Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI): Digital Research Skills

Welcome to the Library page for the Summer Undergraduate Research Institute! 

On this page you'll find our schedule for the day. 

Please take a minute to look at the schedule and think about which sessions you'd like to attend. Please bring a laptop with you if you can. It will help you get the most out of the sessions. 

Library Digital Research Schedule 

We have a variety of sessions available today. Our time will be broken up into three blocks to allow you to attend as many different sessions as possible. Just show up to the room listed on the chart below. 

If a room is already full, check out one of our other sessions. You can always book an appointment with a librarian for a later day if you still have questions.

Below you'll find the schedule for today. Each session title links to the page for that session. 

For more information about each session, click here or scroll to the bottom of this page. 

Are you attending "Using Zotero to Manage Your Research & Cite Sources" or "Finding Sources through Citation Networks", please look at the instructions below. 

For "Using Zotero to Manage Your Research & Cite Sources" please create an account and download the application using these links ahead of time: 

• Account: https://www.zotero.org/user/register/ 
• Download: https://www.zotero.org/download/

If attending the Finding Sources through Citation Networks (aka Scholarship is Connected) session, create a ResearchRabbit account in advance. Click Log In to access the Sign Up button.

ResearchRabbit is a literature mapping tool. We will add article citations to ResearchRabbit to locate related articles and to explore author connections.

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. 

 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.