Digital tools for text analysis can help humanities researchers see and query their data in new ways through word frequency, patterns, and context. However, while a word cloud might seem to offer straightforward information about textual data, researchers may wonder how, why, and when to best to utilize these tools. This workshop will offer an introduction to Voyant - free, online software that creates visualizations of text - and to digital text analysis more broadly. We will discuss the different kinds of textual data that are optimal for digital text analysis, and explore several of Voyant’s functions that may be of interest to humanities scholars.

Note: Please bring your own laptop.

Using the Tracery story-grammar generation tool, participants will learn how to turn simple JSON lists into full-fledged Twitter bots like @Gastwon, (https://twitter.com/gastwon) @TaySEliot (https://twitter.com/tayseliot) or even @SoftLandscapes. (https://twitter.com/softlandscapes). No programming experience is necessary.

Please bring a fully charged laptop.

Many humanities researchers have some form of geographical information included in their research, such as objects, images, or texts from or about a particular place; narratives about a person’s movement or a place’s change over time; or information about networks of people or organizations. Whether places and spaces are at the heart of your research or are a part of it, mapping can help answer research questions and generate new ones by visualizing your data in new ways. It can help tell a story about place or space. This two-part workshop series will help humanities researchers map their place-based research with ArcGIS.

The Spatial Elements of Textual Analysis
The first workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of getting started mapping with ArcGIS. We will discuss how to extract data from your research, get it ready for analysis, and upload it into ArcGIS. The workshop will help humanities researchers explore and map the spatial elements of their research with ArcGIS.

Software: ArcGIS Online (participants will not need their own computer)

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• extract data from their research;
• get their data ready for spatial analysis;
• upload data into ArcGIS Online;
• use some basic mapping techniques with ArcGIS Online.

Creating Story Maps
The second workshop will cover spatial analysis - the potential applications of your geographic information. We will demonstrate the analytic functions included in ArcGIS and discuss how to create context for your spatial data. We will also introduce Story Maps, an app that helps turn place-based information into narratives with a combination of maps, images, and text. Note: for this workshop, we will assume that you have already attended the first workshop or are comfortable with the material covered there.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• create a Story Map;
• extract spatial context from text.

Software: ArcGIS Online (participants will not need their own computer)

Workshop page (SFU Canvas): GIS workshops page includes workshop descriptions and suggested streams for different disciplines, handouts, slides, and example datasets

This non-credit, 10-week course is designed for graduate students for whom English is an additional language (EAL). The course focuses on writing tasks that may be required in the earlier stages of a graduate program, and covers Units One to Four in the textbook.  You will learn how to apply your analytical skills to the discourses of your chosen disciplines and to explore how effective academic writing in Western scholarly tradition is achieved in order to position yourself as junior scholars in your chosen academic communities. 

Required textbook:

Swales, John M., & Feak, Christine B. (2011). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills (3rd Edition). Ann Arbor: U of Michigan Press (ISBN: 978-0472-03475-8).

Note: This workshop was formerly titled: "Academic Writing for Graduate Students (EAL)"

This non-credit, 10-week course is designed for graduate students for whom English is an additional language (EAL).  The course will consolidate many of the tasks from Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Positioning Yourself as a Junior Scholar, and will cover primarily Units Five to Eight of the textbook. The focus of the course is to help prepare you for writing up your own research.

Required textbook:

Swales, John M., & Feak, Christine B. (2011). Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills (3rd Edition). Ann Arbor: U of Michigan Press (ISBN: 978-0472-03475-8).

Scott White is Editor of The Conversation Canada. Previously, he was Editor-in-Chief of The Canadian Press and Vice-President, Content Strategy and Business Development at Postmedia Network. He has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the journalism program at Ryerson University.

Tableau is a data visualization tool that is being used to help analyze data and illustrate the patterns and insights behind them. This interactive workshop will introduce researchers or students to Tableau Public, a free access version of Tableau.

Requirements:

• No prior experience with Tableau is necessary.
• Participants will need to bring their own laptop preloaded with the latest version of Tableau Public

Interested in blogging about your research but not sure where to start? This hands-on workshop led by Alice Fleerackers will offer key tips and tricks for communicating your work to online audiences.

