Welcome to the Divinity subject guide - your guide to using the library resources, services and facilities for your subject.
Welcome to the LibSmart online course, developed with the aim of ensuring that every student is digitally capable in using online library resources for their study and research. All students have been automatically enrolled on this course, which is located in the 'Essentials' Section of Learn. You can choose to study all of the course, or just the one or two modules which are most relevant to you, at any point in the academic year.
Contains five modules that will take you step by step from starting to use the library to researching a topic for a report or essay.
Aimed at Honours students and Postgraduates this will help you take the next steps to build the library landscape you need to undertake your dissertation, thesis or project research. You can also learn specialised or advanced digital search techniques and develop the skills to manage your research literature and data effectively.
The course is available on Learn in the Essentials section.
Academic Support Librarians deliver weekly information literacy sessions during semester time covering a wide range of topics, including:
Sessions are held online (normally via Collaborate) and are bookable via MyEd Events (search for Library Bitesize).
Information literacy sessions, such as searching research literature, reference management, etc., are also run through IS Digital Skills and Training and the Institute for Academic Development (IAD).
The Digital Skills and Training team help to develop the digital and information literacy, desktop and IT productivity skills of University staff and students. Their wide range of free courses and workshops are available to all staff and students at the University.
The IAD provide a wide range of free courses and workshops concentrating on academic and study skills. There are courses for all levels of students (undergraduates, taught postgraduates and PhD students) and they have a combination of on-campus and online courses and workshops.
The IAD's Study Hub is a fantastic resource for taught students on academic and study skills. It covers advice on specific study skills topics, plus downloadable resources with useful study strategies. Skills and topics covered include:
Check out our Using Library & University Collections channel on MediaHopper which has a large number of videos on accessing and using library resources. Useful for beginners starting University for the first time all the way to more advanced users working on their dissertations, theses, research projects, systematic reviews, etc.
LinkedIn Learning is on an online skills development service offering an extensive library of high-quality video courses in business, creative and technical skills. The University of Edinburgh has a campus-wide licence, offering staff and students unlimited access to the service via the web and mobile apps.
Users have access to over 13,000 courses taught by industry experts, with many new courses added weekly. Courses provide in-depth subject detail and are made up of short videos, so you can learn an entire topic or program from start to finish, or just a specific task. They cater for all levels from beginner to expert.
A good starting point for information on research methods is SAGE Research Methods.
It contains content on the steps involved in a research project, including a full range of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods for the social and behavioural sciences, as well as many methods commonly used in the hard sciences.
Topics: Key concepts in research, Philosophy of research, Research ethics, Planning research, Research design, Data collection, Data quality and data management, Qualitative data analysis, Quantitative data analysis, Writing and disseminating research.
SAGE Research Methods also includes a project planner designed to guide you through a research project.
