• CIPSi now has an institutional subscription to Nature Masterclasses On-demand.
   

• The Nature Masterclasses online courses are specifically designed to be used on demand and at your rhythm. They are bite-sized (10-40 minute lessons) so you can dip in and out during natural gaps in your work. Researchers can choose their own learning path – whether that is working through a course in order, or dipping in and out of modules.
   

• The courses are designed to be interactive with in-lesson activities that will keep you engaged and give you plenty of opportunities to practise using new skills and concepts.
   

•  You will learn techniques and strategies to develop your skills and confidence across a range of essential research activities. You’ll be able to apply these skills to your everyday professional life but also leverage them to develop your career.

• CIPsi’s Institucional subscription grants its integrated members access to all available online courses on the Nature Masterclasses On-demand platform.
   

• Access to the courses is provided via a personal access code. If you are an integrated member of CIPsi, please email CIPsi at suporte@psi.uminho.pt to get access to this great resource. If you are a PhD student or research assistant please contact your supervisor or Lab Coordinator.

➔ User Guide for Nature Masterclasses On-Demand

Strengthening your Reviews: in Conversation with Nature Portfolio Editors

How can I start my journey to publishing a review paper as an early-career researcher? 

How do I refine the scope of my review to make sure it is comprehensive but still impactful?

To what extent can I voice my opinion in a review paper?

 Registration Link:

• Quarta-feira, 30 de outubro, às 14h (hora de Lisboa)
• Terça-feira, 5 de novembro, às 9h (hora de Lisboa)

This course has been designed to support researchers in mastering the steps needed to publish their work with integrity, ultimately helping them advance their careers and make valuable contributions to the scientific record with confidence. In this 3-module course, there are 8 hours of learning consisting of 45-minute lessons.

This course has been designed for researchers looking to understand how storytelling techniques can build a compelling scientific story to communicate their research and apply strategies in an accessible and persuasive way to a non-scientific audience. In this 1-module course, there are 6.5 hours of learning, consisting of 10-30 minute lessons

This course is designed for researchers looking to write an effective, clear and concise article that will appeal to a broad audience as well as attract the attention of their peers. Taught across 4.5 hours in bitesize 15-minute lessons, you will learn how to manage and present your data, develop a great title and abstract, and structure your paper.

Writing research papers allows you to contribute to the scientific record, and is critical for advancing your career. To ensure that the findings you have invested so much effort in have an impact on your scientific community, it is pivotal that the paper you write is effective. In other words, it needs to be informative, concise, well structured and engaging. An effective research paper makes it easier to convey to editors and reviewers the significance of presented outcomes. It also provides researchers with the information they need, boosting dissemination of your work.

This course will introduce you to powerful narrative tools and principles of scientific writing. It will also teach you how to apply them to your next manuscript. Don’t miss out and start learning today!

This is the second edition of our highly popular ‘Writing a Research Paper’ course. We recommend you take this updated version even if you have already started the first edition. However, the previous version of the course is still available, if you wish to continue it to obtain your certificate. If you have already completed the first edition of the course you will still be able to access your certificate on the progress page under “My dashboard”. 

This course will teach you how to submit your research paper and select the most appropriate journal for publication and submit your paper. Taught across 5.5 hours in bitesize 15-minute lessons, you will learn how to navigate the editorial process, and write cover letters, to include ethical considerations.

In the course, you will discover how to plan, structure, write and referee a review. You will learn to create a clear and compelling story supported by relevant citations. This 1-module course is delivered across 1.5 hours, split into 15-minute bitesize lessons

Review papers are critical for advancing scientific knowledge. They bring together recent literature and provide critical analysis on specific topics, helping researchers explore future directions and challenges in the field. Writing and publishing a review paper is a powerful way to grow as a researcher by establishing expertise and opening networking opportunities. 

In this course, you will learn approaches, techniques and skills important for writing a strong review paper as you are guided through the writing and publishing process.  

This course is designed for those new to peer review or those looking to refresh their skills and will help you to understand the importance and responsibilities of peer reviews. Taught across 3-4 hours in bitesize 10-minute lessons, you will learn how to prepare peer review reports and discuss ethics and innovations in peer review.

This course is designed to enhance your communication with peers by exploring the use of narrative tools to tell your research story. The 3-module course helps you to understand the benefits of using narrative tools to communicate your research more effectively and provides you with the skills to build a refined and compelling research story.

This course has been developed for researchers in the natural sciences who want to improve the quality of their peer-to-peer scientific presentations with both virtual and face-to-face audiences. In the course, you will discover how you can develop your research story, how to build a slide deck that supports and enhances your presentation, and how to prepare to deliver your presentation on the day.

This 4-module course is delivered across 10 hours, split into 15-minute bitesize lessons.

This course is designed to help you take the next step in your career, either as a new postdoc or in a new faculty role. You will learn how to find the best potential career opportunities and give your application the best possible chance of success. Developed in collaboration with 11 experts, this course is made up of modules and 7-8 hours of learning split into bite-size lessons.

This course is designed to give you the opportunity to develop your experimental design skills and will teach you how to select and refine the precise methods, tools, techniques, and protocols you need to answer your research question. Developed in collaboration with 9 experts, this 4-module course consists of 7-8 hours of learning split up into manageable bite-size lessons.

