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Skills Focus Workshops: Home

Skills Focus Workshops

Register for the Library Focus Workshops if you need help:

  • AI tools for university work

  • Academic honesty: Avoiding pitfall that lead to misconduct

  • Accessing business databases and researching company information

  • Citing and referencing (using APA or Harvard style referencing)  

  • Developing a successful search strategy

  • Editing your work

  • Exam techniques

  • FactCheck: Recognising fake news

  • Getting Started with SPSS

  • Finding information for your assignments             

  • Internet searching for research

  • Managing Referencing with Bibliographic Software

  • Organising your research and planning for the essay/report 

  • Paraphrasing techniques

  • Reading effectively

  • Researching resources for Law

  • Revision Strategies

  • Structuring your writing

  • Time management 

  • Using feedback to improve academic performance

  • Using AI to find academic resources

Registration

Click here to register

2024-25 Autumn term workshops

  • Time Management - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • Finding information for your assignments - Abbie Cruz - Monday, October 7, 2024 - 1-2pm & 6-7pm

  • Reading Effectively - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • Citing and referencing (using Harvard style referencing) - Laura Barber - Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - 1-2pm & 6-7pm

  • Citing and referencing (using APA style referencing) - Laura Barber - Thursday, October 17, 2024 - 12-1pm

  • Internet searching for research - Abbie Cruz - Thursday, October 24, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Organising your research and planning for the essay/report - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, October 29, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • AI tools for university work - Abbie Cruz - Wednesday, October 30, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Structuring your writing - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, November 5, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • Accessing business databases and researching company information - Abbie Cruz - Thursday, November 7, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Using AI to find academic resources - Laura Barber - Monday, November 11, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Citing and referencing (using Harvard style referencing) - Laura Barber - Thursday, November 14, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Paraphrasing Techniques - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, November 19, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • Getting Started with SPSS - Sophie Azoury - Monday, November 25, 2024  - 3-4pm

  • Editing your Work - Siobhan McNiff - Tuesday, November 26, 2024 - 3-4pm

  • Researching resources for Law - Abbie Cruz - Thursday, November 28, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

  • Managing Referencing with Bibliographic Software - Laura Barber - Thursday, December 4, 2024 - 12-1pm & 6-7pm

If you are unavailable during these times please CLICK HERE to email the Library for individual one-to-one help! 

Suggestions

We want your ideas for future workshops! What would you like the Library Team and CAS to offer? Whether its accessing our databases, spotting fake news, or help with finding academic sources. Our aim is to help you achieve your potential.

Access and complete the form here to provide us with your suggestions.

 

Library Focus Workshops

FREE workshops offered by Middlesex Dubai Library and

Centre for Academic Success

Library Focus workshops aim to develop your research skills and help get the most out of your Library resources. We are here to deliver research training to build the skills and confidence you need to succeed in your academic career and beyond...

AI tools for university work

Harness the power of AI tools to use ethically and responsibly within your university work. Join our short workshop and discover a range of AI-driven resources designed to enhance your academic journey and beyond. 

Academic honesty: avoiding pitfall that lead to misconduct          

This session will explore common misconceptions about plagiarism, academic integrity, and the function of Turntin.  It will look at reasons why students make the choice of taking a short cut and highlight the many tools Middlesex provide to assist students.

Accessing business databases and researching company information       

This session explores our business databases for both academic and professional journal articles plus sources of company information. We will discuss the best resources to use for accessing articles, before undertaking a practical exercise using three of our academic databases: Business Source Complete, Passport and IBISWorld. 

Citing and referencing (using APA, OSCOLA or Harvard style referencing)               

This session will take you through the basics of APA, OCSOLA or Harvard referencing systems. We will look at how to cite and reference a number of different sources and why referencing is an important academic skill. This workshop will include activities and discussion about citing and referencing. Please note: check dates for appropriate referencing style to your discipline.

