search tools that offer citation networks and introduce ResearchRabbit as a tool for locating related research literature and author connections.
In preparation for this session, sign-up for a Research Rabbit account. Visit https://www.researchrabbit.ai/ and select Log In or the Sign Up button.
Get to Know Scholarly Publishing!
What is the point of scholarly articles? Who even reads them? In this session, we will explore the basics of scholarly publishing, contextualizing what articles are, why they are mostly available in databases, and how to get information about them using library tools and other sources. We will also briefly mention predatory journals, which you will want to be on the lookout for.
A laptop will be helpful for this session.
Library Basics
This activity based session will review and build on the Starting your Research tutorial series. In this session you will learn how to use the Library website, find access to information and additional support if you need it. This is a general session, perfect for learning how to navigate library resources to conduct searches, get help, and use the tools available to you. This is aimed at individuals new to UC Merced or those that haven't had a lot of previous library experience. It's also a great way to work together with your colleagues and ask library staff any questions that you may have.