With a special focus on making academic content accessible, we'll take a deep dive into the world of web writing. We'll cover everything from "research storytelling" to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), outlining essential best practices for each. We'll also cover the challenges and opportunities of writing for non-academic audiences, and learn some simple tools and strategies for putting these lessons into practice. Whether you're an established academic or just starting out, you'll learn why it's never too soon to share your knowledge online.

Note: Participants are invited to bring one research article each — either something they've written or something they've read — that they would like to "bloggify" during the session.

It's a myth that academic writing requires a dense style and liberal use of jargon. In fact, dense writing risks excluding interested readers who might benefit from academic research. Plain-language writing, on the other hand, expresses complex ideas clearly and concisely in ways that enable understanding after the first reading. This workshop covers five stylistic strategies central to plain language, with opportunities for discussion and practice. These five strategies help motivated readers engage with your writing and increase their chance of understanding it in the way you intended.

This workshop is led by Amanda Goldrick-Jones.

Amanda Goldrick-Jones started her writing life as a newspaper reporter in Toronto and Vancouver before receiving her BA and MA in English Language at UBC. After teaching writing and communication at UBC and Langara College, she studied rhetoric and professional communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where she received her PhD. She then served as assistant and associate professor at the University of Winnipeg's Centre for Academic Writing and helped develop the major program in Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications. When she moved back to the coast in 2006, she spent two years at Simon Fraser University as the SLC's first writing services coordinator. At UBC, she taught academic, business, and technical writing courses while designing online writing courses for the UBC Writing Centre. Amanda returned to the SLC in July 2013, where she focuses on developing and coordinating writing services for undergraduates.

Join us for a tour and overview of SFU Library's new Media and Maker Commons! Learn how you can incorporate 3D printers, a vintage printing press, laser cutters, or video and audio recording and editing suites into your research projects. The Media and Maker Commons is here to help you communicate your research findings in new ways:

• synthesize your work into bite-sized audio or video media using the recording studios
• record a podcast in the one-button podcasting studio
• produce physical prototypes with the 3D printer and  laser cutters
• …and more!

Conducting research and integrated knowledge translation (IKT) in partnership with the public allows research teams to work together to produce findings that are impactful and relevant to practice. Come join us as we discuss how you can incorporate IKT approaches into your research processes.

This workshop is presented by the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Although we support patient-oriented research (POR) and knowledge translation to improve health, health systems, and healthcare practices, this workshop will provide tools and resources for you to learn how to use IKT in any discipline of research. We will introduce the concepts of POR and IKT, including tips on how to engage patients and the public as partners in research. We will demonstrate the elements of a successful IKT grant application and project, and work in small groups to design a sample IKT plan. 

This workshop is led by Alia Januwalla and Brittney La Pietra.

____________________

Alia Januwalla is the Knowledge Translation Specialist for the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Alia works with researchers and public partners across the Fraser-Salish region to promote the use of integrated knowledge translation strategies in patient-oriented research projects, and to implement evidence-informed initiatives (such as decision support tools or programs) to improve patient outcomes and health. Prior to this role, Alia worked with the Knowledge Translation Program in Toronto, supporting population health implementation science research projects. She has experience with community-based participatory research projects and knowledge translation activities including community forums, public engagement decision-making tools, educational products, and academic publications.

Brittney La Pietra is the SFU Research Navigator for the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Brittney supports faculty, students, and staff at SFU in conducting patient-oriented research. She advises on patient-oriented methodology, ethical considerations, grant applications, and facilitates collaborations with non-academic stakeholders within the government and health authorities. Prior to this role, Brittney worked as a lawyer and subsequently applied that experience to a role in the Office of Research Ethics at SFU. Ask Brittney about team facilitation and leadership, developing grant and ethics applications, and skills training for research and communication. 

Then we move to Python, a popular language for scientific computing and great for general-purpose programming as well.  This workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. This workshop is offered by The Carpentries, whose mission is to help scientists and engineers get more research done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic lab skills for scientific computing. 

Participants will need to bring their own computer/laptop. Please see note above for instructions for installing Python and other necessary files.

