Welcome to the Research Camp for Research Assistants, Teaching Assistants and Graduate Students, brought to you by the Dalhousie Libraries. The Research Camp is designed to take you through the elements of research from basic to advanced. The program is offered through a combination of asynchronous modules on Brightspace and live online sessions on Teams. Modules may include short video lectures and interactive exercises to help you brush up on your literature searching, writing, information management, and research skills. Some modules include recordings of our live sessions from Research Summer Camp. Modules and sessions are prepared and delivered by research and writing specialists affiliated with Dalhousie Libraries and the Dalhousie University Writing Centre.
Register for Research Camp and you will have access to all of the asynchronous modules. Registered participants can access and work through module content at their own pace. Participants are not required to complete all modules. You can pick and choose modules based on your individual interest and skill level. Modules will be available until March 28, 2025.
**During spring updates (April - May 2025), the content will be temporarily unavailable. Participants will receive notice about this in advance.
Research Camp badges are available for module completion, and badges accumulate toward certificates. For a full list of available certificates, see the Certificate page.
You can self-register in Brightspace by clicking Academic Support > Self registration, and selecting Research Camp 2024-2025. You can enroll anytime.
The objective of the program is to develop and/or refresh the literature searching and information management abilities of research assistants, teaching assistants, and other graduate students.
Learners will gain information search and management knowledge, including
Each module in the program contains specified learning outcomes.
How do I register?
Who is eligible to register?
While the primary audience for Research Camp is Dalhousie University graduate students, all Dalhousie students, staff and faculty are welcome to register.
How much does it cost?
Nothing. Research Camp is free!
Do I have to complete all modules?
No. You can pick and choose modules to complete based on your interests. We do recommend, however, that all participants complete the modules in Core Skills 1, 2 and 3, as the content in these modules is foundational for developing core research and writing skills.
Are the modules graded?
No, this program is for professional and scholarly development only. However, badges are issued for module completion, and badges accumulate toward certificates for completing subsets of the modules. Visit the Certificates page for more information.
How long will I have access to the modules?
The modules will be available for roughly 10 months. Each spring, we will refresh the content in Research Camp. Participants from previous years are welcome to register again in subsequent years.
Core Skills 1: Getting started with research
Module | Description | Presenter |
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Welcome to Research Camp! | An introduction to Research Camp 2024-2025. Learn how the program works and how to make the most of the online format. | Lindsay McNiff, Dalhousie Libraries |
Library research 101 |
The basics (or a refresher)! This module will introduce you to library supports for your research, including research guides, subject specialists, and how to get help with research. After completing this module, learners will be able to
|
Lindsay McNiff, Dalhousie Libraries |
Researching for literature reviews |
The methodology of a literature review goes beyond just searching for information. Good literature review methodology follows a logical process and is well-documented. This module will cover this process, including how to effectively search for library and document your search methods in multiple disciplines. Attendees will leave with the tools to support them in the literature review research process. Note: For those wishing to learn more about the process for systematic or scoping reviews, check out the Research Synthesis Methods modules. This session was offered synchronously online on Tuesday, May 14. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Erin MacPherson, Dalhousie Libraries |
Core Skills 2: Writing
Core Skills 3: Citation management & Copyright
Module | Description | Presenter |
Intro to citation management |
Citation management software lets you store and organize your references, connect to full-text articles, and format your papers. This session will introduce you to Zotero, a popular citation management program that is freely available. It will also compare Zotero to EndNote and Mendeley, other major products. This session was offered synchronously online on Thursday, May 30. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Shelley McKibbon, Dalhousie Libraries |
Copyright: Your rights & responsibilities as a user |
Copyright considerations are relevant to many university activities in Canada, both for creators and users of copyright-protected material. This module looks at your rights and responsibilities as a user of third-party materials for educational purposes. Topics in this module include: introduction to key copyright concepts, Fair Dealing and other exceptions, licensing, copyright support @ Dal. After completing this module, participants will be able to:
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Jaclyn Chambers Page Dalhousie Libraries |
Subject searching
Module | Description | Presenter(s) |
Searching PubMed |
