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Steenbock workshops offer help on research tools and services

Steenbock Library presents several drop-in workshops every semester. They are open to everyone, and all include hands-on practice.
Can’t make a scheduled workshop? Set up a time for yourself or your group. Use the online Request form or contact Amanda Werhane at 890-2684.

UW-Madison Libraries: What You Really Need to Know
Wednesday Sept 2, 4–5:15 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

An introduction to the many research tools and services the UW-Madison libraries offer: MadCat (the library catalog), journal databases, other electronic materials, conveniences such as book retrieval and your online library account, and ways to get help finding and using campus library resources.

Managing Your Citations with RefWorks
Wednesday, September 30, Noon-1:15 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105
Thursday, October 22, 3:00-4:15 p.m. Steenbock Library, Room 105

Covers the basic features of using RefWorks citation manager, which is free to all campus users courtesy of UW-Madison Libraries. Topics include organization of records, searching and sorting records, importing records electronically from MadCat and journal databases, and preparing bibliographies

Compiling a Lit Review: Life Sciences
Wednesday, Sept 30, 4-5:15 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

This workshop will cover the literature search process and is intended for those beginning a literature review for a research project, proposal, dissertation, or publication. It will cover resources and techniques that are useful in life sciences literature research. You will learn key steps in conducting a literature search and be introduced to core databases that are important for thoroughly mining the academic literatures in these fields.

Managing Your Citations with EndNote/EndNote Web
Friday, October 2, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105
Friday, October 23, Noon–1:30 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105
Tuesday, November 17, 3-4:30 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

Covers the basic features of using EndNote, including organization of databases and records, searching and sorting records, importing records electronically from MadCat and journal article databases, and instant formatting of bibliographies. Also covers EndNote Web (free to campus users courtesy of UW-Madison Libraries). Learn how to set up your EndNote database initially to avoid later style formatting hassles.

Google for Academic Research
Friday, October 16th —Noon-1:00 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

Power search with Google to remove the clutter and quickly locate quality resources. Get hands-on practice using Google, Google Scholar, Google Patents, and Google Book Search. Learn how to use Find It and RefWorks with Google Scholar and how to evaluate your search results to get the best information from the Internet.

Manage your References: An Introduction to Citation Managers
Wednesday, Oct 21st —4-5:15 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

Are you tired of formatting bibliographies and in-text citations by hand? Are article pdf files stored randomly on your hard drive with no hopes of retrieving them? Need a place to collect literature citations while you are researching? Citation management tools can help by allowing you to:

  • Create and organize a personal research database of references gathered.
  • Format manuscripts and reference lists instantly in a variety of styles (MLA, APA, IEEE, etc.).
  • Share your research with colleagues.

This workshop will give an overview of the four citation managers supported by the campus libraries, RefWorks, EndNote, EndNote Web and Zotero, and help you decide which one is right for you based on your individual research needs.

Keeping Current with the Literature
Wednesday,November 11, 4-5:15 p.m., Steenbock Library, Room 105

Learn about several tools that can help you stay up-to-date in your field of research. Learn how to create a custom list of library databases to be always at your fingertips. Have table of contents of the most recent journals sent directly to your email. Be alerted to the most recent articles on a topic. Monitor Web sites, blogs, and other important resources with ease. Keep track of citations and make bibliographies quickly.