Training

We offer a wide range of training courses for University of Reading researchers on the following:

  • Introduction to altmetrics – for anyone interested in tracking media attention to research publications.
  • Introduction to bibliometrics – for researchers interested in using journal metrics as part of a publication strategy.
  • UKRI Open Access policy for journal articles – for researchers who need to comply with UKRI Open Access policies.
  • UKRI Open Access policy for books, chapters and edited collections – for researchers needing to comply with UKRI policies.
  • Introduction to the SciVal research intelligence tool – for staff involved in conducting, supporting or monitoring research outputs.
  • ORCiD Identifiers – what are they and why do I need one? – for academic staff involved in research.
  • Introduction to ORCID identifiers – a self-guided e-learning course for academic or professional staff involved in research
  • Open Access for REF 2029 – a self-guided e-learning course for academic staff involved in research
  • Open Access at Reading – all you need to know – for new research staff including early career researchers, or for those needing a general overview.
  • Paying to publish Gold Open Access journal articles – for anyone needing to secure Open Access funding.
  • Introduction to Open Research – for anyone who wants to know more about Open Research.
  • Research Data Management: An Introduction – this course introduces researchers to the policies, principles and practices of research data management, and highlights support provided by the Research Data Service.
  • Research Data Management: Data Management Plans – this course discusses the use of data management plans in grant applications, ethical review, doctoral confirmation and in support of project delivery.
  • Research Data Management: Data Sharing – this course discusses data sharing policies and expectations, the role of data repositories, how to deposit data in a repository, and how to prepare data for sharing.
  • Research Data Management e-learning – This five-module e-learning course provides a comprehensive foundation in research data management.
  • Supporting PGR Data Management: for Supervisors & Assessors – a self-guided e-learning course for PGR supervisors and members of School PGR progress monitoring committees

Research staff, for course details and to book, please go to UoRLearn. We have also provided course descriptions below.

We offer a similar range of courses for graduate students. For course details and to book, please see the Reading Researcher Development Programme page.

Introduction to Altmetric Explorer

Who is it for?
Primarily research-related staff but also anyone interested in tracking media attention to research publications.

Brief description of course:
Altmetric Explorer helps you track mentions to research outputs from Twitter, Facebook, news outlets, Wikipedia, Mendeley and lots of other ‘alternative’ sources. This hands-on session will show you how to use the tool to investigate and analyse the reach and impact of your research. You will find out about the background and rationale for altmetrics, understand how to interpret the Altmetric ‘donut’, know how to track media attention to research publications, find out who is saving your publications in Mendeley, and discover how you could use Altmetric data in grant applications, CVs, and impact statements.

Following the session you will be able to:

  • Understand the background and rationale for Altmetrics
  • Understand what the Altmetric ‘donut’ means
  • Track media attention to research publications
  • Find out who’s saving your publications in Mendeley
  • Understand how you could use Altmetric data in grant applications, CVs, and impact statements.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Introduction to Bibliometrics

Who is it for?
Researchers who are interested in looking at the citation patterns of research outputs and/or using journal metrics as part of a publication strategy.

Brief description of course:
Bibliometric data are increasingly used in research assessment exercises and in recruitment decisions but they can also give you insights into how your research is being used by others and help you to make informed journal choices. This session will introduce some commonly used bibliometrics and explain how they are calculated and what they mean. The issues behind the responsible use of metrics will also be explored. A hands-on section of the session will use tools such as Scopus, SciVal, Google Scholar and InCites to explore bibliometric data sources. This is a 90 minute session however the last 30 minutes will be allocated for hands on tasks.

