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About Research Capacity Development

The Research Capacity Development unit focuses on developing postgraduate students, postdoctoral research fellows, academics, support staff and emerging researchers by offering training, assistance, and growth opportunities. The Research Capacity Development unit hosts several workshops, seminars, programmes and activities focused on professional development, Global Excellence Stature (GES), Fourth industrial revolution (4IR), Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and societal impact. The RCD unit also assists Faculties and Departments with any requests or collaborations beneficial to the postgraduate lifecycle.

Workshops and Seminars

Orientations

  • General Postgraduate orientation – Understanding my Postgraduate Journey
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow and new employee guidance
  • Faculty specific open days, information, policies and research sessions
  • Campus life, services and support– unit specific information sessions

Research Planning

  • Time management
  • Postgraduate Life Cycle
  • Establishing a reading and writing series
  • Data Management Plans

Sourcing and Referencing

  • Use of databases
  • Impact factors
  • Predatory journals
  • Use of Referencing Software
  • Plagiarism
  • Turnitin Use of Artificial Intelligence (ChatGPT)

Research Writing

  • Literature reviews
  • Methodology (quantitative and qualitative)
  •  Ethics
  • Proposals (Research and Funding)
  • Theses and dissertations
  • Journal publications

Data collection and analysis

  • Survey design and methodology
  • Experimental design and methodology
  • Sampling design and sample size determination
  • Questionnaire design
  • Use of statistical software – SPSS, Python, NVivo and Atlas.ti
  • Interpretation and reporting

Research Communication and Dissemination

  • Preparing a conference presentation
  • Developing a conference poster
  • Communicating your research: visual presentation skills
  • Oral defense presentations (Viva Voce)
  • Public speaking

Professional Etiquette

  • General guidelines
  • Navigating different types of professional relationships
    • Students and supervisors
    • Students and peers
    • Students and staff
    • Collaborators
  • Effective communication

Professional Development

  • Career opportunities
  • Industry vs academia
  • Searching for opportunities
  • Importance of volunteering, workshops and courses
  • Writing a CV
  • Networking
  • Marketing yourself (online)

Funding

  • Sourcing and applications
  • Budgeting and supplementation

Wellness

  • Mental and Physical Health

Events and Competitions

  • Postgraduate Open Day
  • The Three Minute Thesis Competition
  • The Visualise Your Thesis Competition
  • The Postgraduate and Postdoctoral (PG&PDRF) Research Conference

Supervision

  • Supervision Enrichment Orientation
  • PG Diploma in Research Supervision
  • Supervisor Workshops