In this workshop, the instructor will provide a case study of developing deep learning neural network model with Python in Google Colaboratory or Colab. You will be shown how to use Tensorflow and Keras to create a very simple deep neural net. It requires no setup and runs fully in cloud. It does not matter whether you are using a Mac or a Windows computer, having a google account to sign in to Google is enough.

Requirements

• Bring your own laptop.
  
  For this workshop you need to be familiar with:

• basic machine learning concepts,
• Python,
• basic operations on data using numpy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn packages.

-------------------

Note: This workshop is organized and facilitated by SciProg. SciProg—short for Scientific Programming Study Group—is dedicated to building a community of SFU researchers who perform computational data analysis as part of their academic work. SciProg promotes skill sharing and collaboration by (1) organizing 60 to 90-minute interactive workshops covering a wide range of software tools, (2) providing Q&A sessions for peer-to-peer assistance and collaboration, and (3) bringing researchers together at social events like Hacky Hours.

Have questions about using citation management software, like Zotero or Mendeley? We can help! Our citation management experts can introduce you to citation management tools, answer questions, and demonstrate features and techniques. Bring your laptop and your questions!

The analysis of place-based (or spatial) data requires a basic understanding of how to process the data. For example, what are the routes taken by Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) during winter migration and where do their routes overlap with predator territory? If we have data on the locations of Anna’s hummingbird and their predators, we could process their network (or routes) and then analyze the overlap with predator territory.

Researchers in various disciplines will find this workshop helpful as an introduction to basic geoprocessing tools and workflow automation in ArcGIS. In this workshop, participants will learn to run basic and advanced geoprocessing tools using Python and an automated workflow process tool called Model Builder. During the workshop, participants will:

• explore different data formats that work with ArcGIS;
• use tools to their full extent in ArcMap;
• learn about kernel density analysis;
• automate geoprocessing tools; and
• use Python in IDLE and in ArcMap.

Software requirements:

Participants will need to bring their own computer, running the Windows operating system. This workshop requires the use of ArcGIS Desktop, which is available for download and can be installed on Windows operating systems only. Instructions on installing ArcGIS Desktop and other necessary information will be sent out to participants closer to the workshop date.

Prerequisite:

This workshop assumes prerequisite knowledge of introductory Python. Please contact data-services@sfu.ca if you do not have previous experience with Python as we may be able to recommend other self-guided tutorials.

Researchers often have to analyze many individual datasets separately using the same process. For example, maybe you need to convert 100 CSV files into shapefiles and create buffers with increasing increments around them, in each one. Sometimes even working spatial analysts don’t have access to premade tools that can run this analysis; in which case, they need to create the tool themselves to automate most of this processing.

Almost all uses of GIS involve a repetition of work, and this creates the need for methods to automate, document, and share multiple-step procedures known as workflows. Geoprocessing allows you to automate your GIS tasks and perform spatial analysis and modeling. This workshop will guide participants in the creation of custom geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS using Python. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• create a geoprocessing workflow in ArcGIS Model Builder;
• create a geoprocessing workflow using Python code;
• run basic geoprocessing and shapefile editing tools using Python code; and
• code a single tool that can be used in ArcMap to run the entire workflow.

Software requirements:

Participants will need to bring their own computer, running the Windows operating system. This workshop requires the use of ArcGIS Desktop and Python. ArcGIS Desktop is available for download and can be installed on Windows operating systems only. Instructions on installing ArcGIS Desktop and other necessary information will be sent out to participants closer to the workshop date.

Prerequisite:

This workshop assumes prerequisite knowledge of Introductory Python and Geoprocessing in ArcGIS  materials or their equivalent. Please contact data-services@sfu.ca if you would like clarification on the prerequisites.

The lessons in this workshop will cover how to open, work with, and plot vector and raster-format spatial data in R.

Additional topics include:

• working with spatial metadata (extent and coordinate reference systems),
• reprojecting spatial data,
• and working with raster time series data.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• import and export raster and vector data from R;
• analyze and edit raster and vector data;
• explore spatio-temporal data in R.

This half-day workshop will follow the Data Carpentries' syllabus.