Following the session you will be able to:

  • Appreciate the responsible use of metrics
  • Understand the metrics used in the ROSS process at Reading University
  • Understand journal- and article-level metrics such as citation counts, SJR, SNIP, JIF, IPP and FWCI
  • Know where to find bibliometric data relating to your or your research division’s publications.
  • Use bibliometrics to help with journal choices

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

UKRI Open Access Policy for Journal Articles

If you are a UKRI funded author your journal articles must be Open Access with a CCBY licence immediately on publication and without embargo, via CentAUR (green Open Access) or published gold Open Access on the publisher’s website.  This policy applies to all peer reviewed articles submitted for publication since April 2022. In this short briefing we will help you to:

  • Check whether a journal is compliant before you submit to it
  • Use look-up tools, including the journal checker and SciFree
  • Add a CCBY licence statement to your article when you submit it
  • Apply to the UKRI block grant to cover Open Access article publishing charges

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

UKRI Open Access policy for books, chapters and edited collections

All UKRI funded authors are required to make books, chapters and edited collections, that are published on or after 1st January 2024, Open Access with a Creative Commons licence. The final Version of Record or the Author’s Accepted Manuscript must be free to download via an online publication platform, publishers’ website, or repository within 12 months of publication. In this short briefing we explain:

  • Routes to Open Access
  • UKRI policy scope and exemptions
  • How to apply to the central UKRI fund to cover Open Access publishing charges
  • Finding Open Access publishers for books

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Introduction to SciVal Research Intelligence Tool 

Who is it for?
All staff involved in conducting, supporting or monitoring research outputs.

Brief description of course:
SciVal is a powerful research intelligence tool based on bibliometric data from research publications. SciVal enables researchers and those supporting research staff to visualize their institution/group’s research performance and benchmark it relative to their peers based on a variety of different metrics. It can also help you identify areas or partners for the development of collaborative networks. This session will introduce you to the scope and possibilities of SciVal. This is a 90 minute session. The first 60 minutes will explain what the tool is and how it can be used. The last 30 minutes will be an extended hands-on activity so that you get practical experience of using the tool. If you do not want to take part in this activity, please feel free to leave the session after 60 minutes.

Following the session you will be able to:

  • Understand what the tool is for and the data behind it.
  • Track the impact of your division’s research outputs.
  • Perform targeted analyses based on the publications of your own research division
  • Select suitable institutions/groups for benchmarking
  • Identify potential collaborators.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

ORCiD Identifiers – What are they and why do I need one?

Who is it for?
Academic staff involved in research.

Brief description of course:
ORCID identifiers are being increasingly adopted by publishers and funders and there are already over 700 ORCID users at University of Reading. This session will help you understand why you need to create an ORCID identifier (ORCID iD) to establish your researcher identity and claim your research outputs. Find out how and when to use your ORCID ID in your professional scholarly activities. This is a 90 minute session, however the last 30 minutes will be reserved for you to create and populate an ORCID record with assistance from the trainer.

Following the session you will be able to:

  • Understand why you need to create an ORCiD identifier (ORCiD ID)
  • Create an ORCID ID and add your research outputs to your profile
  • Know how and when to use your ORCID ID in your professional scholarly activities

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Introduction to ORCID identifiers

This is an Elearning self-guided course. The course covers the same content as the live and pre-recorded sessions. There is no assessment at the end of the course.

  • ORCID identifiers are essential if you are involved in publishing and disseminating your research. They are compulsory for many publishers and funders and linking your ORCID to University of Reading’s CentAUR repository is recommended. This Elearning course will explain why you need to create an ORCID identifier (ORCID iD) to establish your researcher identity and claim your research outputs. Discover how and when to use your ORCID ID in your professional scholarly activities.Following the session you will be able to:
    Understand why you need to create an ORCiD identifier (ORCiD ID)
    Create an ORCID ID and add your research outputs to your profile
    Know how and when to use your ORCID ID in your professional scholarly activities

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Open Access for REF 2029

This short course will explain the Open Access policy for REF2029 that comes into force on 1 January 2026.

