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Research Skills Series WS 2024/25

Find here the information for the research skills series for the Winter Semester 2024/25.

IPP Research Skills Series

for PhD students

 

The IPP Research Skills Series is a monthly workshop series which is aimed at offering and establishing strategies for navigationg core research skills. The series is open to PhD students and will take place in-person or online. 

 

All the in-person sessions will take place in the GCSC-GGK Building (Otto-Behaghel-Str. 12) on Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM. We will either be in Room SR 126 or SR 109. 

  • Digital Research Tools I: Online (Re)sources in Germany and Beyond | 07.11.2024 | SR 126. Register here.

The first session of our research skills series will help you optimise your online searches by guiding you in identifying and locating the types of sources you need for your specific research in literary and cultural studies. Whether you are looking for contextual, theoretical, or primary literature, this session has you covered. You will be introduced to a variety of online resources that are readily available within Germany and internationally. This series is particularly valuable for those unfamiliar with free online (re)sources, those with historically oriented research projects, as well as first- and second-year PhD students in general.

 

  • Staying Focused on Your Work in Today’s Attention Economy | 12.12.2024 | SR 109. Register here.

After ten minutes of some intense theoretical reading, does your thumb tend to gravitate to the nearest social media app to see a cute kitten video? Welcome to the attention economy! As our attention has shifted to working with and even living through digital media, businesses, influencers, and even organisations such as the university vie for large chunks of your attention on the computer and phone screen. Are we really becoming addicted to the reward-seeking dopamine rushes of (social) media, and are there ways to maintain self-control? This session will discuss the premise of today’s digital attention economy and its effects on the daily life of researchers. Using help from the psychological sciences, it will instruct you on the power of habit and give you concrete tools to create an environment in which you can focus more on your research. 

 

Do you need help navigating the vast amount of literature you’re collecting and want to reference in your PhD? Join our Online Q&A with Frank Waldschmidt-Dietz (University Library); this session will provide you with expert advice on making the most of Zotero, a powerful reference management system. Learn how to use plug-ins for automatic metadata collection and integrate Zotero with Word. Please note: it is necessary for the Q&A session that you have already installed Zotero (version 7) on your laptop and have a general overview of the programme. For the required information and how to install Zotero before you attend this online session, please read the section “Zotero basics” here and watch this YouTube Video. 

 

  • Ethical and Effective Use of AI for Humanities Research | 06.02.2025 | SR 109. Register here.

How much AI is too much AI? This session will guide you in effectively using AI in your literary and cultural research while addressing the ethical concerns specific to our field. If you haven’t already, please experiment with ChatGPT or Copilot before attending.