Prerequisites:

• This lesson assumes you have some knowledge of R. If you've never used R before, or need a refresher, start with the Carpentries' Introduction to R for Geospatial Data lesson.
• This lesson also assumes you have some knowledge of geospatial data types and common file formats. If you have never worked with geospatial data before, or need a refresher, start with the Carpentries' Geospatial Project Organization and Management lesson.

Software requirements:

• Participants will need to bring their own laptops with the most recent version of R and Rstudio installed. For installation instructions and to download the data used in this lesson, see the workshop homepage.

Workshop page (SFU Canvas): GIS workshops page includes workshop descriptions and suggested streams for different disciplines, handouts, slides, and example datasets

As part of GIS Day 2019, undergraduate and graduate students from any program at SFU have been invited to submit digital or web maps to the SFU GIS Day Student Map Competition. All competition participants will be invited to make a 5-10 minutes presentation during this time. Enjoy light refreshments before the presentations, meet others interested in GIS, and see the maps created by SFU students doing geospatial work. Prizes will be awarded for the strongest maps.

Many humanities researchers have some form of geographical information included in their research, such as objects, images, or texts from or about a particular place; narratives about a person’s movement or a place’s change over time; or information about networks of people or organizations. Whether places and spaces are at the heart of your research or are a part of it, mapping can help answer research questions and generate new ones by visualizing your data in new ways. It can help tell a story about place or space. This two-part workshop series will help humanities researchers map their place-based research with ArcGIS.

The Spatial Elements of Textual Analysis
The first workshop will cover the nuts and bolts of getting started mapping with ArcGIS. We will discuss how to extract data from your research, get it ready for analysis, and upload it into ArcGIS. The workshop will help humanities researchers explore and map the spatial elements of their research with ArcGIS.

Software: ArcGIS Online (participants will not need their own computer)

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• extract data from their research;
• get their data ready for spatial analysis;
• upload data into ArcGIS Online;
• use some basic mapping techniques with ArcGIS Online.

Creating Story Maps
The second workshop will cover spatial analysis - the potential applications of your geographic information. We will demonstrate the analytic functions included in ArcGIS and discuss how to create context for your spatial data. We will also introduce Story Maps, an app that helps turn place-based information into narratives with a combination of maps, images, and text. Note: for this workshop, we will assume that you have already attended the first workshop or are comfortable with the material covered there.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• create a Story Map;
• extract spatial context from text.

Software: ArcGIS Online (participants will not need their own computer)

Workshop page (SFU Canvas): GIS workshops page includes workshop descriptions and suggested streams for different disciplines, handouts, slides, and example datasets

Then we move to Python, a popular language for scientific computing and great for general-purpose programming as well.  This workshop will cover basic concepts and tools, including program design, version control, data management, and task automation. This workshop is offered by The Carpentries, whose mission is to help scientists and engineers get more research done in less time and with less pain by teaching them basic lab skills for scientific computing. 

Participants will need to bring their own computer/laptop. Please see note above for instructions for installing Python and other necessary files.

The analysis of place-based (or spatial) data requires a basic understanding of how to process the data. For example, what are the routes taken by Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) during winter migration and where do their routes overlap with predator territory? If we have data on the locations of Anna’s hummingbird and their predators, we could process their network (or routes) and then analyze the overlap with predator territory.

Researchers in various disciplines will find this workshop helpful as an introduction to basic geoprocessing tools and workflow automation in ArcGIS. In this workshop, participants will learn to run basic and advanced geoprocessing tools using Python and an automated workflow process tool called Model Builder. During the workshop, participants will:

• explore different data formats that work with ArcGIS;
• use tools to their full extent in ArcMap;
• learn about kernel density analysis;
• automate geoprocessing tools; and
• use Python in IDLE and in ArcMap.

Software requirements:

Participants will need to bring their own computer, running the Windows operating system. This workshop requires the use of ArcGIS Desktop, which is available for download and can be installed on Windows operating systems only. Instructions on installing ArcGIS Desktop and other necessary information will be sent out to participants closer to the workshop date.