MDX School

Referencing style

Accounting and Finance

Harvard

Art and Design

Harvard

Business

Harvard

Education

Harvard

Law

OSCOLA

Media

Harvard

Psychology

APA

Science and Technology

Harvard

 

Developing a successful search strategy 

This workshop provides an introduction to the ‘success’ search strategy. We will provide you with the guidelines to consider your information needs, information sources, and search techniques within specific contexts. By applying the ‘success’ search strategy, you’ll spend less time searching but still find relevant quality materials for your assignment. 

Editing your work (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)           

Learn about the best strategies and tools for checking your assignments to maximise your grades.  You will learn about which aspects to check and edit and use Grammarly practically to improve the flow of your writing.

Exam techniques (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)              

Do you go blank in exams?  Learn some strategies for managing exam stress and maximising your grades.

FactCheck: Recognising fake news          

"A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth can get its boots on…". You’ve heard the expression 'fake news', but what does it really mean? For university students it’s especially important to distinguish fact from fiction and recognise purveyors of misinformation. In this workshop we break down the language around this topic and give tips to help you protect yourself from misinformation.

Finding information for your assignments                          

This session will provide an overview of information which you can use in your assignments and how you can get hold of it. We’ll provide tips on how you can find quality information efficiently and with ease. We will consider various information sources and how you should evaluate these in your work. 

Internet searching for research

We live in a world of infobesity. The internet is bursting with information and it can be difficult to wade through the irrelevant stuff. This workshop will prepare university students to utilise the internet in finding information sources of good academic quality. It will also cover evaluation criteria in identifying reliable websites for specific research needs.

Getting Started with SPSS (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)          

This workshop introduces the essentials of SPSS for students new to data analysis. We’ll explore data entry, variable setup, simple descriptive, statistical tests and data visualisation—perfect for those looking to use SPSS in their coursework or dissertations, especially for quantitative research.

Organising your research and planning for the essay/report 

Throughout your MDX studies, you will have to conduct extensive research, often working on multiple assignments at once. Learn how to organise your research notes, create templates and complete your assignments more efficiently.

Paraphrasing techniques (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)             

Hone the important academic skill of paraphrasing, as this will help you to avoid plagiarism.  In this workshop, we will reflect on various paraphrasing techniques and practice making notes by paraphrasing.

Reading effectively (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)         

At university, you will be navigating reading lists and consulting journals, books and websites; perhaps reading more than you have ever done before!  This session will introduce you to strategies for choosing the best sources to use and getting the most understanding out of each text.  We will look at some texts and practice effective reading techniques. 

Researching resources for Law  

This session explores our Law databases for law reports, legislation, and full text journals. We will discuss the best techniques for accessing resources, before undertaking a practical exercise using three of our databases: Heinonline, Lexis Library, and Westlaw.

Revision strategies (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)           

If you have timed tests and exams, this workshop will help you to learn some new techniques for remembering facts, data and module information.  Think about how you learn best and harness your strengths to revise effectively.

Structuring your writing (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)

Structure in academic writing is about the overall argument and how it flows from the introduction to the conclusion. This workshop will unpack the various sections of an essay and report and provide practical guidance on how to achieve cohesion in your writing through effective paragraphing.

Time management (delivered by the Centre for Academic Success)         

Learn how to cope with all the assignment deadlines on your course so that you can enjoy your studies and know how to prioritise and balance the various aspects of your personal, professional and student life.  In this workshop you will be looking at your module handbooks and drawing up a planner for the year.

Using feedback to improve academic performance          

When you get assignments back from your tutor, what do you look at first?  The grade or the feedback? The function of feedback is to enhance learning and provide ideas for how to improve future assignments. This workshop will explore key things you need to do to maximise the usefulness of your tutor feedback.

Using software to manage citing and referencing

For students confident in citing and referencing. This session will introduce biblographic software to help you manage your references and help you cite and reference within Word documents.

Using AI to find academic resources

Learn  how to harness AI tools like Consensus, Elicit and Research Rabbit for smarter, more efficient research. This workshop will cover AI-driven brainstorming techniques and strategies to enhance your research process, helping you find and analyse information more effectively.

 

Click here to register