{"id":349,"date":"2022-04-22T08:28:38","date_gmt":"2022-04-22T08:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/?p=349"},"modified":"2022-04-22T08:33:13","modified_gmt":"2022-04-22T08:33:13","slug":"dissertation-festival-from-the-student-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2022\/04\/22\/dissertation-festival-from-the-student-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"Dissertation Festival from the student perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dissertation<\/em>. A word that scares and confuses many students, including me. It seems like a difficult and mysterious concept that most of us must deal with at some point on our academic journey. I have been wondering for a long time if there is any way I can make the whole experience of writing it at least a bit easier and less scary. I must admit that this year\u2019s dissertation festival has provided me with a lot of tools and information to do just that.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

During the dissertation festival, I attended three sessions: Introduction to reference managers, Improve your research skills with SAGE Research Methods,<\/em> and DataLiteracy for Beginners<\/em>. They were all very informative, both for students currently writing their dissertation, but also for students like me, who are only beginning to think about their dissertation now.<\/p>\n

The first event was an overview of four reference managers. I really enjoyed the fact that the presentation did not only cover one reference manager but as many as four. This gave me a chance to get a feel of all of them and choose my favourite one (which, I must admit, has got to be EndNote). The second event covered SAGE Research Methods database, which I was not aware of before, yet I found it to be a very useful resource. The last event I attended emphasized the importance of critical thinking while dealing with various kinds of information, especially the statistics part of it.<\/p>\n

I enjoyed all the events a lot! The only thing I would change about these, would it be their form. I prefer to attend in-person events, especially after covid \u2018trauma\u2019 that we have all experienced \u2013 it would be nice to see all the presenters and attendees offline. But well, one cannot have everything, maybe next time!<\/p>\n

Overall, I recommend every student to attend the next edition of the dissertation festival, whether they are in their fourth, third or second year. All events provided me with great tools that I will not only use while writing my dissertation but also other coursework.<\/p>\n

Zofia Matuszczyk<\/strong><\/em>
\nCommunications Officer Intern<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dissertation. A word that scares and confuses many students, including me. It seems like a difficult and mysterious concept that most of us must deal with at some point on our academic journey. I have been wondering for a long … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[18],"tags":[109,13,14,20,28,41,25,108,98,107,9],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcUES5-5D","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1141,"url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2025\/10\/10\/what-will-you-discover-at-our-discovery-day\/","url_meta":{"origin":349,"position":0},"title":"What will you discover at our Discovery Day?","date":"October 10, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Unlock the potential of your dissertation or thesis at Discovery Day! Join us on Monday 27 October, 10am\u20132pm at the Main Library for Discovery Day, your chance to explore the amazing resources available for your dissertations and theses during our Dissertation and Thesis Festival. Meet representatives from leading digital primary\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dissertation Festival"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/files\/2025\/10\/Blue-Artsy-Weekly-Newsletter-Email-Header1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":321,"url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2022\/03\/16\/dissertation-festival-exploring-library-resources-for-dissertations-in-gender-studies\/","url_meta":{"origin":349,"position":1},"title":"Dissertation Festival: Exploring library resources for dissertations in gender studies","date":"March 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of the 2022 Dissertation Festival, running from 7th-18th March and facilitated by the Academic Support Librarians, Digital Skills and IAD teams, I was invited to attend an online event exploring how to make the most out of resources related to Gender Studies in your dissertation. A recording of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Skills"","img":{"alt_text":"Opening slide from the presentation on 'exploring library resources for dissertations in gender studies'. Image includes the University crest offset on the right hand side, and the title of the presentation on the left of the image. ","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/files\/2022\/03\/Lib-res-for-gender-studies-slide-1024x531.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":51,"url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2021\/04\/30\/dissertation-festival-blog-so-what-is-a-systematic-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":349,"position":2},"title":"Dissertation Festival Blog: So\u2026 what is a systematic review?","date":"April 30, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Introduction Welcome to the first of three blogs, where I document my Dissertation Festival Experience. For those who don\u2019t know, the Library\u2019s Dissertation Festival is a collaborative effort from the\u00a0Library, Digital Skills department and Institute of Academic Development (IAD). They have come together to host a series of virtual sessions\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Dissertation Festival"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/files\/2021\/03\/DFB-SR.png?fit=602%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":870,"url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2024\/09\/16\/5-things-getting-the-best-out-of-your-library\/","url_meta":{"origin":349,"position":3},"title":"5 things: getting the best out of your library","date":"September 16, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Welcome, and welcome back, to all students starting the new academic year this week! Whether you are one of the many descending on campus or one of our online or distance learners logging in from across the globe, we hope you make full use of our library resources, services and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "5 things"","img":{"alt_text":"Photograph of the front of the Main Library building showing the Library sign and students outside.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/files\/2024\/09\/20240913_112015-1024x768.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":614,"url":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/asl\/2023\/10\/16\/trial-access-proquest-black-studies\/","url_meta":{"origin":349,"position":4},"title":"Trial access: ProQuest Black Studies","date":"October 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As part of Black History Month at the Library, we have trial access to ProQuest Black Studies. 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