Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 6h

Exciting mail today! We've received our stickers for Carve your PhD!🎃 Starting this year, everyone who participates in the contest will receive a sticker certifying their PhD as SPOOKY!
Entries due on 30 October, and don't forget to include an address where we can send your sticker: abdn.site/phD

A sheet of 12 stickers that read 'My PhD is certified: SPOOKY!' with a picture of pumpkin lanterns with menacing glowing faces in a cememtary and a fullmoon behind them

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 1d

Did you know today is #WorldOctopusDay ?
We don't know much about the kind in the sea, but we can tell you more about the new research platform @octopus-ac.bsky.social
We had an ExlpORe session that demonstrates using Octopus to find collaborators, available here www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7CC...

ExplORe Series – How to identify potential research collaborators using Web of Science & other tools

YouTube video by University of Aberdeen

www.youtube.com

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 6d

We had a great time meeting our new postgraduates!
It was especially nice chatting with the PGR Society on helping PGRs feel at home in Aberdeen. If you haven't already, check them out. They have some great social events coming up, including a pizza party next week! www.ausa.org.uk/organisation...

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 6d

Amazing!

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 6d

Yes! We can't wait to see your student's pumpkins! