Searching & Managing Scientific Information

This is our biannual introductory training series for PhD students and other affiliates of the four federal research institutes Eawag, Empa, PSI & WSL. The series covers a whole variety of topics such as basic & advanced searching, scientific publishing, research evaluation, Open Access & copyright, literature management (particularly with Endnote), writing with LaTeX, research data management, and -new- also on data handling using Python, Pandas & Jupyter Notebook.

Autumn 2023 training series

From September to December, we offer eight individually bookable modules (ca 3-7h each) at the three sites of the institutes. Registration is open and closes a few days prior to each session. Please refer to the course description below for details.

Useful information

Each venue is open to all members of the 4 research institutes Eawag, Empa, PSI and WSL. Most modules are offered on-site at Eawag-Empa Dübendorf, PSI Villigen and WSL Birmensdorf.

Registration is open and closes a few days prior to each event.

All modules are held in English. No course fees apply.

Presentations/Workshops with examples and exercises. The course notes, presentation slides, and other course material will be available below a couple of days prior to the sessions.

Max. 20 participants for sessions of modules 1-3 & 5-7⁺ (please bring your laptop).

Max. 12 participants for sessions of module 4 (computers provided).

For module 5: Please bring your laptop with a working LaTeX installation. Brief instructions for example installations can be found below ca. 1 week prior to the sessions. Please contact us should you require assistance with your installation.

For module 7⁺: Please have Anaconda installed on your laptop. Details can be found on the website dedicated to the course material. A 2-hour online session (optional) will be held on 20 Sep 2023, 13.00-15.00 (1 day prior to the actual course) to deal with installation issues. You will receive the Zoom link via email together with the registration confirmation for module 7⁺. Important: This course requires basic knowledge of Python (importing modules, defining variables, defining and calling functions, accessing properties of objects). For newbies, the introductory Python tutorial (by Empa) is highly recommended and should be completed until the section dealing with functions.

In module 1, «Searching Scientific Information», you become skilled in finding relevant scientific information using suitable tools offered by Lib4RI.

How to use Lib4RI’s resources for quick information retrieval
Formulating systematic search queries including Boolean operators, wildcards and truncations
Examples/exercises from the swisscovery library catalogue, Scopus and Web of Science
Material:
Basic Search
Topic Search

Trainers: Stephanie Hofmann, Bobby Neuhold

See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Optional Locations	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-C24	Mon, 25.09.2023 9.00-12.00	Register
PSI Villigen PSI Education Center Room OSGA/OG09	Wed, 20.09.2023 9.00-12.00
WSL Birmensdorf Room EP D1	Mon, 18.09.2023 9.00-12.00

In module 3, «Open Access & Copyright» you gain knowledge on the principles of Open Access (OA) publishing and learn how to deal with copyright questions related to scientific works.

Apply Open Access to your publications and gain more impact for your research
Funding opportunities for Open Access publications
How to make your publications Open Access in the repository DORA
Principles of copyright and their applications in science
Creative Commons (CC) licences and how to use them
Copyright transfer agreements and author rights

Trainers: Jochen Bihn, Lothar Nunnenmacher

See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Optional Locations	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-C24	Thu, 07.12.2023 13.00-16.00	Register
PSI Villigen PSI Education Center Room OSGA/OG08	Thu, 30.11.2023 13.00-16.00	Register
WSL Birmensdorf Flurysaal	Tue, 21.11.2023 13.00-16.00	Register

In module 4, «Literature Management with EndNote», you get introduced to scientific literature management with EndNote.

Introduction to literature management
How to import and organise literature information including fulltext PDFs
Citing references and creating bibliographies in your scientific document using EndNote's Cite-While-You-Write (MS Word plugin)
How to modify/create output styles using EndNote's style editor

Trainers: Stephanie Hofmann, Bobby Neuhold

See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Optional Sessions	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-B15	Tue, 31.10.2023 9.00-12.30	Register
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-B15	Thu, 09.11.2023 9.00-12.30	Register
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-B15	Wed, 15.11.2023 9.00-12.30	Register

In module 5, «Getting Started with LaTeX», you are guided in creating your first LaTeX document, with special attention to scientific writing oriented features. The course is for LaTeX beginners.

