ECR Development Series
Our ECR Development Series workshops are specifically designed to support personal and professional development for early career researchers. Events run throughout the academic year and are free to all Sussex ECRs.
Workshops are organised by theme, and tagged with categories matching Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework, a tool you should use to develop the skills you need to be an effective researcher.
Registrations are managed through Eventbrite – the ECR Collection lists scheduled sessions, and a flavour of the topics on offer. For online workshops, the joining link will be included on your Eventbrite booking page and in email reminders.
When you register for a workshop you’ll be asked if you have any accessibility needs to help you engage. We will work with our facilitators to make any reasonable adjustments. Please note we may not be able to meet requests with less than one week’s notice.
If you can no longer make a session it is essential you cancel your place through Eventbrite, so others can register. Repeated non-attendance may result in booking restrictions.
Explore the workshops by theme at the bottom of this page, or visit our scheduled events listings for sessions that are currently open for booking. If you have any queries, email us at researcher-development@sussex.ac.uk.
Learn: Knowledge and skills
- Getting started with preregistration and registered reports
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Preregistering your research or publishing a Registered Report enhances the transparency and credibility of the research process. This introductory workshop will clarify the differences between preregistration and Registered Reports, provide practical advice on using preregistration tools and explore effective implementation strategies.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- explain the differences between preregistration and Registered Reports and describe their benefits and limitations
- find preregistration templates
- identify journals that accept Registered Reports
- locate sources of support and guidance.
RDF categories: 3.4 Open research; 4.1 Communication.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Keeping up with the literature: tools and techniques for researchers
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Keeping up with newly published research is essential and can be an over-whelming. This workshop introduces practical tools and techniques for discovering newly published literature in your field, including database alerts, academic networks, and publisher notifications.
You will learn how to integrate literature tracking into your research workflow and identify sources of support.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- identify key tools and platforms for discovering newly published literature
- set up personalised alerts and notification to monitor new publications in your research area
- evaluate the relevance and reliability of sources when reviewing new literature.
RDF categories: 2.3 Information and data literacy; 2.4 Digital and technological capabilities.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Making your research data available to support your publication
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Many journals now ask for research data to be made openly available to support publications.
This session will explore options open to help researchers to do this effectively, including:
- identifying suitable repositories to share your data
- what to consider when describing your data
- how and when to use Sussex Figshare to generate a DOI for your data prior to publication
- how to use Sussex Figshare to make data privately available to peer reviewers
- tips for writing a data statement for your publication to meet funder requirements.
RDF categories: 4.2 Research outputs; 2.3 Information and data literacy.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: Helen Webb, Research Data Management Librarian and Duncan Harrison, Research Data and Digital Preservation Officer, from the Library’s research data management team.
- Open research: principles and practices
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What is open research and why does it matter?
This workshop will introduce the concept of open research, and explore opportunities for implementing open research principles into your own practice. It will cover open access publishing, open data, open source software, open peer review and tools and techniques to help you discover open access materials.
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:
- define key concepts of open research
- describe the benefits of open research for researchers, institutions and society
- assess how open reseach practices align with and support your chosen research methodology
- identify and apply relevant open research practices and locate sources of support and guidance to help you implement them effectively.
RDF categories: 3.4 Open research; 1.9 Responsible.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Scientific writing: structure, language and style
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Manuscripts must be clear and concise and written in a manner that is appropriate for that particular style of document. This workshop covers how to structure an original research paper, designing and planning your article, how to articulate your argument, what to highlight, good practice and what to avoid. The session will cover language, style and tone, using selected examples from the existing literature.
After this workshop participants will have:
- an understanding of what is expected of them regarding writing style and structure
- analysed and discussed examples of clear, concise scientific writing
- been given a range of resources to explore in their own time.
RDF categories: 4.1 Communication, 4.2 Research outputs.Target audience: Early career researchers and PGRs.
