External or Online Training Providers
White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership
This consortium gives our postgraduate researchers access to training and networking opportunities across Yorkshire and also provides video and self-development resources on large range of social research skills and topics via its virtual learning environment.
PhD by Distance Learning resources and tips
This padlet has a selection of resources that we gathered during the pandemic and that have since become useful for those who conduct most of their doctoral experience from home or other workspace, rather than joining us on campus.
The Researcher Academy
These resources are free from Elsevier - you just need to register.
The coverage is impressive with modules on everything from learning how to peer-review people's work for publication through to managing and retrieving your data. There is also careers-based videos and advice.
Publication Skills and Literature Searching Skills
These guides are from the Food and Health Information research group but I've watched all of the videos at the link and it is true that any discipline can learn something from their guidance. You can see the whole guide as a series of follow-along text tutorials or you can use the videos instead (or both) as you wish. It's free.
They cover content such as:
- Aims & Scope - Understanding a journal's mission and what they are looking for in a paper
- Instructions for authors - Key things to check to help avoid a desk reject
- Peer review in journal publishing - Principles, benefits and different types
- How to interpret traditional journal metrics like the Impact Factor
- Peer review - What to expect as an author?
- How to respond to journal editorial decisions on your paper.
They also provide excellent materials on being more effective at literature searching.
Research Impact: Making a Difference
This is a free course.
Help your work to benefit society and the economy. Learn what research impact is and how to create it.
University research has always made a difference to human understanding. Sadly, the importance of this work isn’t always communicated to the world outside of academia - leading many academics to believe that research is undervalued in society.
In this course, you’ll discover how to co-create research impact with a wide range of stakeholders, such as industry and government. You’ll also learn to communicate the benefits that impact-driven research brings to the economy and society. Ultimately, you’ll be able to better understand, communicate and create research impact.
Patient and Public Involvement: How to Find the Right People
Produced by some of our excellent doctoral researchers here at Bradford, this is a free resource with an accompanying peer-reviewed publication: Tomlinson, J., Medlinskiene, K., Cheong, V. et al. Patient and public involvement in designing and conducting doctoral research: the whys and the hows. Res Involv Engagem 5, 23 (2019).
Phlebotomy Training
Delivered by an external provider but with sessions that are delivered on campus, these courses carry a fee but they are available to PhD researchers who require these skills. As a doctoral researcher, first you must contact phlebotomy@bradford.ac.uk for further information.
Check back for dates and details as these become available when campus re-opens.
IRAS and HRA
IRAS
Please use the free e-learning module to familiarise yourself with IRAS
New users are advised to use the free e-learning tool to familiarise themselves with the layout, functionality and navigation that is available in iras. you do not need to register to use this tool and you can choose whether to you work through the whole training module, which will take about 1 hour, or just dip into particular sections of the training.
HRA Decision Tool
If you are unsure if your research needs IRAS approval; first of all please complete this HRA Decision Tool, which will help you decide.
Health Research Authority Learning Management System
- The HRA have launched a series of new eLearning modules on their Learning Management System. All the HRA's eLearning modules are free for everyone to access. Each module will provide you with an understanding of the subject area. For some modules, you will be invited to choose a route which best suits your professional role.
- You can access the modules as a guest user without creating an account. However, you will only be able to receive an end of module certificate if you create an account or use your Login.
- Modules include, among others:
- Medical Devices;
- Use of the HRA Schedule of Events;
- Research involving participants lacking mental capacity;
- Equality, Diversity and Human Rights.
- The HRA overview training module outlines HRA Approval processes. It covers applying for HRA Approval and setting up Approval studies in the NHS in England. It includes details of new HRA Approval arrangements for amendments and new sites that now apply to all NHS studies in England started in pre-HRA Approval systems.
Northern Advanced Research Training Inititative
NARTI is a network of research-led universities in the north of England. It provides specialist advanced training through the facilitation of events, retreats and conferences to network and share cross-regional expertise. It is organised and administered by the University of Leeds.
It supports researchers by:
- facilitating opportunities for doctoral, early career researchers and staff to attend regional events
- running an Annual Conference for doctoral researchers focused on advanced training
- providing an arena for these people to network and share research interests, contacts and best practice.
Online Training - Quantitative Analysis
This YouTube channel covers statistics, and, in particular, SPSS. the videos are informative, easy to follow and work through various analyses and levels.
This will take you to a set of training materials if you would like to work on your understanding of power analysis in quantitative research.
Jamovi
This is an open statistics spreadsheet resource.
"Jamovi provides a complete suite of analyses for (not just) the social sciences; t-tests, ANOVAs, correlation and regression, non-parametric tests, contingency tables, reliability and factor analysis. Need more analyses? then see the jamovi library – a library of additional analyses contributed by experts in their field." - taken verbatim from their website.
Qualitative Thematic Analysis
Braun and Clarke's take on Thematic Analysis for qualitative psychology and other related disciplines.
UK Data Service
This offers free training, especially useful for anyone using "the UK's largest collection of economic, social and population data for research..." (2022).
Ethnography
This is an open access, seven-part video series on conducting ethnographic research. The target audience for this series include educators, doctoral researchers, and activists, and the goals are to teach ethnographic methods as well as to engage in research that contributes to social justice.
National Centre for Research Methods
There are downloadable resources, and more importantly, specialist training. However, it is important to know that these training events are not free but most have reduced rates for students. NCRM can be a good starting point for thinking about training, if you and your supervisors agree that external training is required for something that is not available at Bradford.
All of their training is searchable by keyword.
NatCen Social Research
This is Britain's largest independent social research agency. There is training on offer and Bradford has, recently, secured onsite training run by this agency. Training usually incurs a fee.