When you have completed the course, you should understand:

• What types of outputs are included in the policy
• What you need to do to ensure that your outputs meet the Open Access requirement
• How the Open Access policy will change from January 2026
• Where to get help and more information

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Open Access at Reading: all you need to know

This session is intended for new research staff, including early career researchers, and managers and professional services staff needing a general overview of Open Access at the University of Reading. We provide practical information about maximizing the visibility of your research publications for the benefit of both you and the University. Following the session you will be able to:

  • recognise the different types and benefits of Open Access
  • comply with the key Open Access policies affecting you
  • know what to deposit in CentAUR
  • apply to the University’s fund to cover Open Access publishing costs
  • make informed choices about where to publish
  • make informed decisions about sharing networks
  • access key bibliometric tools and Altmetric
  • register for and populate an ORCiD identifier

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Paying to publish Gold Open Access journal articles

Publishing your article as Open Access on the publisher’s website usually incurs a fee. This applies for many fully Open Access journals and to hybrid journals unless covered by a Library read and publish agreement with the publisher. We will help you to navigate this complex landscape, to access funds to cover charges and to avoid receiving an unexpected bill. This short briefing will:

  • Explain which journals are covered by the Library’s read and publish deals
  • Check whether a journal meets the criteria for the University’s Gold Open Access fund and the UKRI block grant
  • Show when and how to apply to these funds to cover the cost of an article APC

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Introduction to Open Research

This course will give you an introduction to open research methods and why they are important to the culture of research at University of Reading and the growing open research worldwide movement. We’ll cover the main principles, ask why open research is important and suggest small steps that you can take to make your research processes more open, transparent and accountable. We’ll cover concepts such as open notebooks, open data, open access, open peer review etc. This content fits in with the University’s open research action plan, open access and open data policies.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Research Data Management: an introduction

The effective management of research data and the sharing of data in support of published findings are essential parts of good research practice, and are required by University policy, as well as the policies of many funders and publishers. All researchers should have the knowledge and skills to be able to manage and share data well.

This session introduces the topic of research data management, and gives an overview of policies and expectations, and the resources and support provided by the University’s Research Data Service. The course is relevant to researchers at all stages of their careers working with research data in any discipline, whether in the sciences, social sciences or humanities.

The course will cover:

  • Where to find information, resources and support
  • Research data management concepts and practices
  • The University’s and funders’ research data policies and requirements
  • Data preservation and sharing, and the Research Data Archive (the University’s data repository)
  • Data management planning for grant applications, ethical review, and doctoral confirmation

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Research Data Management: Data Management Plans

A data management plan (DMP) describes the data that will be collected in a research project, how the data will be managed during the project, and how any primary data collected will be preserved and made accessible to others on completion of the research and publication of findings. Being able to write a DMP is an essential professional competence.

Researchers may encounter DMPs in a number of contexts: some funders ask for a DMP to be submitted as part of a grant application; applications for ethical review in the University are required to include a DMP; and doctoral students registered from September 2025 must submit a DMP approved by their supervisor as part of confirmation of registration.

Any research project that entails collecting and working with data should also have a project delivery DMP: the practical tool that will help researchers manage data on a day-to-day basis and prepare for data sharing at the end of the project.

This course provides an introduction to the different types of DMP and highlights the support provided by the University’s Research Data Service.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Research Data Management: Data Sharing

The sharing of data in support of published research findings is fundamental good research practice, and contributes to the transparency, verifiability and quality of research. Data sharing is also required by University policy, which is aligned with expectations across the sector, including those of other research-performing organisations, the funders of research and publishers of research. Being able to share data effectively is therefore a core research competence.

This course provides an introduction to data sharing, and covers:

  • Data sharing policies and expectations
  • The role of data repositories
  • How to deposit data in a data repository, using the example of the University’s Research Data Archive
  • Preparing data for sharing

You can also find out here about how the University’s Research Data Service can help you.

Please book your place via UoRLearn.

Supporting PGR Data Management: for Supervisors & Assessors

In September 2025 the University introduced data management planning requirements for postgraduate research students whose registration commenced on or after this date. These requirements also entail responsibilities for supervisors and those involved in assessment of student progress through the confirmation of registration and annual review processes.

The purpose of this course is to enable you to:

• Understand the purpose of these data management planning requirements
• Understand your responsibilities as a supervisor/assessor and what you will need to do
• Find resources and support to help you

Please book your place via UoRLearn.