As a freely-available biomedical information resource, PubMed is an excellent research tool that is highly-regarded by students, researchers, librarians, and clinicians in the health disciplines. In this live session, participants will be introduced to searching in PubMed, including selecting search terms, constructing a thorough search strategy, using filters, the Clinical Queries feature, and saving and exporting results. This session was offered synchronously online on Tuesday, May 28. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Jackie Phinney, Dalhousie Libraries |
Searching Embase |
Embase is a popular bibliographic database used for retrieving biomedical and pharmacological literature from across the globe. This live session will introduce participants to the scope of this resource and will provide an overview of Embase’s main features that can be used when developing, conducting, and reviewing results from a literature search. Live demonstrations will be shown, and participants will have a chance for hands-on practice during this session. This session was offered synchronously online on Monday, June 3. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Jackie Phinney, Dalhousie Libraries |
Humanities resources & research |
This module, geared towards students in the humanities disciplines, will cover some of the key databases and information sources for humanities research. Participants will gain hands-on experience with distinguishing, locating, and selecting key humanities sources such as articles, books, reviews, and primary source material. After completing this module, learners will be able to
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Lindsay McNiff, Dalhousie Libraries |
Legal resources for non-law students | This is an introduction to the Canadian legal research process for those with little or no experience. At the end of this module, participants should have a broad understanding of the Canadian legal system, what the Common Law is, and be able to identify and retrieve both secondary and primary Canadian legal sources such as texts, articles, legislation, and case law. The session will use sources available via Dalhousie Libraries as well as freely available online legal tools. | Hannah Rosborough, Dalhousie Libraries |
Engineering resources & research | This module, comprised of 10 videos, will introduce you to fundamental resources for research in engineering: the engineering librarians and research guides; research databases for engineering; finding and evaluating engineering journals; finding standards; finding patents; and a demonstration of the premier engineering research database: Compendex on Engineering Village. | Allie Fulford, Dalhousie Libraries |
Searching for grey literature |
Are you looking for content beyond what can be found in traditional books and journal articles? Are you wondering if a source is appropriate to cite? In this module, we will discuss what is considered “grey” literature, why it is valuable, and explore some tools and techniques to approach this type of research. And because this type of evidence may not have quality checks, like peer review, prior to distribution, we provide some tips for critically examining the results of your searches. Whether you need conference proceedings or government reports, we will check out a variety of sources for grey literature beyond standard databases and catalogues. This module will draw on examples from the disciplines of health and law, but the demonstrations are applicable for interdisciplinary searching across other science and social science disciplines. |
Hannah Rosborough & Robin Parker, Dalhousie Libraries |
Working with research data
Module | Description | Presenter |
Excel 1: Easy Excel for beginners |
In this hands-on workshop, you will use a carefully crafted Excel instructional file to learn to clean and transform messy external data into beautifully formatted and printer-friendly data. You will also practice using Excel’s built-in tools to explore data. This beginner-friendly module covers navigating, selecting, formatting, filtering, and conditional formatting. Prerequisite: Excel 2016+ for desktop. After attending or viewing the workshop session, you will be able to:
This session was offered synchronously online on Tuesday, June 4. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Julie Marcoux, Dalhousie Libraries |
Excel 2: Data visualization with Excel pivot charts |
In this whirwind hands-on introduction to visualizing data with pivot tables and pivot charts, you will use a carefully crafted Excel instructional file to create a pivot table and pivot chart. You will then practice changing the look of your pivot table/chart, and working with built-in Excel features to display and filter data in your table and chart. This beginner-friendly workshop covers creating, formatting, filtering, and configuring pivot tables and pivot charts. Prerequisite: Excel 2016+ for desktop (Windows) or a really recent copy of Excel (Mac). After attending or viewing the workshop session, you will be able to:
This session was offered synchronously online on Thursday, June 6. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Julie Marcoux, Dalhousie Libraries |
Excel 3: Excel experts |
In this hands-on workshop, you will use comprehensive Excel learning files to learn more about what Excel can do – and maybe even become an Excel expert! You will practice using advanced Excel formulas and Excel features specifically chosen for their broad applicability and utility to complete a variety of exercises. Prerequisite: ability to manually create simple formulas, Excel 365 for desktop preferred, but content is almost entirely compatible with Excel 2016+ (Windows or Mac). After attending or viewing the workshop session, you will be able to:
This session was offered synchronously online on Monday, June 10. |
Julie Marcoux, Dalhousie Libraries |
Excel 4: Macros |