Prerequisite:

This workshop assumes prerequisite knowledge of introductory Python. Please contact data-services@sfu.ca if you do not have previous experience with Python as we may be able to recommend other self-guided tutorials.

Researchers often have to analyze many individual datasets separately using the same process. For example, maybe you need to convert 100 CSV files into shapefiles and create buffers with increasing increments around them, in each one. Sometimes even working spatial analysts don’t have access to premade tools that can run this analysis; in which case, they need to create the tool themselves to automate most of this processing.

Almost all uses of GIS involve a repetition of work, and this creates the need for methods to automate, document, and share multiple-step procedures known as workflows. Geoprocessing allows you to automate your GIS tasks and perform spatial analysis and modeling. This workshop will guide participants in the creation of custom geoprocessing tools in ArcGIS using Python. At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• create a geoprocessing workflow in ArcGIS Model Builder;
• create a geoprocessing workflow using Python code;
• run basic geoprocessing and shapefile editing tools using Python code; and
• code a single tool that can be used in ArcMap to run the entire workflow.

Software requirements:

Participants will need to bring their own computer, running the Windows operating system. This workshop requires the use of ArcGIS Desktop and Python. ArcGIS Desktop is available for download and can be installed on Windows operating systems only. Instructions on installing ArcGIS Desktop and other necessary information will be sent out to participants closer to the workshop date.

Prerequisite:

This workshop assumes prerequisite knowledge of Introductory Python and Geoprocessing in ArcGIS  materials or their equivalent. Please contact data-services@sfu.ca if you would like clarification on the prerequisites.

Bring your laptop and your NVivo questions to this drop-in lab session! Our facilitators are experienced NVivo users, and can help orient researchers to using NVivo software for organizing, coding, and analyzing textual, audiovisual, social media, and other data. They can also support other uses of NVivo, such as organizing literature reviews and handling survey data.

Need help moving forward with your qualitative data analysis? If you’re already comfortable with bringing in documents and coding them, you’re ready to move on to analyzing your material. In this hands-on workshop, Graduate Peer NVivo Facilitators will walk you through visualizations and queries using sample data and may be able to address other topics depending on the needs of the group.

PREREQUISITE:
Before registering for this workshop, you must be familiar with coding in NVivo and/or have already taken the Introduction to NVivo workshop.

NVivo is a qualitative data analysis software program, but what does that mean -- and what does it mean for your research? Find out what NVivo is, when to use it, and how to get started.

In this hands-on introductory workshop, you'll take a tour of the NVivo software environment, using sample data. You’ll be introduced to NVivo’s functions and you’ll leave equipped with the basic info you need to begin working with NVivo. Topics introduced may include importing files and beginning coding.

This workshop is suitable for those with little or no experience using NVivo or other qualitative data analysis software.

Do you spend too much time re-running analyses? Did you ever have trouble regenerating a figure or result from a previous analysis? This session is for you!

In this workshop, we will explore 10 principles that you can follow to elevate your research to the next level in terms of reproducibility. Equipped with these principles, you and others will spend less time re-running your analyses. We will apply these principles in real time to a toy R project that we will start from scratch. Topics will include R, RStudio, Git/GitHub, R Markdown/Notebooks, Conda/Bioconda, and open research.

Prerequisite Knowledge:

In order to get the most out of the hands-on demos, you need to be familiar with R. That being said, the principles are certainly generalizable to other programming languages like Python, so you can still join us to learn the concepts.

Software Requirements:

Create a GitHub.com account if you don't already have one. If you already have one, confirm that you can log in.

Please have a recent version of R installed (version 3.1.2 or later). You can check your R version by running "R.version.string" at the R console. Install the tidyverse, knitr and rmarkdown R packages using the following command:

install.packages(c("tidyverse", "knitr", "rmarkdown"))

Optional: Install Miniconda to follow along one of the hands-on demos, but it is not strictly necessary. Windows users would also benefit from installing Git for Windows.

Although R is known for its statistical computing and graphical capabilities, it also provides many powerful tools for handling, processing, and analyzing strings and text data. This workshop gives an introduction to handling strings using both Base R and the stringr package, and an introduction to regular expressions in R.