A not so short summary of LaTeX basics
Tables, figures and formulae
The LaTeX error log and common errors to avoid
BibTeX and citation styles

Note: Please bring your laptop with a working LaTeX installation. Brief instructions for example installations can be found below ca. 1 week prior to the sessions. Please contact us should you require assistance with your installation. See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Trainers: Federico Cantini, Frank Hösli

Optional Locations	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-C24	Thu, 19.10.2023 9.00-16.00	Register
PSI Villigen PSI Education Center Room OSGA/EG06	Thu, 12.10.2023 9.00-16.00	Register

In module 6, «Work on Your Own Project», you work on your own literature project receiving individual assistance.

Develop your search strategy and set up your systematic topic search with bibliographic databases such as Scopus & Web of Science
Critically evaluate your search results
Tweak your reference management & citation tools (particularly EndNote)

Trainers: Stephanie Hofmann, Bobby Neuhold

See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Optional Locations	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-B81	Tue, 05.12.2023 9.00-12.00	Register
PSI Villigen PSI Education Center Room OSGA/OG08	Fri, 01.12.2023 9.00-12.00	Register

In the new module 7, «Research Data Management - The Basics», you learn to identify the relevant strategies and tools to implement research data management in your research practices.

Life cycle of research data
Adequate metadata documentation for your code and data
Storing and publishing data
Writing Data Management Plans (DMP) and using OpenBIS (ELN)

Trainers: Federico Cantini, Fabian Felder (Lib4RI), experts from Eawag, Empa, PSI & WSL

See Organisation & Requirements for additional information!

Optional Locations	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-D24	Tue, 28.11.2023 9.00-12.00	Register
PSI Villigen PSI Education Center Room OSGA/OG08	Thu, 23.11.2023 9.00-12.00	Register
WSL Birmensdorf Flurysaal	Thu, 02.11.2023 9.00-12.00	Register

In the new module 7⁺, «Load, Work and Plot your Data using Python, Pandas and Jupyter Notebook», you will learn how to treat, explore and analyse your data using Python with the Pandas library. You will learn how to use the JupyterLab environment to work with, but also to publish your data.

Using Jupyter Notebook and coupling it with OpenBIS

Analysing and plotting data with Pandas (Python data analysis library)

Publishing your code with Voilà and Binder

Course Material

Trainers: Antoine Masson (Youmi), Federico Cantini

Note: Please have Anaconda installed on your laptop. Details can be found on the website dedicated to the course material. A 2-hour online session (optional) will be held on 20 Sep 2023, 13.00-15.00 (1 day prior to the actual course) to deal with installation issues. You will receive the corresponding Zoom link via email together with the registration confirmation for module 7⁺.

Important: This course requires basic knowledge of Python (importing modules, defining variables, defining and calling functions, accessing properties of objects). For newbies, the introductory Python tutorial (by Empa) is highly recommended and should be completed until the section dealing with functions.

Please see Organisation & Requirements and Course Material for more information.

Location

Date & Time

Registration Link

Eawag-Empa Dübendorf
Forum Chriesbach
Room FC-C24

Thu, 21.09.2023
9.30-17.30

Location	Date & Time	Registration Link
Eawag-Empa Dübendorf Forum Chriesbach Room FC-C24	Thu, 21.09.2023 9.30-17.30

Searching & Managing Scientific Information

Autumn 2023 training series

Useful information

Course description

Course description

Organisation & Requirements

Module 1: Searching Scientific Information

Module 2: Scientific Publishing - From Writing to Sharing

Module 3: Open Access & Copyright

Module 4: Literature Management with EndNote

Module 5: Getting Started with LaTeX

Module 6: Work on Your Own Project

Module 7: Research Data Management - The Basics

Module 7+: Load, Work and Plot your Data using Python, Pandas and Jupyter Notebook