LibSmart is the Digital and Information Literacy programme run by the Academic Liaison Librarians. It is designed to support students and staff with the academic practice, information literacy, and employability skills needed to get the best out of time at Brunel and beyond.
LibSmart sessions are delivered in a hybrid programme of online and in person sessions. Please have a look at the calendar of events and book your place. The presenter will publicise links to join the session within the calendar or by email.
| Session title | Description |
| Referencing and avoiding plagiarism |
A workshop combining the importance of avoiding plagiarism with the mechanics of how to do so. Please note, referencing advice will focus mainly on how to cite and reference using Harvard style. |
| Referencing software: Introduction to RefWorks | Aimed at all students. In this session you will learn how to use RefWorks, bibliographic software that helps you document and manage your references, allowing you to cite while you write. |
| Referencing software: Introduction to Mendeley | Aimed at all students. In this session you will learn how to use Mendeley, bibliographic software that helps you document and manage your references, allowing you to cite while you write. |
| For all your courses - cite your sources! (in the IEEE Style!) |
Aimed at all students. We take a closer look at what referencing is, why you need to do it, and finally how to do it using the IEEE Referencing Style - which is mainly used in the engineering disciplines. By the end of this session you will be able to reference some of the more common resources with confidence in the IEEE Style. |
| Referencing the weird and wonderful | Aimed at all students using the Harvard Style of referencing. In this session we take a look at how to reference resources that aren't books or journals using the Harvard Style of referencing. For each resource type we will look at where you find the metadata for use in the reference as well as the citation style. Among the resources covered are : book chapters, confidential information, Generative AI, Maps, Patents, Protocols, Scientific datasets, Theses, and YouTube videos. |
To book a place at a session, please use the Calendar of Events link or tab above.
Related guide(s): Data and Statistics
| Session title | Description |
| Bloomberg Certification |
An overview of Bloomberg Certification and learning options, including the Bloomberg Market Concepts (BMC) e-learning course, the Environmental Social Governmental (ESG) course, videos, webinars and case studies. Covering how to access and work through the certifications, and how completing them can benefit employability, especially for those seeking careers in finance and investment. |
| Getting started with Bloomberg |
An introduction to the financial markets database, covering: what’s available, booking a terminal and setting up an account, finding your way around, getting help. Including Equities (GP, FA, SPLC, EQS); Equity Indices (WEI); Industries (BI); Economics (ECST, BECO). |
| Getting to know FT.Com | Learn your way round FT.com and how to get the most from this resource. |
| Introduction to finding data and statistics | The session is aimed at providing you with an overview of the various datasets and statistical sources available to you. These include data on global economies, company financials as well as data on environmental, social and corporate governenace (ESG). |
| Using Bloomberg with Excel |
Covering exporting data from Bloomberg, Accessing the Bloomberg Excel add-in, Options for downloading data to avoid exceeding the export limit (Bloomberg Query Language - BQL), Using the Spreadsheet Builder to import time series and static data, Accessing templates Attendees at this seminar should have previously attended a getting Getting Started with Bloomberg LibSmart class, or have past experience using Bloomberg. |
| What's in UK Data Service? | Discover statistics and sources within the UK Data Service website. |
To book a place at a session, please use the Calendar of Events link or tab above.
Related guide(s):
| Session title | Description |
| Advanced literature searching | An in-depth look at finding good quality, relevant literature and information for assignments and dissertations. |
| Citation Searching | Using article citations and journal metrics to find quality journal articles and evaluate your sources. |
| Creating an effective poster | How to make visually attractive posters convey the message you require. |
| Finding Market Research Reports and Data |
Learn about the market research databases available at Brunel, for access to reports and statistics on industries, markets, companies, consumers and economies / countries |
| Finding Technical Standards for your Research | Standards are intended to ensure compatibility between products and appliances from different suppliers. Find out how to locate and access British and International Standards. |
| Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Patents | Patents are a form of intellectual property, which can provide useful technical information. Find out more about more about IP and copyright, and how to locate and access British and International Patents. |
| Keeping up to date with your research |
As a researcher, you will want to know about the latest research being published in your field. Ideally, you would like to know about research, even before it's published. In this session, find out about alerting services, finding conference papers and making contacts. |
| Systematic reviews | Find out what goes into creating a rigorous systematic review. |
| Using copyright free images | Find out how to access a wealth of good quality copyright free images for use in your slides and in Blackboard. You’ll never take a picture from a Google Image search again! |
| Market research for engineers |
In this session we take a look at market research and how engineers can use it to support their business cases. We will look at some of the databases available to you via the Brunel subscriptions including Mintel Reports, and Statisita. The session will be useful to all engineering students, and possibly other students who are not studying business. |
Full details of all events are in the LibSmart calendar
There are a range of Library Online Learning resources with guidance and, often, activities. These are available for access in Brightspace:
Academic Liaison Librarians are available between 1pm-4pm, Monday to Friday term-time to discuss queries about using library resources and referencing.
Outside of these times, you can use the Library chat service and your query will be picked up by another member of Brunel Library staff or our friendly co-op support staff, who provide us with 24/7 chat coverage.