Did you know that Excel macros can help you magically automate Excel tasks? This hands-on workshop uses an instructional file complete with examples of useful bits of macro code to go over the logistics of creating, working with, and modifying macros. You don’t need any programming or coding skills to attend this introductory session. Prerequisite: Excel 2016+ (Windows) or a really recent copy of Excel (Mac). After attending or viewing the workshop session, you will be able to:
This session was offered synchronously online on Thursday, June 13. |
Julie Marcoux, Dalhousie Libraries |
Research data management basics | Discover how research data management (RDM) can help you save time, guard against loss, and improve the quality of your research, while fulfilling granting body and publisher requirements. This module will cover best practices in RDM and introduce you to helpful resources including the free, online Data Management Plan (DMP) Assistant tool. | Louise Gillis, Dalhousie Libraries |
Dos and Don’ts of Preparing a Strong Ethics Application |
Applying for ethics approval through the Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (REB) at Dalhousie can be a daunting and unfamiliar task. However, it is also a valuable tool in your research process. This session was originally recorded for the Medical Education Research Roundtables series. It provides information on:
These skills are also transferable for ethics processes at other organizations such as the IWK or Nova Scotia Health Authority. |
Dr. Sarah Burm, Continuing Professional Development & Medical Education & Angela Hersey, Office of Research Services |
Research synthesis methods
Module | Description | Presenter |
Evidence synthesis |
Are you deciding whether you should complete a systematic review or a scoping review? Maybe another research synthesis method is a better fit for your question and purpose? This introductory overview of evidence synthesis methods will highlight how to decide which approach is appropriate to a specific purpose. Example reviews from multiple fields of research will illustrate various high-quality methodologies and we will also examine some publications that highlight what to avoid when conducting and reporting your own research synthesis. Participants will be directed to sources of reliable methodological guidance and other training resources to continue their learning. |
Robin Parker, Dalhousie Libraries |
Advanced searching skills for comprehensive reviews |
The systematic and comprehensive approaches of retrieving and identifying relevant evidence for research syntheses require advanced searching skills and thorough documentation. This advanced-level module dives into the processes and considerations necessary for the types of searches used in systematic and scoping reviews. Through demonstration with an example search and provision of instructional resources to help you apply the practices to your own topic, this module will guide you through breaking down your research question into search concepts, selection of sources to search, identification of search terms, and application of the search in multiple databases. Furthermore, we will cover best practices in documenting your searching and results, with a focus on using the PRISMA-S checklist to ensure transparency of your search methods. |
Robin Parker, Dalhousie Libraries |
Presenting & publishing research
Module | Description | Presenter |
Publishing an article |
Research Impact, author rights, open access, preprints, predatory publishers, funder policies, peer review – publishing in academic journals is a key way of communicating research. However, navigating the options and variables it involves can be overwhelming. This module will provide an introduction to scholarly publishing literacy to make sure that you make informed decisions about when, where, and how you share your research for the most benefit to your field and your career. After completing this module, participants will be able to:
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Melissa Rothfus, Dalhousie Libraries |
Intro to creating conference posters |
Create effective posters for your projects, research, and conference presentations. Participants will learn how to use PowerPoint to create a 4x6 poster. The module will include setting dimensions, inserting text boxes and headings (font styles and sizes), choosing colour schemes, and more. After completing this module, learners will be able to
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Lindsay McNiff, Dalhousie Libraries |
Copyright: Your rights & responsibilities as a creator |
Copyright considerations are relevant to many university activities in Canada, both for creators and users of copyright-protected material. This module looks at your rights and responsibilities as a creator of new, original material (i.e, a copyright owner). Topics in this module include introduction to key copyright concepts for creators, publishing agreements, open licensing, and copyright support @ Dal. After completing this module, participants will be able to:
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Jaclyn Chambers Page, Dalhousie Libraries |
Intellectual property ownership for students |
Intellectual property (IP) includes copyright, patents, copyright, industrial designs, trademarks, and trade secrets. Faculty, staff, and students all develop IP day-to-day at Dalhousie. These may take the form of innovative inventions, or a student's thesis. This session will explore Dalhousie’s Intellectual Property Policy, who owns your work and common IP issues. By attending this session you will learn who owns your intellectual property in various work and study scenarios at Dalhousie. This session will cover both academic and work scenarios for graduate students at Dalhousie. This session was offered synchronously online on Wednesday, June 5. The recording is available in Brightspace. |
Lachlan MacLeod, Dalhousie Legal Counsel Office |