This course provides a deep dive into how the application of storytelling principles can yield advantage for you when writing grant applications. Throughout, you will learn how to use narrative tools when writing your grant proposal to make it more informative and persuasive. This course consists of 3 modules, with 3.5 hours of learning, all split into bitesize 15-minute lessons.

This course has been developed for researchers looking to find funding opportunities or mentor others through the process. Throughout, you will learn how to analyse your funding requirements and will learn strategies to prioritise and select the opportunities that best fit your needs. This course, consisting of 1-module, was developed in collaboration with 5 experts in the field, and consists of
3-4 hours of learning split into bite-size lessons.

This course is designed to develop your data management skills and helps you to understand the benefits of using research data effectively. Throughout the course, you will learn how to create and maintain a data management plan, explore best practices for organizing and storing your data, and evaluate the different options for sharing research data. Made up of 4 modules, with 4-5 hours of
learning, all split into bitesize 15-minute lessons.

This course provides insight and skills to create a successful data analysis plan. Working through all the important stages from preparation to completion and analysis, you will learn processes, key terms, and planning skills. There are 2 modules and 3-4 hours of learning taught in 20-minute lessons.

In this course, you will learn how to develop your data analysis skills or mentor others through the process. The course, consisting of 3 modules, was developed in collaboration with 10 experts in data analysis including experienced statisticians and data scientists, journal editors, and early career researchers.

This course will teach you how to interpret scientific findings with more confidence or mentor others through the process. Developed in collaboration with a team of 5 international experts in interpreting results, the course consists of 1 module containing 12 bite-size lessons to provide an accessible, dip-in-and-out format for busy researchers.

This course has been developed for researchers looking to improve their networking skills and helps you to understand how to build stronger relationships within the research community both online and in person. Taught across 3 parts, with 4 hours of learning you’ll be taught strategies for leveraging your network to advance your research or career.

This course provides insights for researchers in the natural sciences who wish to participate in collaborative projects. In this 1-module course spanning 2.5 hours of learning taught in 12-minute lessons, you will discover how becoming a more effective collaborator could help to further both your research and your career.

This course has been designed for researchers to identify and approach potential collaborators with the right expertise. Managing challenges including conflict between collaborators, ethical misconduct, and administering shared funds, you will learn to maximize the outputs, value and impact of your collaboration. There are 3 modules and 11.5 hours of learning taught in 15-minute lessons.

This course has been developed for researchers looking to make a meaningful contribution when joining a collaborative project. In this course, you will discover how to overcome possible roadblocks, to maximise the skills, ideas, and contacts you’ll gain from collaborating. In this 1-module course, there are 5 hours of learning, consisting of 15-minute bite-sized lessons.

In today’s fast-paced world of research, effective communication is key. An engaging research poster is a great way to visually share your findings concisely and broaden your professional network with other researchers. Learn how to craft great engaging research posters and prepare a handout and conversation that will captivate your audience. Whether you’re a student presenting your first poster at a conference or an early career researcher seeking feedback and collaborations, this course will provide you with the knowledge, skills, and confidence and improve your chances of success.

Being easily found and contacted online by different stakeholders such as journal editors, industry professionals, journalists and fellow researchers is crucial in fostering collaborations and advancing your career. This microlearning course aims to equip you with the essential skills to build and optimise your online researcher profile(s). 

‘Finding Funding Opportunities’ provides researchers with the skills needed to identify their professional and personal circumstances as well as research needs, and to find and prioritise funding opportunities that best fit their requirements and expertise.

Are you securing funding for your upcoming research, conference attendance or field trip? Maybe you've already identified the perfect funding opportunity through our "Finding Funding Opportunities" course and crafted a compelling application using insights from our "Persuasive Grant Writing" course.

Before you finalise and submit your grant application, there's one crucial task left – creating a budget that outlines how you'll use the requested funding. But what expenses qualify and what costs should you consider? In this webinar recording, funding expert Riana Coetsee shares practical strategies on getting out of starting blocks with your grant budget, including an overview of your usual budget items, a budget narrative and insights on what information funders want to see.

Do you already use social media to share your latest findings, but struggle to make yourself visible to a wider  audience? Are you actively figuring out creative ways to get people interested in your scientific contributions and grow your network? You may already have taken our courses “Effective Science Communication” and "Networking for Researchers" to build your academic presence; however, establishing a meaningful presence online requires not only patience, but also social media acumen sharpened over time.

Extending your reach on social media can help you open the door to grants, collaborations, or your next (academic) position – opportunities that might not have been possible otherwise. In this webinar recording, social media expert and rising cosmologist Sophia Gad-Nasr shares her insight into building a meaningful social media presence as a scientist over time. She also discusses how researchers can use social media to their greater advantage.

‘Managing Research Data to Unlock its Full Potential’ covers the key elements of effective data management during research projects. In this course you will discover how good data management will benefit your research and career, and learn how to implement best practices in research data management in order to maximise the outputs of your research.

Scientific writing can be daunting, especially when working towards your first publication. Writing a research paper is critical for any researcher’s success and our revamped, improved course “Writing a Research Paper: 2nd Edition” is a solid platform to gain the skills to navigate your scientific writing journey. While we have made every effort to make this course as comprehensive as possible, scientific writing is nuanced and it is normal for researchers to have more questions. 

In this webinar recording, Davide Esposito, Chief Editor of Nature Catalysis and Zoltan Fehervari, Senior Editor of Nature provide answers to frequent questions on scientific writing.