Research Commons: Workshops for graduate students & postdoctoral fellows

The Research Commons is pleased to offer you a range of workshops, developed in the context of SFU Library's Instruction Strategy. You can register for upcoming workshops and search by workshop date in our workshops calendar.  

If you do not see the topic(s) you are interested in and/or would like a specialized workshop for yourself and a group of colleagues, please send a request to research-commons@sfu.ca.

SFU values diversity and is committed to inclusion. If you require any disability-related accommodations in order to fully access and participate in our workshops and/or events, please contact us directly at library-workshops@sfu.ca. All communication will be kept confidential. Please contact us as early as possible as some accommodations will require lead time to arrange (i.e. CART, ASL)

Unaffiliated with SFU but interested in attending a workshop? See Who can register for SFU Library Research Commons workshops.

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Digital Humanities workshops

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

English as an Additional Language (EAL) workshops

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Knowledge Mobilization workshops

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Learning workshops

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Research Data Management workshops

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 For assistance with research data management, please contact data-services@sfu.ca.

 Check out our recorded workshops on topics in research data management.

Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

Research Programming workshops

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

Research Software workshops

 Citation Management

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

 GIS

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

Web Mapping Workshop Series

In the past decade, revolutionary internet technologies have driven Geographic Information System (GIS) to expand far beyond the professional GIS community. Many individuals who lack traditional GIS trainings- engineers, entrepreneurs, journalists, researchers- have been involved in web cartography work. The empowerment is fueled by geospatially enabled technologies such as Global Positional Systems (GPS), the Internet, and user-friendly cartography tools. This workshop series will give you a taste of this new ecosystem, introducing you to a range of concepts, tools, and skills which include how web map is structured, how to create one, how to collaboratively collect field data and populate to a shared web map, and how to combine maps and digital storytelling to communicate your research.

All workshops in this series are designed for beginners- no previous GIS knowledge is required. Attend as many or as few sessions as you like.

Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

 Python

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

 Qualitative Data Analysis

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 R (Software)

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 Consultation appointments in R are available, please email us at research-commons@sfu.ca with some details on your specific question about using R. Data anonymization: note that any data needs to be suitably anonymized if working with sensitive subjects before meeting with the Research Programming Peer. 

Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

 Visual Analytics

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

Scholarly Communication workshops

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Next semester's workshops will be posted soon.

Thesis workshops 

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 If you are unable to attend one of our thesis template workshops, check out our online tutorials on using the Thesis Word Template.
  For more information, please email the Thesis Office or book an appointment using the online booking system for a one-on-one consultation.

Thesis Writing Group [Online]

 About Thesis Writing Group

Join Thesis Writing Group to make some serious progress on your thesis (or other academic writing projects) and to develop a sustainable writing practice. Thesis Writing Group runs for ten weeks each term and is modelled after other successful online writing groups that use scheduled time to work on writing with the (quiet) presence and support of other writers. Thesis Writing Group also makes many aspects of our in-person Thesis Writing Retreats available online throughout each term. 

What you can expect

Thesis Writing Group is held via Zoom. It is facilitated by members of the Graduate Writing Services team and the Research Commons Librarian, who are available for writing and research support during the weekly sessions. An Assistant for Theses will also be available for some of the sessions for any questions about using the thesis template, formatting, and the thesis submission process. Optional mini workshops on topics such as library research techniques, copyright, and academic publishing may be offered some weeks. For Spring 2025, sessions will be held on Fridays, 9:30 am - 12:30pm for 10 weeks, starting Friday, January 31 and concluding Friday, April 4.

The online writing group format

Some of you may already be familiar with or have participated in online writing groups. For both those with and without experience, we encourage you to join us for this unique experience! The group will begin each session by briefly checking in and setting goals before turning to dedicated writing time. Participants can request support from our team through the chat feature, and consultations/discussions will take place in breakout rooms. The 3-hour sessions conclude with the group coming together and discussing any reflections or areas of interest/concern.

Writers will be asked to keep their microphones muted while writing, and the use of webcams is welcome but entirely optional for each participant. 

