Tag Archives: redpath library

Digital Scholarship Hub: Workshop Lineup

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As with every pre-midterm season at McGill, the campus is buzzing with life! Students are enjoying the last bouts of September sun, lining up for free plants, and queuing at McGill Farmers’ Market.

In the midst of all the havoc, McGill Library’s Digital Scholarship Hub (DSH) is back again with its Fall workshop lineup!


We’ve got numerous amazing workshops lined up from September through October. To help you through the rather extensive list, below we highlight some of our personal favourites;

Bias, Ethics, & Artificial Intelligence – September 29, 11am

Are you someone who closely follows the roller coaster ride that is the tech industry? With its continuously growing market and Artificial Intelligence (AI) innovations, it is the point of discussion from every household to every seminar room.

What side of the debate are you on? How ethical do you find the everyday innovations in the industry? Focused on understanding the impact of AI on society as we know it, this workshop aims to dip a toe into these tumultuous waters in order to find ethical solutions to AI development.

Join presenters Amanda Wheatley and Sanday Hervieux as they explore the core issues surrounding AI ethics and how we can overcome these issues to broaden our understanding of technology. 

How to Write a Data Management Plan – October 3, 12pm

This workshop will provide attendees with practical tips and examples on how to write a data management plan for funders, journals, or other oversight organizations. We will demo an online interactive tool, Portage DMP Assistant, which has built-in templates particular to the Canadian research context. Attendees will also have a chance to discuss discipline-specific issues related to planning for the management of data actively during the research process and for long-term archival purposes.

Making Your Work Open Access (psst: it doesn’t have to cost money) – October 25, 12pm

Are you a student-run journal considering the latest trends in scholarly publications? Or perhaps a graduate student looking at the implications of making your thesis public? Well worry no more, you’re not the only one!

This online presentation brings together a group of people looking to make their work open to access. While the discussion will be focused on the role of grant-holders and the support they can find on-campus for making their work open access, the presentation is open to everyone!

Ready to Publish? Selecting a Journal – November 3, 12pm

Finished your research and looking to publish? This 45-minute workshop will outline how to locate and assess relevant journals in your discipline. This workshop will also discuss the basics of the peer review process, journal selection considerations, and frequently asked questions about publishing. This workshop will serve as an introduction to the topic for new researchers and those just starting to publish.

At the end of this workshop participants will be able to:

  • Describe tools and strategies to identify appropriate journals in their discipline
  • Describe the peer review process
  • Describe main considerations when choosing a journal

Also, stay tuned for our Workshop Spotlights over the next few weeks!

Check out DSH’s calendar for their upcoming workshops and office hours schedule. And for further queries, email us at hssl.library@mcgill.ca.

Feeling Moody? New Research Tool Workshop Coming Up!

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For many students, the thought of a thesis can be incredibly daunting– especially starting to work. This can take the joy out of the incredibly important work you do in academia. This September, we are hosting the first ever mood board workshop! The aim is to give you the space to freely and calmly think through your research in a creative way, with mood boarding!!

On Tuesday, September 27th 11:45 – 12:45 in the Innovation Commons Room A, join other undergraduate and graduate students to learn about the purpose of mood boards and how to make one. This session focuses on online tools that can help bring your vision to life and reignite a passion for your research.

Sign up today!

If you have any questions, email hssl.library@mcgill.ca

Dear IDS Students….

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Along with being an Outreach Assistant for the McGill Library, I’m also going into my last semester of McGill. I feel quite sentimental to be at the end of my International Development Studies (IDS) Major, it is one that is ever-changing, complex, and interconnected with so many disciplines. Being able to research effectively has been a huge learning curve, but it’s been helpful to have the McGill Library on my side. 

Micheal-David Miller, the Liaison Librarian for IDS, has a library guide with tons of advice, databases, and more curated specifically for the field. 

Here are the Top 3 Resources I’ve used for IDS (that you can find in the libguide): 

  1. Statista

This one is mostly for economics papers or to find numerical data to back up one of your points in an essay. It is very useful as it includes global data and often they’ll include larger reports which feature the data that you can dive deeper into. 

  1. Academic Search Complete (Ebsco) 

Again, for writing essays, especially in classes with Takumura, you want to really develop a strong understanding of your topic. This database hosts many scholarly articles that can aid you in your research. The filters are useful and pretty straightforward to use, just make sure

  1. The Economist Intelligence Unit 

I honestly just discovered this one last semester, and it would have saved me so much trouble. Most classes revolve around Country Case studies in some capacity. Their simple, yet detailed analyses of countries come in handy and can save you a lot of digging and it is a much more credible resource. 

Last piece of advice: 

Try to find your own niche in IDS. Especially in the beginning, the classes are so general and broad, but each professor has their own interests and values. Listen closely and try to see what is more suitable or joyful for you. When you find what lights your fire, use the services and databases of the McGill Library to help you explore while you can! 

Wishing the best, 

  • Vanja, IDS (almost) graduate and Outreach Assistant for HSSL

If you have any questions, email hssl.library@gmail.com