2026 is somehow three-quarters over already! (How has that happened?)
If you’d like to crank up your thesis-writing for the rest of the year, we’ve got your back. The October workshop line-up includes support for every stage of your thesis writing, including:
- Getting Started with Research Writing (15 October)
- Thesis Writing: Literature Reviews (6 October)
- Thesis Writing: Discussions (7 October)
- Thesis Writing: Conclusions (14 October)
- Thesis Writing: Connecting Results and Literature Review Sections (1 and 28 October)
- Qualitative Writing for Beginners (8 October)
Thinking about what comes next? This month’s career and funding sessions are Academic CVs, Cover Letters & Job Interview Expectations (5 October), Finding Scholarship Funding for Doctoral Studies (7 October), and Industry Careers for Doctoral Students (19 October).
If you’re thinking about how to apply Te Tiriti o Waitangi your research, Putting Te Tiriti into practice in research environments (5 October) and Treaty-referenced relationships: Culture, power and cultural safety in research (19 October) will help you reflect on your positionality and research relationships in the context of cultural safety.
We also recommend Thesis Formatting: The Works (Saturday 17 October) for anyone writing their thesis in MS Word. There is an art to getting Word to handle long documents well, and this intensive five-hour, hands-on session will help you craft a well-formatted document that will facilitate smooth writing and navigation.
Read on for the full October workshop listings.
PG Workshops in October 2026
| What? | Where? | When? |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started with the DMP tool (Research Data Management – Part 2) In this practical face-to-face library workshop, participants will learn about AUT’s data management tool, working through the requirements step-by-step. The session is a great opportunity to start your first data management plan, continue a current one, or just to have a play and learn about the tool, and the process for collecting, organising, storing and preserving your research data. | City campus | Thu 1 Oct, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM |
| Thesis writing: Connecting results and literature review sections Provides 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. You will analyse and discuss text examples and relate these to your own writing. We also explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. | Online | Thu 1 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM and Wed 28 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Academic CVs, cover letters & job interview expectations This workshop will introduce attending postgraduate research and doctoral students to structuring an academic CV, writing a tailored cover letter, and preparing for typical academic interview formats. | City campus | Mon 5 Oct, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
| Treaty in research: Putting Te Tiriti into practice in research environments Participants examine what Treaty responsibility can mean in their own roles, and how research questions, relationships, funding, methods, governance, and institutional systems can support or constrain Hapū authority and aspirations. Rather than offering a formula for Treaty-compliant research, the workshop builds practical judgement: recognising where power sits, whose priorities shape the work, and when partnership, Māori leadership, or changes to institutional practice may be needed. Best suited to those who already have confident foundational Treaty knowledge. | Online | Mon 5 Oct, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM |
| 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, and explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Systematic reviews are not covered. | Online | Tue 6 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Finding scholarship funding for doctoral studies This workshop will show you how to search for and find various scholarship and research funding avenues as a doctoral student. | Online | Wed 7 Oct, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM |
| Thesis writing: Discussions Discusses writing strategies and choices for bringing in past research to support your own arguments. Participants will practise precise language that changes the extent to which you may agree or disagree with the views of others. We also explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Bring your device, plus an article you have read recently and a sample of your own writing. | Online | Wed 7 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Research impact: The importance of visibility and profiles This workshop covers the importance of managing research profiles and IDs. It introduces the Research Health Check form and how to use it to enhance and update profiles, increasing research visibility and impact. | Online | Wed 7 Oct, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM |
| Qualitative analysis for beginners 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. Bookings required. | Online | Thu 8 Oct, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
| Qualitative writing for beginners 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. Bookings required. | Online | Thu 8 Oct, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM |
| Using literature 2: For clear and persuasive arguments Considers fundamental differences between writing descriptively and persuasively. Participants will look closely at why some arguments are easy to follow. We also consider the way language enables us to control how much we align with other points of view. We also apply knowledge from the workshop to explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Bring your device, an article you have read recently, and a sample of your own writing. | Online | Thu 8 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Crafting an oral presentation for a conference or symposium This workshop is designed for students who aim to present their research at a conference or symposium. It will cover how to communicate complex ideas with clarity, structure your talk for maximum impact, design slides that enhance (rather than overwhelm) your message, and manage nerves on the day. | Online | Tue 13 Oct, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
| Using literature 3: For 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. We also apply knowledge from the workshop to explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Bring an article you have read recently and a sample of your own writing. You will need a device to participate in reading and writing activities. | Online | Tue 13 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| 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. We also apply knowledge from the workshop to explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Bring your device! | Online | Wed 14 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Getting started with research writing Focuses on strategies to help researchers digest reading in preparation for writing about what you’ve read. Try free-writing and mapping concepts as strategies to get words on the page and then create more structured writing. We will also explore how Copilot can assist with the research writing process. Bring your device and an article you have read recently. | Online | Thu 15 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| 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 17 Oct, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM |
| Industry careers for doctoral students This workshop will introduce attending doctoral students to the job search beyond academia, as well as helping them know themselves and leverage their transferable skills. There will also be information about strategic networking, with the opportunity to practise. | City campus | Mon 19 Oct, 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM |
| Treaty-referenced relationships: Culture, power and cultural safety in research Building on “Putting the Treaty into Practice in Research Environments,” this workshop explores relationships, positionality, power, racism, and cultural safety in greater depth. Drawing on participants’ knowledge of what makes relationships work, it considers how culture, institutional power, colonisation, and histories of harm shape Treaty-referenced relationships, including how Pākehā culture and research culture can become treated as neutral or normal within institutions. Through discussion and reflection, participants consider what supports safer, more equitable, and more accountable relationships, and identify next steps in their own mahi. | Online | Mon 19 Oct, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM |
| Systematic Review 1: An introduction What is a systematic literature review and how is it different from a literature review? Why do people use the same terminology but seem to have different ideas on what a SLR actually is? This workshop outlines key differences between types and involves activities to help you decide which one is right for you. This workshop is one of a series of three SLR workshops. Attend any one or all three. | Online | Wed 21 Oct, 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| Copilot writing lab: Using GenAI for research significance of a thesis/dissertation Explores how we can use Copilot for aspects of the research writing process. We begin by summarising important knowledge about arguing for the significance of your research and then introduce a ‘choice map’ to outline the types of tasks we could ask Copilot to perform. Together we will craft and refine prompts and continuously critique responses. Bring your own reading and writing as we dynamically use Copilot for research writing. | City campus | Thu 22 Oct, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM |
| Introduction to mixed methods This workshop will provide a foundational understanding of mixed methods research. Attendees will explore the key principles of mixed methods, including design strategies, implementation techniques, and methods of data interpretation. Bookings required. | Online | Wed 28 Oct, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
