Workshops & Instruction

Research & Writing Workshop Series

  • Workshop length:  50-80 minutes
  • Instruction Modes: In-person and online, in real time or recorded
  • Customization:  We can customize for specific resources -- contact us!

Request a Workshop

Getting Started Workshop

We generally recommend offering this workshop in the first third of the quarter. Topics include:

  • Analyzing the assignment
  • Choosing a topic
  • Drafting an inquiry question
  • Testing the inquiry question and starting to form subquestions

View / Access the Asynchronous Getting Started workshop 

NOTE: if the workshop does not launch, you may need to enable autoplay in your browser.

Finding & Using Sources Workshop

We generally recommend offering this workshop in the middle of the quarter after students have developed an inquiry question.  Topics include:

  • Revisiting the inquiry question and subquestions
  • Research databases for locating sources
  • Evaluating sources
  • Basic academic reading literacies
  • Building the draft and next steps

View / Access the Asynchronous  Finding & Using Workshop 

Revising & Editing Workshop

We recommend offering this in the last third of the quarter after a first draft has been completed.  Topics include:

  • Thesis
  • Organization
  • Style
  • Editing and proofreading
  • Basics on documenting and citing sources

View / Access the Asynchronous Revising & Editing Workshop 

Archives & Special Collections Instruction

We offer a range of customizable options for using unique and primary source materials in your classes and assignments.

Learn More

Online Instructional Videos

An introduction to primary sources, including those available at Western through the collections of Heritage Resources, with information about how to use them in teaching, learning, and research.

Primary Sources for Teaching, Learning, & Research

Training on how to use MABEL, Western's digital assets management platform, to access select digitized content from Heritage Resources' collections.

Discovering Resources through MABEL

This video details strategies and resources for finding primary sources, both in Western Libraries circulating collections and at other institutions. 

Strategies and Resources for Finding Primary Sources

This video details tips and strategies for using primary sources in your writing.

Writing About Primary Sources: Getting Started

Additional In-Person Workshops

We offer Citations Workshops on the following styles:

  • APA 7th Edition
  • MLA 8th Edition
  • Chicago 17th Edition

You can also check out our Citations LibGuide for more resources on citing sources. 

Zotero is the research management software supported through the Libraries. This workshop is best offered early in the quarter.

  • Develop an understanding of research management processes
  • Setting up software and accounts
  • Collecting sources
  • Organizing sources
  • Exporting formatted citations
  • Collaborating with others using Zotero

You can also provide our Zotero Resources LibGuide to your students for them to work through on their own time. 

Learn about the Research Poster format, and resources to support poster creation at Western.

  • Decide what information belongs on a poster and how to organize it
  • Apply good design principles for images, text, and color
  • Learn how to set up posters for printing

You can also provide our asynchronous Research Posters Workshop to your students for them to work through on their own time.

Instructors can request either a full-class presentation, or have their students schedule individual study skills appointments for credit (please notify us by email if you plan to do this for your class).

These workshops are not requested using the typical Workshop Request Form. Use the links below to schedule study skills content for your class:

Study Skills Presentation form

Study Skills Appointment Request form 

SPOT

SPOT (Self-Paced Online Tutorials) is a Structured series of tutorials that support Research & Writing. These tutorials can be added to Canvas for use in courses, or provided to students as an independent resource. 

Explore the Tutorials

Instructor Tooklit