By the end of this workshop you will be able to:

• use common operations and functions to manipulate strings
• learn what regular expressions are and how to use them in R
• apply these concepts to perform text analysis in R

Note:

The lessons in this workshop will cover how to open, work with, and plot vector and raster-format spatial data in R.

Additional topics include:

• working with spatial metadata (extent and coordinate reference systems),
• reprojecting spatial data,
• and working with raster time series data.

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• import and export raster and vector data from R;
• analyze and edit raster and vector data;
• explore spatio-temporal data in R.

This half-day workshop will follow the Data Carpentries' syllabus.

Prerequisites:

• This lesson assumes you have some knowledge of R. If you've never used R before, or need a refresher, start with the Carpentries' Introduction to R for Geospatial Data lesson.
• This lesson also assumes you have some knowledge of geospatial data types and common file formats. If you have never worked with geospatial data before, or need a refresher, start with the Carpentries' Geospatial Project Organization and Management lesson.

Software requirements:

• Participants will need to bring their own laptops with the most recent version of R and Rstudio installed. For installation instructions and to download the data used in this lesson, see the workshop homepage.

Workshop page (SFU Canvas): GIS workshops page includes workshop descriptions and suggested streams for different disciplines, handouts, slides, and example datasets

In this workshop, the instructor will provide a case study of developing deep learning neural network model with Python in Google Colaboratory or Colab. You will be shown how to use Tensorflow and Keras to create a very simple deep neural net. It requires no setup and runs fully in cloud. It does not matter whether you are using a Mac or a Windows computer, having a google account to sign in to Google is enough.

Requirements

• Bring your own laptop.
  
  For this workshop you need to be familiar with:

• basic machine learning concepts,
• Python,
• basic operations on data using numpy, Pandas, and Scikit-learn packages.

-------------------

Note: This workshop is organized and facilitated by SciProg. SciProg—short for Scientific Programming Study Group—is dedicated to building a community of SFU researchers who perform computational data analysis as part of their academic work. SciProg promotes skill sharing and collaboration by (1) organizing 60 to 90-minute interactive workshops covering a wide range of software tools, (2) providing Q&A sessions for peer-to-peer assistance and collaboration, and (3) bringing researchers together at social events like Hacky Hours.

Growing amount of data is available over the web. However, this data is usually presented in an unstructured HTML format which poses a challenge to researchers who want to automatically capture the data and convert it into a form appropriate for analysis. Web scraping is a computational method that offers means to meet such challenges. In this workshop you will learn how to scrape unstructured web pages using rvest R package and prepare the captured data for analysis. You will gain some hands-on experience working on a few small projects that underlie common scraping strategies/issues. The last project will include scraping of multiple web pages.

Prerequisites: Functional knowledge of commonly used base R commands (for an overview see https://www.rstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/base-r.pdf).

Note: Workshop participants will need to bring their own laptops, with R and RStudio installed prior to attending the workshop.

Tableau is a data visualization tool that is being used to help analyze data and illustrate the patterns and insights behind them. This interactive workshop will introduce researchers or students to Tableau Public, a free access version of Tableau.

Requirements:

• No prior experience with Tableau is necessary.
• Participants will need to bring their own laptop preloaded with the latest version of Tableau Public

Tableau is a data visualization tool that can help you analyze your data and illustrate the patterns and insights behind them. This interactive workshop will introduce researchers to Tableau Public, a free access version of Tableau.

• connect datasets to your Tableau workbook;
• create a variety of basic chart types (including bar charts, line graphs, and maps);
• use Tableau's built-in analysis features, like reference lines, trend lines and calculated fields; and
• publish and share publication-quality interactive charts and graphs.

Scott White is Editor of The Conversation Canada. Previously, he was Editor-in-Chief of The Canadian Press and Vice-President, Content Strategy and Business Development at Postmedia Network. He has an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the journalism program at Ryerson University.

Interested in blogging about your research but not sure where to start? This hands-on workshop led by Alice Fleerackers will offer key tips and tricks for communicating your work to online audiences.

With a special focus on making academic content accessible, we'll take a deep dive into the world of web writing. We'll cover everything from "research storytelling" to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), outlining essential best practices for each. We'll also cover the challenges and opportunities of writing for non-academic audiences, and learn some simple tools and strategies for putting these lessons into practice. Whether you're an established academic or just starting out, you'll learn why it's never too soon to share your knowledge online.

Note: Participants are invited to bring one research article each — either something they've written or something they've read — that they would like to "bloggify" during the session.

Join us for a tour and overview of SFU Library's new Media and Maker Commons! Learn how you can incorporate 3D printers, a vintage printing press, laser cutters, or video and audio recording and editing suites into your research projects. The Media and Maker Commons is here to help you communicate your research findings in new ways:

• synthesize your work into bite-sized audio or video media using the recording studios
• record a podcast in the one-button podcasting studio
• produce physical prototypes with the 3D printer and  laser cutters
• …and more!

Conducting research and integrated knowledge translation (IKT) in partnership with the public allows research teams to work together to produce findings that are impactful and relevant to practice. Come join us as we discuss how you can incorporate IKT approaches into your research processes.

This workshop is presented by the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Although we support patient-oriented research (POR) and knowledge translation to improve health, health systems, and healthcare practices, this workshop will provide tools and resources for you to learn how to use IKT in any discipline of research. We will introduce the concepts of POR and IKT, including tips on how to engage patients and the public as partners in research. We will demonstrate the elements of a successful IKT grant application and project, and work in small groups to design a sample IKT plan. 

This workshop is led by Alia Januwalla and Brittney La Pietra.

____________________

Alia Januwalla is the Knowledge Translation Specialist for the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Alia works with researchers and public partners across the Fraser-Salish region to promote the use of integrated knowledge translation strategies in patient-oriented research projects, and to implement evidence-informed initiatives (such as decision support tools or programs) to improve patient outcomes and health. Prior to this role, Alia worked with the Knowledge Translation Program in Toronto, supporting population health implementation science research projects. She has experience with community-based participatory research projects and knowledge translation activities including community forums, public engagement decision-making tools, educational products, and academic publications.

Brittney La Pietra is the SFU Research Navigator for the BC SUPPORT Unit Fraser Centre. Brittney supports faculty, students, and staff at SFU in conducting patient-oriented research. She advises on patient-oriented methodology, ethical considerations, grant applications, and facilitates collaborations with non-academic stakeholders within the government and health authorities. Prior to this role, Brittney worked as a lawyer and subsequently applied that experience to a role in the Office of Research Ethics at SFU. Ask Brittney about team facilitation and leadership, developing grant and ethics applications, and skills training for research and communication. 

Punctuation use matters (a lot!). Commas, semicolons, and dashes can change a sentence’s readability and its fundamental meaning. Attend this workshop to stop the guessing game and to learn how to use these forms of punctuation to improve the clarity and flow of your academic writing.

Are you juggling several different writing projects simultaneously? Or is the only writing project you are working on starting to feel too big to manage? In this workshop, we’ll discuss how you can break down those large projects into smaller, manageable chunks by using planners such as Microsoft Planner or Trello to keep all the moving parts organized. Bring your computers so that you can follow along!

It's a myth that academic writing requires a dense style and liberal use of jargon. In fact, dense writing risks excluding interested readers who might benefit from academic research. Plain-language writing, on the other hand, expresses complex ideas clearly and concisely in ways that enable understanding after the first reading. This workshop covers five stylistic strategies central to plain language, with opportunities for discussion and practice. These five strategies help motivated readers engage with your writing and increase their chance of understanding it in the way you intended.

This workshop is led by Amanda Goldrick-Jones.

Amanda Goldrick-Jones started her writing life as a newspaper reporter in Toronto and Vancouver before receiving her BA and MA in English Language at UBC. After teaching writing and communication at UBC and Langara College, she studied rhetoric and professional communication at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where she received her PhD. She then served as assistant and associate professor at the University of Winnipeg's Centre for Academic Writing and helped develop the major program in Rhetoric, Writing, and Communications. When she moved back to the coast in 2006, she spent two years at Simon Fraser University as the SLC's first writing services coordinator. At UBC, she taught academic, business, and technical writing courses while designing online writing courses for the UBC Writing Centre. Amanda returned to the SLC in July 2013, where she focuses on developing and coordinating writing services for undergraduates.

Strategies for using lay language will help you convey technical and advanced ideas in ways that are more effective than “dumbing it down.” You may be preparing a grant or fellowship proposal, writing for online purposes or fine tuning your “job talk”— all of which require you to translate your work and research to persons outside of your core field of study.

“Feeling stuck” seems to follow “getting started” as one of the most common writing challenges graduate students have shared with us over the years. Join us to discuss effective strategies and exercises for regaining some writing momentum and getting back in the zone.

Thesis reBoot is a day-long thesis writing retreat designed for graduate students who have already participated in Thesis Boot Camp.  

Along with a comfortable, quiet working environment, writing and research support, and snacks and lunches, this day-long writing retreat offers students community and motivation in that final push towards the completion of their dissertation or thesis.

More information can be found on the Thesis reBoot page.

A concept map is a tool that can be used to support learning and writing through visualizing the relationships between concepts. Concept mapping at any stage of the writing process can help clarify how ideas, terminology, themes, etc. relate to each other, to your research questions, and/or the main points of your project. Concept mapping is for everyone, but can be especially helpful for those trying to manage a longer writing project for the first time (a thesis), those who rebel against outlining, and those who want to benefit from deconstructing (or reconstructing) the linear form that writing ultimately must take. For many, concept mapping is a writing process game-changer.

Wondering how you can put all of that crucial information about your research into just one paragraph? Join today’s workshop for some tips to master this pesky task that follows so much of our hard work. Even 250 words can make a difference in selling your potential audience on the value of your research!

Even for graduate students who have taught for years, delivered a long list of conference papers, or published in academic journals, managing the unique stress one can experience in preparing for a thesis defense can seem surprisingly challenging. Whether you are just beginning your program or have your thesis defense date quickly approaching, please join us to discuss some success strategies for confidently preparing your materials, and yourself, for the big day ahead.

Have you ever received feedback that your writing seems “choppy”? Are you having concerns about how to order your ideas or how to transition from one section to the next? This workshop is focused on developing some strategies for producing cohesive academic writing that “flows.”

Networking is an essential component of successfully participating in an academic conference. For some, however, unstructured socializing in a professional/academic setting can seem even more daunting than delivering a talk or presenting a research poster! Join us to discuss how to overcome your networking nerves to make your future conferencing experiences as productive and stress-free as possible.

Thesis reBoot is a day-long thesis writing retreat designed for graduate students who have already participated in Thesis Boot Camp.  

Along with a comfortable, quiet working environment, writing and research support, and snacks and lunches, this day-long writing retreat offers students community and motivation in that final push towards the completion of their dissertation or thesis.

More information can be found on the Thesis reBoot page.

This demonstration introduces you to the Thesis Assistance wepage,  Thesis Submission process and the Thesis Template. This workshop will be broken down into four parts:

1. It will begin with an introduction to required copyright permissions from the Copyright Office at SFU. (about 30 minutes)
2. SFU Library's research data specialists will give instruction on how to preserve and, if appropriate, share research data for future uses. (about 15 minutes)
3. The Theses Office will provide an overview of the Thesis Assistant website and go over the overall submission process (including deadlines and supporting documentation). (about 30 to 40 minutes)
4. The technical part of the workshop will follow, where you will be walked through the overall structure of your thesis and the functionality of the thesis template. (about 30 to 40 minutes)

Students are encouraged to bring their own computer and thesis document(s) to work along with the facilitator during the workshop.

Learn how to:

• request copyright permissions (if your thesis includes reproductions of copyright protected images, including  figures, drawings, paintings, photographs, logos, maps, diagrams, tables or charts, and even screen captures on the web, then you might need to request copyright permission)
• write in the MS Word template-based file
• format your text using styles
• bring text in from other documents
• insert figures, images, and auto-numbered captions
• generate the Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, etc.

If you’ve begun writing, send your document to theses@sfu.ca in advance of the workshop; one might be used in demonstrating the Library’s thesis template. After the session, the formatted document will be returned in which the student can continue his/her work.