 Registration is for ten weeks

Registration is available for all 10 weeks of sessions combined. We ask that registered participants commit to attending each session to the extent that their schedules allow.

Please register by Thursday, January 30, 2025 before 6:00am in order to receive the Zoom link to join.

If you have any questions about Thesis Writing Group, please contact Julie Jones, Research Commons Librarian, at jsj7@sfu.ca

Register for upcoming workshops

DatesLocation
Friday, January 31, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 7, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 14, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 21, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 28, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 7, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 14, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 21, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 28, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, April 4, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
via Zoom (link will be sent to participants 24 hours before the workshop/event begins)

Thesis Writing Retreat

  About the workshop

Join us for three days of dedicated writing time and make genuine progress on your thesis, project, or capstone.
 
We’ll have a beautiful space to work, facilitated sessions that animate the writing experience, and optional programming around writing, research, the thesis template, and thesis-adjacent topics such as graduate student well-being and the grad student–supervisor relationship. Also, healthy meals and snacks will be provided for all three days.
 

Register for upcoming workshops

DatesLocation
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday, December 6, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Burnaby, Bennett Library, Rm 7000, Research Commons

Writing workshops

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Thesis Writing Group [Online]

 About Thesis Writing Group

Join Thesis Writing Group to make some serious progress on your thesis (or other academic writing projects) and to develop a sustainable writing practice. Thesis Writing Group runs for ten weeks each term and is modelled after other successful online writing groups that use scheduled time to work on writing with the (quiet) presence and support of other writers. Thesis Writing Group also makes many aspects of our in-person Thesis Writing Retreats available online throughout each term. 

What you can expect

Thesis Writing Group is held via Zoom. It is facilitated by members of the Graduate Writing Services team and the Research Commons Librarian, who are available for writing and research support during the weekly sessions. An Assistant for Theses will also be available for some of the sessions for any questions about using the thesis template, formatting, and the thesis submission process. Optional mini workshops on topics such as library research techniques, copyright, and academic publishing may be offered some weeks. For Spring 2025, sessions will be held on Fridays, 9:30 am - 12:30pm for 10 weeks, starting Friday, January 31 and concluding Friday, April 4.

The online writing group format

Some of you may already be familiar with or have participated in online writing groups. For both those with and without experience, we encourage you to join us for this unique experience! The group will begin each session by briefly checking in and setting goals before turning to dedicated writing time. Participants can request support from our team through the chat feature, and consultations/discussions will take place in breakout rooms. The 3-hour sessions conclude with the group coming together and discussing any reflections or areas of interest/concern.

Writers will be asked to keep their microphones muted while writing, and the use of webcams is welcome but entirely optional for each participant. 

 Registration is for ten weeks

Registration is available for all 10 weeks of sessions combined. We ask that registered participants commit to attending each session to the extent that their schedules allow.

Please register by Thursday, January 30, 2025 before 6:00am in order to receive the Zoom link to join.

If you have any questions about Thesis Writing Group, please contact Julie Jones, Research Commons Librarian, at jsj7@sfu.ca

Register for upcoming workshops

DatesLocation
Friday, January 31, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 7, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 14, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 21, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, February 28, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 7, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 14, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 21, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, March 28, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
Friday, April 4, 2025 - 9:30am to 12:30pm
via Zoom (link will be sent to participants 24 hours before the workshop/event begins)

Thesis Writing Retreat

  About the workshop

Join us for three days of dedicated writing time and make genuine progress on your thesis, project, or capstone.
 
We’ll have a beautiful space to work, facilitated sessions that animate the writing experience, and optional programming around writing, research, the thesis template, and thesis-adjacent topics such as graduate student well-being and the grad student–supervisor relationship. Also, healthy meals and snacks will be provided for all three days.
 

Register for upcoming workshops

DatesLocation
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Thursday, December 5, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Friday, December 6, 2024 - 8:30am to 5:00pm
Burnaby, Bennett Library, Rm 7000, Research Commons