As another year approaches its end, we hope you’re happy with your research progress in 2023. But if you want to keep up the momentum, read on! There are still lots more opportunities to build your research skills before the end of the year.
If you are a new (or newish) doctoral student and you haven’t attended a doctoral induction, the last one for the year is coming up on Nov 13th. Contact red@aut.ac.nz if you’d like to come along to learn about doctoral processes, milestones, and support services.
You may like to note in your calendar that AUT’s summer closedown period is coming up from Saturday, 16th December 2023 to Sunday, 7th January 2024. During that time, all campuses are (largely) closed, and most services are suspended; though some facilities will remain open on a limited basis. We’ll have more PG specifics to come, so keep an eye on Thesislink for that.
Read on for more about workshops & events for the rest of 2023.
Postgraduate Research Workshops in Nov-Dec
| What? | Where? | When? |
|---|---|---|
| Connecting your research Explores how writers use language to connect to both past and future research. Participants will have time to analyse examples relevant to them and practice using common language patterns to clearly show readers how new research fits in to the wider field. | City campus | Wed 1 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Presentation skills for your PGR9 This workshop is designed for students who are preparing for their PGR9 presentation. It will cover the principles of presentation skills, with a particular focus on the unique requirements of the PGR9 presentation. | Online | Thu 2 Nov, 1:00pm – 3:00pm |
| Getting started with writing Focuses on strategies to help researchers digest reading in preparation for writing about what you’ve read. Participants try freewriting and mapping concepts as strategies to get words on the page and then create more structured writing. Bring an article you have read recently and a sample of your own writing. | Online | Thu 2 Nov, 5:30pm – 7:30pm and Wed 22 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Thesis writing: Conclusions An overview of the structure of a Conclusion section of a thesis. Identifies typical functions and distinctive features of this section in relation to the whole research project. Participants analyse and discuss text examples and relate these to their own writing. | Online | Mon 6 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Analysing qualitative data This workshop provides a focused introduction to qualitative data analysis, and will cover the key stages in the process such as data preparation, coding, and identifying patterns in your data. It is interspersed with practical tips and aims to leave attendees feeling more confident in approaching this vital—but inevitably messy—stage of the research cycle. | Online | Wed 8 Nov, 10:00am – 12:00pm |
| Presentation skills for your doctoral oral examination This workshop is designed for students who are preparing for their doctoral oral examination. Learn how to write and deliver a short presentation about your research, prepare for your likely examiners’ questions, and confidently answer questions on the big day. | Online | Wed 8 Nov, 1:00pm – 3:00pm |
| Writing up qualitative research Moving from the analysis and interpretive stages to the writing phase can be challenging for qualitative researchers, and many people struggle with this stage of the research process. This training course covers tips and tricks for managing this process. | Online | Wed 8 Nov, 1:00pm – 3:00pm |
| Thesis writing: Discussions Provides an overview of the structure of discussion sections within a thesis. Identifies typical functions and distinctive features of this section in relation to the whole research project. Participants analyse and discuss text examples and relate these to their own writing. | Online | Thu 9 Nov, 5:30pm – 7:30pm |
| NVivo core skills for students This course is targeted at researchers wanting an efficient means of handling and analysing their qualitative data. No prior knowledge of the software is assumed; however a basic understanding of qualitative analysis procedures would be helpful. | Online | Fri 10 Nov, 10:00am – 3:00pm |
| Communicating your research identity Focuses on thinking through who you are as a researcher for the purpose of generating and refining content for research profiles and considering where to publish. Suited to doctoral and non-doctoral students (masters, honours) who want to develop and communicate their research identity. | Online | Tue 14 Nov, 5:30pm – 7:30pm |
| Preparing for a doctoral oral examination Engage in this informative session where you will find out about the doctoral oral examination process, how to prepare for it and what to expect. The facilitator will lead the discussion and answer any questions you may have about the process. | Online | Wed 15 Nov, 10:00am – 12:00pm |
| Tools for editing your writing Introduces ProWritingAid as a tool for editing. Focuses on using statistics to examine draft writing. These statistics are related to choices about paragraph structure, and where to condense your writing or elaborate. Participants will have time to use the tool to edit their own work. | Online | Wed 15 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Preparing a PGR9 research proposal This session is specifically for doctoral students who are preparing their PGR9 research proposal, and postgraduate research supervisors. It will describe the PGR9 process and cover the key elements required for writing a proposal for a doctoral research project at AUT. | Online | Wed 15 Nov, 1:00pm – 3:00pm (note new date) |
| Thesis formatting: The works This workshop focuses on the best ways to use Microsoft Word to handle a long document such as a thesis. Topics covered will include: using styles, section breaks, table of contents, page numbering and using various techniques to move around a long document easily. | City campus | Sat 18 Nov, 9:00am – 2:00pm |
| Thesis writing: Literature reviews An overview of the structure of literature reviews within a thesis. Identifies typical functions and distinctive features of this section in relation to the whole research project. Participants analyse, discuss and relate text examples to their own writing. Systematic reviews are not covered. | Online | Mon 20 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Systematically searching for health literature This Library workshop will take you through the literature searching process: developing a search strategy, searching health databases in a systematic way, and best practices for recording and managing results. Please have your research question handy so you can use it to develop and practice your search. | Online | Wed 22 Nov, 12:00pm – 1:30pm |
| Literature searching for postgraduate research This Library workshop will take you through an advanced literature searching process: developing a search strategy, using different search techniques and best practices for recording and managing results. Please have your research question handy so you can use it to develop and practice your search during the workshop. | Online | Thu 23 Nov, 12:00pm – 1:30pm |
| Fine-tuning your literature review Introduces a process to cross-check how a literature review connects to other sections, such as findings and discussion chapters or parts of a journal article. Participants will use their own work to visually track where concepts are first introduced and then continue to be used. Suited to research students who have already drafted both their research findings and literature review. | Online | Thu 23 Nov, 5:30pm – 7:30pm |
| Thesis writing: Introductions An overview of the structure of an Introduction section of a thesis. Identifies typical functions and distinctive features of this section in relation to the whole research project. Participants analyse and discuss text examples and relate these to their own writing. | Online | Tue 28 Nov, 5:30pm – 7:30pm |
| Bringing in literature Discusses writing strategies and reasons for bringing in past research to support your own arguments. Participants will practice precise language that changes the extent to which you may agree or disagree with the views of others. | City campus | Wed 29 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Writing about research significance Explores where and how you can make your research findings stand out. Participants will consider ‘what matters’ and ‘who cares’ and where this information goes across a thesis or research output. | Online | Thu 30 Nov, 12:00pm – 2:00pm |
| Thesis formatting: BYO text This practical, computer-based workshop is designed for research students who have started writing their dissertation/thesis in Microsoft Word and are having problems formatting their document. Learn the solutions to your issues and ways to prevent future problems. Note: You are encouraged to bring your work along; get hands-on assistance by solving your dilemmas. | City campus | Sat 2 Dec, 9:00am – 1:00pm |
| CV, cover letter & job interview tips for academic roles Getting a job in academia is hugely competitive. If you want to stand a chance of succeeding, you’ve got to stand out. This workshop can help you understand what you should be adding to your CV or articulating in a job interview for a role in the academic world. | Online | Tue 5 Dec, 10:00am – 12:00pm |
| CV, cover letter & job interview tips for working in industry This workshop can help you understand what you should be adding to your CV or articulating in a job interview for a job in industry. | Online | Thu 7 Dec, 10:00am – 12:00pm |