Facilitator: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Joanna Young from the Scientific Editing Company.
Grow: Personal effectiveness
- Boosting your writing productivity
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Academic writing can be hard at the best of times. It’s especially challenging when there’s so much going on. In this interactive session, you’ll discover how to make writing more manageable, even under difficult circumstances.
We’ll cover:
- understanding the circle of control
- planning a piece of writing
- building a writing fortress
- improving productivity
- staying focused
- looking after yourself.
RDF categories: 1.3 Organised; 1.6 Adaptable; 1.8 Motivated; 4.1 Communication.Target audience: Early career researchers and PGRs. This session is not suitable for more experienced academics.
Facilitator: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Catherine Pope, a self-employed coach and workshop facilitator.
- Careers beyond research: applying your skills outside academia
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A key component to finding a job outside academia is presenting yourself well at interviews, highlighting your skills and explaining your academic experience in a way that appeals to certain employers.
This three-hour workshop aims to highlight a number of these careers and to explore what particular options might be compatible with individuals. We will review a variety of different job types and case studies of researchers who have moved into different careers, and look at resources to help participants explore their options.
At the end of this workshop, you’ll have:
- a clear understanding of their transferable skills and how to communicate these on their CV and in an interview situation
- an understanding of how to present themselves and be visible online
- an overview of a range of non-academic career options.
RDF categories: 1.1 Development-focused; 1.6 Adaptable.Target audience: Early career researchers and academics.
Facilitators: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Joanna Young from the Scientific Editing Company.
- Managing time and competing priorities in academia
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Are you feeling overwhelmed by the demands of academia? Do you often find yourself struggling to manage your workload effectively?
In this interactive session, you’ll discover how to feel more in control.
Through discussion, activities, and examples, we’ll explore practical tools to help you:
- identify your priorities
- define your research goals and objectives
- create a realistic weekly schedule
- protect your time
- set boundaries.
RDF categories: 3.2 Project management; 1.3 Organised.Target audience: Early career researchers and academics.
Facilitators: Research Coach offers a variety of professional development workshops and events for academics, researchers and higher education professionals.
- Understanding and planning for a research career
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This workshop will give an overview of academic careers, including case studies and examples from the instructor’s own experience. Participants will be asked to consider their career strategy going forward, regarding their research field, their accomplishments to date and their next steps.
They will be introduced to fellowship opportunities, tips on how to network and make their research outputs visible to a wide audience.
After this workshop participants will have:
- an overview of research careers and what is expected of early career researchers
- an understanding of the next steps that they need to take to enhance their career prospects
- an understanding of the skills they have and those that they would like to develop further.
RDF categories: 1.1 Development-focused; 1.2 Strategic.Target audience: Early career researchers and PGRs.
Facilitators: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Joanna Young from the Scientific Editing Company.
Realise: Research governance and organisation
- 7 steps to reproducible research
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Reproducibility is important to the future of research, and is all about working collaboratively, and openly with others. In this workshop we will introduce concepts and tools that researchers are developing and using which aim to make their research more reproducible – so that others can examine their processes, and build on top of findings more easily.
7 steps for reproducible research:
- planning to be organised
- keeping your files tidy and organised
- methodology and protocols
- documentation and writing it down
- testing and controls
- automation
- publishing, persistent identifiers and preparing for reuse.
By the end of this workshop you’ll be able to:- describe what is meant by reproducibility and why it matters
- implement a number of approaches and resources to help you build reproducibility in your everyday workflows, and to make your work easier and more efficient
- utilise reproducibility techniques in ways to manage your project.
RDF categories: 3.4 Open research; 1.3 Organised.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitator: Helen Webb, Research Data Management Librarian and Duncan Harrison, Research Data and Digital Preservation Officer, from the Library’s research data management team.
- Developing excellent research proposals
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There are a considerable number of stages that go into the development of a research proposal that is ready to submit to a funder. Moreover, there are variety of factors that contribute to the likelihood that your proposal will be competitive in the peer review and funding process.
In this workshop, we’ll examine the key elements involved in turning your initial research idea into a proposal that will get the attention and support of the reviewers, demonstrate the importance of the research and assure funders that your project will make a valuable contribution to your field.
RDF categories: 3.1 Funding and finance.
Target audience: Researchers and academics who have a research idea they intend to develop into a proposal for funding.
Facilitators: Research Coach offers a variety of professional development workshops and events for academics, researchers and higher education professionals.
- Introduction to ethics for ECRs
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You cannot collect any new data from humans, animals, social media or conduct auto-ethnographic research without having received ethics approval beforehand, it is essential to understand the ethics approval process.
This workshop will look at the key principles of undertaking ethical research, and explain how to go about obtaining ethical approval from the University.
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
- understand the University process for gaining ethical approval
- received guidance on how to make a strong application
- have had the opportunity to discuss ethical issues arising in your research and explored how to address them.
RDF categories: 3.5 Research integrity and ethics; 1.9 Responsible.Target audience: Early career researchers and early career academics on any pathway.
Facilitators: This workshop is designed and delivered by Alice Saryazdi, Carol Cooley and Alice Ashford – Senior Research Ethics and Integrity Officers from the University’s Research Ethics, Integrity and Governance team.
- Introduction to REF2029
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The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is the UK’s national system of research assessment, driving the distribution of core research funding to universities. The next REF exercise will take place in 2029.
Understanding the REF – its requirements, and its effects on Higher Education and research culture – is essential for everyone who is building a research career in the UK.
By the end of this workshop, participants will understand:
- What is the Research Excellence Framework?
- What is assessed and when?
- What is eligible for REF?
- What’s new for 2029?
RDF categories: 4.2 Research outputs; 5.1 Research culture.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: This workshop is facilitated by Dr Jen Whitehead from the University’s Research Information, Quality and Impact team.
- Introduction to the UK research funding environment
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In this interactive workshop we will de-mystify the policies and processes of research funding, exploring how funding is awarded and managed in the UK and the types of funding that might be available to you.
We will introduce the ways in which funding applications are assessed by funders and the important factors to consider before developing a funding proposal. We will explore when, where and how you might start to seek funding for your research, and what support is available for those making applications.
By the end of this workshop, participants will have:
- an awareness of the key funders of research in the UK
- an appreciation of the role of policy, peer review and assessment in research funding
- knowledge of the tools and routes to identify suitable funding opportunities
- an awareness of the different types of funding available for researchers (fellowships, grants, networking funding, travel funding etc.)
- identified the key questions they need to consider before making an application for funding
- knowledge of where to seek further information and support for making applications.
RDF categories: 3.1 Funding and finance; 1.2 Strategic.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitator: Research Coach offers a variety of professional development workshops and events for academics, researchers and higher education professionals.
- Managing your research data: Introduction to data management plans
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Writing a data management plan (DMP) is useful for researchers in all disciplines. Research data is produced by most projects, and can be anything: interview recordings, sensor data, economic models and more.
A DMP covers how data will be collected, organised, managed, stored, secured, backed-up, preserved, and where applicable, shared. Writing a DMP will help you to anticipate any challenges for working with your data and make the research process much smoother.
This workshop will introduce you to the essential elements of a DMP, covering:
- what a DMP is and how it can help you
- what the core elements of a DMP are and how you can start to write one
- using DMPOnline to structure your DMP
- resources to inform the content of your DMP.
RDF categories: 2.3 Information and data literacy; 3.3 Risk management.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: This session is run by the Library Digital Development and Systems team who support researchers with their research data management.
- Managing your research data: Keeping your data organised and secure
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How safe is your research data? What would happen if you lost it all? This session will help you consider how to keep your research data organised and secure.
By the end of this session, you’ll be able to:
- implement effective file naming conventions to improve the organisation and retrieval of your research data
- develop a backup strategy to minimise the risk of data loss
- evaluate the security strengths and weaknesses of various data storage options (e.g., cloud, local, institutional)
- adopt secure working practices to prevent putting data and participants at risk.
RDF categories: 2.3 Information and data literacy; 3.3 Risk management.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: This session is run by the Library Digital Development and Systems team who support researchers with their research data management.
- Managing your research data: Supporting qualitative data sharing
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Qualitative data has rich potential for re-use in future research, but it can be challenging to navigate routes for data sharing. This session will support attendees with data management planning that will help embed consideration of data sharing principles throughout the research process.
By the end of this session you’ll be able to:
- understand best practice in using consent forms and participant information sheets to seek consent for data sharing
- identify common pitfalls in phrasing that prevent data sharing
- consider a range of options for sharing qualitative data, including using embargos or restricted access.
RDF categories: 2.3 Information and data literacy; 3.4 Open research.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: This session is run by the Library Digital Development and Systems team who support researchers with their research data management.
- One-day academic writing retreats
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Are you struggling to get started with your academic writing? Or have you hit a block? If so, this intensive one-day writing retreat can help you get back on track and make significant progress with your chapter, article or book. You get the time and space to focus. With guidance from an experienced facilitator, you’ll set realistic goals and achieve them in a supportive environment.
It’s important to note this is an intensive writing environment and the focus is on productivity, not on style. If you want more general help with improving your academic writing, one of the RDP writing sessions would be more appropriate for you.
By the end of the retreat you’ll have:
- a better understanding of your writing process and habits
- strategies for improving your focus
- techniques for planning and measuring progress
- a peer group
- a big chunk of writing!
RDF categories: 4.1 Communication; 4.2 Research outputs.Target audience: Early career researchers and PGRs.
Facilitators: This retreat is facilitated by Dr Perpetua Kirby and Dr Emily Danvers, from the School of Education and Social Work.
- Project management for researchers
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Effective project management is crucial for researchers at all stages of their careers. This intensive short course is designed for postdocs seeking to improve their project management skills and offers a comprehensive framework for initiating, planning, designing and executing research projects effectively.
After this workshop participants will have:
- been introduced to the main project management stages and what each of these entail
- used a variety of project management techniques to plan, assess and optimise their project
- discussed the challenges and risks associated with their project and considered ways to mitigate these risks.
RDF categories: 3.2 Project management; 1.3 Organised.Target audience: Early career researchers and academics.
Facilitators: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Joanna Young from the Scientific Editing Company.
- Responsible research assessment: publication metrics, impact and open research
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This workshop explores the role of publication metrics in research assessment. Participants will learn how commonly used metrics, including Journal Impact Factor, h-index, Field-Weighted Citation Impact and alternative metrics (Altmetrics), are calculated and applied, while critically examining their strengths and limitations.
The session will consider how open research practices influence research visibility and impact, and introduce the principles of responsible research assessment, emphasising the use of metrics alongside qualitative evidence to support fair and meaningful evaluation.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll know how to:
- describe the role of publication metrics in research assessment by institutions, funders and publishers
- critically evaluate commonly used publication metrics, recognising their strengths, limitations and potential biases
- discuss the relationship between open research practices and research visibility, impact and assessment
- apply the principles of responsible research assessment to the use of publication metrics.
RDF categories: 2.4 Digital and technological capabilities; 3.5 Research integrity and ethics; 1.9 Responsible, 3.4 Open Research.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Sharing research openly: copyright, rights retention and Creative Commons licensing
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Open scholarship relies on understanding how copyright works. This workshop introduces the fundamentals of copyright in a research context, including ownership, fair dealing, rights retention and the reuse of third-party materials. Participants will explore how copyright affects publishing, dissemination and reuse of research outputs.
