Information about the Library course: Searching and organising literature for PhD candidates.

This course equips you with the skills to find literature for your PhD thesis and future research projects throughout your academic career. You will learn to develop comprehensive and systematic search strategies in various bibliographic databases. You will also learn how to evaluate the found information, how to cite sources correctly and avoid plagiarism, and how to manage references with EndNote.

You will also receive personalised instruction tailored to your PhD topic. This course is offered by Wageningen Graduate Schools and organised by WUR Library.

Quote/Testimonial

 “You know when you struggle to open a jar all your life and someone shows you a trick and you suddenly open it easily and quickly? This course did the trick for me with hands-on experience to access the literature I have been looking for efficiently” 

- Nada El Shanawany (participant)

Practicalities

Target group: WUR PhDs and postdocs with no or little prior experience and knowledge of information literacy.

When & where: This course takes place on three mornings from 9 am until 1 pm. You can find the dates and times on the Library’s website calendar. After the course, you can consult an information specialist further to develop your search strategy for your own topic. The information specialist will make an appointment with you for this follow-up meeting.

What: After this course, you will be able to:

• identify your information needs and information sources for your PhD research or another scientific project;
• formulate a focused literature search question and a strategy to prepare a systematic search;
• construct a systematic search in various databases and platforms and use relevant articles to find additional information;
• evaluate the search results, revise the search if necessary, and determine when to stop searching;
• store and organise information systematically and transparently, keep track of the search process and stay up to date with new information on your topic; and
• cite and reference literature correctly to avoid plagiarism.

Credit points: 0.6 ECTS. You have to participate in all three mornings and complete the follow-up meeting with the information specialist to receive the certificate and the credits.

Fee: This is a fee-based course. Please refer to the course information on the WGS website for additional details.

Language: This course is given in English.

Prerequisite knowledge: There is no prerequisite knowledge needed for this course. If you need to refresh some of your information literacy skills before starting the course, we suggest studying the following e-learning modules:

• Information sources
• Search systems
• Search basic
• Search advanced

How to register: Apply through the registration form on the WGS course page.

Questions & support

Do you have questions about this service, or would you like personal support? Feel free to contact us. You can send an email to the Servicedesk Facilities.