Research Training and Support Tools

University of Cambridge Training

Personal and Professional Development

PPD On Demand

PPD On Demand provides short online learning resources for staff. 

Booking PPD Training

University staff can book PPD training online. Themes include achieving results, communication, innovation and change, leadership, negotiating and influencing, people development, relationship building, and strategic focus.  

• Browse for courses 
• View the Timetable  

PPD Flyer Mailing List

Receive and electronic copy of the PPD flyer every term. 

The Pathways to Impact online tool

The tool is intended for use by researchers, academics or support staff working with them. It provides a step-by-step guide to planning research impact activity with links to many useful resources. It can be used to help write a Pathways to Impact plan for an RCUK grant, or more generally to plan for impact activity.

IT Skills Training

The University Information Service offers a wide variety of face to face and online IT Skills training to support all University members.

Researcher Development Programme

The University runs many courses for researchers, around themes such as writing skills, communication, leadership, research funding, teaching, and PhD progression. 

The Careers Service

The Career Services offers University of Cambridge members a range of services including:

GradLink: the Careers Service alumni database with graduates who can give career advice 

CamCareers email - a targeted careers information email service

Career Service Library books , including

• 'Network to get work', Alan Jones ( Createspace)
• 'Career Networking', Brian Sutton (Industrial Society)
• 'Powerful Networking', John Lockett (Orion Business Books)
• 'Brilliant networking', Steven d'Souza (Pearson)

Sourcing opportunities

• Search Vacancies & Opportunities
• Attend careers events and explore our sector pages for specific fields
• Identify relevant external job boards
• Network to extend your search
• Consider recruitment agencies in some areas

Making applications

• CVs and Cover Letters – discover our most popular publication
• Application forms – find out what employers are really looking for
• Speculative applications – use particularly in areas where opportunities are rarely advertised

Interviews and selection

• Interviews – preparation is key for face-to-face, phone or Skype interviews
• Psychometric tests and assessment centres - online practice tests, explanations and advice
• Negotiating with employers - interview timing, offers and start dates

External Sites

Social Media Resources

A range of social media tools to help you work smarter, claim your online presence and keep pace with technology

The Value of Blogging and Microblogging

Benchmark your research – Mendeley, Stats, ORCID profile, Scopus and ScienceDirect

Webinar – How to promote your article for maximum impact

How to turn your thesis into an article

Improve your knowledge and skills in publishing academic research

Big Ideas – latest trends and innovations in publishing and academic

Networking – how to make the most over every opportunity and promote your research to your peers

Research Solutions – discover new ways and train yourself for effective and efficient research skills

 

Understanding Different Research Perspectives

This free course, Understanding Different Research Perspectives, explores the development of the research process looking at the different perspectives from which an issue or phenomenon can be investigated, and highlights the main methodologies that can be used to investigate a business issue. By looking at different perspectives/approaches to issues and phenomena, different research methodologies and ethical considerations this course will sustain the development of a research study, from the initial idea of what to investigate; to the elaboration of specific research questions; the research design, strategy and methodology.

Skills assessment form 

• https://guides.library.vcu.edu/lit-review
• https://www.kent.ac.uk/learning/resources/studyguides/literaturereviews.pdf

Mentoring plans: a really useful tool for PIs and their lab members

 

• http://mulagofoundation.org/img/pdf/DIF-Latest_8_31_2015.pdf

This is a toolkit on how to invent, adopt or adapt ideas that can deliver better results. It’s quick to use, simple to apply, and designed to help busy people working in development. 

Engage Researchers' Academy

Professional development for researchers, realising their potential for impact.