The session will focus on Creative Commons licences and other open licensing approaches, helping researchers understand how to share their work openly while protecting their rights and meeting funder and institutional requirements.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll know how to:
- describe the role of copyright in the creation, dissemination and reuse of research outputs
- determine when and how third-party content may be reused legally
- explain the principles of rights retention and their relevance to research publishing
- distinguish between different Creative Commons licences and their implications for reuse
- choose an appropriate licensing approach to support the open sharing of your research.
RDF categories: 3.5 Research integrity and ethics; 1.9 Responsible.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
Thrive: Engagement, influence and impact
- Conferences, posters and networking
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Conferences are a milestone in any research career. They are where projects become visible, ideas are tested and collaborations begin.
This course focusses on creating impactful research posters and making the most of the conference when presenting a poster. Alongside design, clear communication, structure and good information visualisation principles, the course covers what to expect at an academic conference: how sessions are organised, what happens during a poster session and how to plan your time.
After this workshop participants will have:
- an overview of the structure of a research poster and tips on how to design their own poster
- a clear picture of what to expect at a conference and how to prepare for presenting there
- an understanding of networking fundamentals
- been introduced to a range of networking techniques.
RDF categories: 4.3 Knowledge exchange and public engagement; 4.2 Research outputs; 1.1 Development-focused; 5.6 Networking.Target audience: Early career researchers and PGRs. This session is not suitable for more experienced academics.
Facilitator: This workshop is designed and delivered by Dr Joanna Young from the Scientific Editing Company.
- Getting started with preprints
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Interested in sharing your research before formal publication?
This introductory workshop will explore what preprints are, why they matter, and how researchers can use them to increase visibility and accelerate scholarly communication. It will cover practical tips for sharing preprints and discuss benefits and challenges.
By the end of the workshop you’ll be able to:
- describe what a preprint is and how it fits into the research publishing lifecycle
- identify trusted preprint servers relevant to your discipline
- apply a set of practical criteria to decide when and where to share a preprint
- recognise the potential benefits and challenges of preprint publishing.
RDF categories: 4.2 Research outputs; 4.3 Knowledge exchange and public engagement; 3.4 Open research.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Managing your online researcher profiles: building visibility, impact and engagement
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Online researcher profiles play an important role in raising the visibility of your research, demonstrating its impact. and helping you connect with collaborators and a wider audience.
This workshop introduces the key platforms used to create and manage researcher profiles and explores how they can support your professional reputation and raise research visibility. Focusing on Elements, the University of Sussex’s research information system, the workshop will demonstrate how to build and maintain an effective profile to present your research, professional, publication and teaching activities.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to:
- recognise the role of online profiles in enhancing research visibility and credibility
- identify key platforms for creating and managing an online researcher profile
- create an ORCID ID
- apply best practices in curating your University of Sussex Elements profile
- locate sources of guidance and support.
RDF categories: 4.1 Communication; 1.5 Collaborative; 5.6 Networking; 3.4 Open research.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
- Publishing your research: choosing where and how to publish
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Choosing where and how to publish your research can be challenging, particularly if you are new to scholarly publishing. This workshop provides an overview of the publishing landscape, helping researchers evaluate journals and publishers and understand open access publishing options and funding arrangements. Participants will be enabled to make informed decisions about sharing research outputs openly and know how to access support services at the University of Sussex.
By the end of the workshop, you’ll be able to:
- evaluate journals and publishers using tools such as the Think, Check, Submit checklist and other indicators of publishing quality
- apply knowledge of open access publishing models, including Green and Gold open access, to select appropriate publishing options for their research outputs
- explain the benefits and implications of making research outputs openly available
- use publication metrics and other indicators responsibly to inform publishing decisions
- identify University of Sussex open access agreements, funding opportunities, and publishing support services.
RDF categories: 4.2 Research outputs; 3.4 Open research.Target audience: Early career researchers, academics and late-stage PGRs.
Facilitators: The Library Research Support team support researchers at all levels across the University.
Other opportunities for training and development