Professional skills
These are programs to support you in gaining professional skills for careers within or external to academia.
Communication, publication and authorship
Publishing – Curtin Library research toolkit
Resources about where to publish, Open Access publishing and how to manage your publication outputs.
Peer review training with Clarivate’s Web of Science Academy (online course)
Curtin students have access to the Web of Science Academy, which offers a practical peer review training course designed for early career researchers. The course has been developed together with expert academics and editors in order to give you the core competencies and skills needed of a peer reviewer.
Choose from these courses:
- Reviewing in the Humanities
- Mentoring in peer review
- Co-reviewing with a mentor
- An introduction to Peer Review
- Good Citation Behaviour
- Reviewing in the Sciences
Visit the Web of Science Academy website for more information.
PhD2Published (blog)
PhD2Published is an academic writing and publishing support community. It features hundreds of blog posts on various aspects of academic publishing such as writing book proposals, journal articles and reviewer comments, presenting at conferences and publishing with open access journals.
Presenting Your Research with Confidence, by Hugh Kearns
- Slides: Presenting Your Research With Confidence slide presentation 9 November 2017 [.pdf 7MB]
- Handouts: Presenting with Confidence – Worksheet [.pdf 232KB]; and Presenting Your Research – Anxiety Chapter [.pdf 205KB]
- iLecture
Storytelling for Research
- iLecture 18 February 2020
Visualise Your Thesis – tips for preparing your presentation
- iLecture 18 February 2020
Communication Skills: Writing for non-academic audiences
- iLecture 18 June 2019
Communication Skills: Presenting, by Comm-it
- iLecture 17 June 2019
New content coming soon!
How to Design a Dynamic Powerpoint Presentation for Maximum Impact by Alexandra Ruiz
Seminar 16 December 2019
- How to design a dynamic powerpoint presentation for maximum impact [.pdf 34,445 KB]
- iLecture Echo360 link
How to use Twitter and Why it can Help Your Career in Academia by Alexandra Ruiz
Seminar 12 December 2019
Three Minute Thesis competition
The Curtin Three Minute Thesis competition (3MT) gives HDR students an engaging opportunity to learn how to present a compelling oration on their thesis and its significance in just three minutes. The Curtin winner progresses to the Asia-Pacific Semi-Final. Applications open beginning of June each year.
Visualise Your Thesis Competition
The Curtin VYT competition is a unique program for HDR students to showcase their research in a video format using digital literacy skills, to effectively communicate complex research to a general audience. Visit the Figshare site to view past entries. The Curtin winning entry will compete in the International VYT competition. Applications open early June each year.
FameLab live science communication competition
Famelab is a research presentation competition where entrants must explain a scientific concept to a general audience in just three minutes. To compete in the Australian competition, see FameLab Australia, is hosted by the Foundation for the WA Museum. Applications open early each year.
Engagement and Impact
Curtin PhD Internship Program
The Curtin PhD Internship program is highly recommended as a career-building opportunity for PhD students to utilise their research skills and engage with industry/government to undertake a three month research project.
To learn more visit Research Internships.
For upcoming internship preparation workshops, search Unihub
iPREP Biodesign
A collaboration between Perth Biodesign and iPREP WA, the program aims to provide PhD students with opportunities to develop their research and professional skills. PhD students receive hands-on experience in an industry setting, where you’ll apply theory and skills to thrive in a non-university research environment.
Visit the iPREP Biodesign website to find out more.
Frontiers ‘Future’ courses
ATN Frontiers is the flagship program of the Australian Technology Network (ATN) of Universities and is free for Curtin HDR students!
Focusing on the future of research and work, ATN Frontiers develops HDR students’ knowledge, skills, and ability to shape the future of innovation and productivity in industry. The program supports students to become the work-creators of the future, fostering their ambitions and providing them the skills to take their research further into their careers and industry.
Modules are delivered online and run quarterly, averaging 4-6 weeks. Upcoming sessions are advertised in the HDR Newsletter, or contract ROC-excellence@curtin.edu.au for more information.
With a focus on the future, course modules include project management, collaboration, work and innovation, communication, leadership, data, digital futures, policy making, and sustainability.
Creating Impact for Research Through Social Media Seminar 1 Impact [.pptx 8MB]
This seminar covers:
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How to set up a social media network to create impact for research
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How to identify potential end-users for a network and how to include them
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How to attract new, unknown potential end-users to a network
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How to conduct a network to keep potential end-users engaged with the research
Research Management
HDR students have responsibility to manage their research with guidance from their supervisors. The HDR Orientation provides an overview of responsibilities, HDR processes, and the key areas of Curtin that support HDR research.
Information about Milestones, support funding and links to forms are located at Higher degree by Research.
Visit Curtin Research to see what services and support is offered by the Research Office at Curtin (ROC). Students who are also staff can search for training in research management and other events via the Staff Portal.
Students undertaking research with commercial potential and/or industry interest have opportunity to undertake training in IP and commercialisation.
Access the free training resource, specifically designed to teach university researchers, staff and students the foundations of IP and Commercialisation. This training is offered by commercialisation advisory firm gemaker in partnership with commercialisation peak body Knowledge Commercialisation Australasia (KCA).
Students who have created intellectual property during their enrolment should discuss with their supervisor and contact Curtin’s Commercialisation Team at commercialisations@curtin.edu.au.
Library resources
All researchers, including HDR students, are required to make a Research Data Management Plan. The Curtin Library has a comprehensive guide to research data management.
From the start of your research its important to know about backups and safeguards for your data.
You can use the interactive tool Research Data Storage Explorer to find the storage service that best meets your needs.
The Curtin Research Data Collection enables Curtin researchers to openly share their data, and fulfil the requirements of publishers and funding agencies’ data sharing policies. The Collection supports Curtin University’s Research Data and Primary Materials Policy, which encourages best practice in data management, and the FAIR access to Australian Research policy statement.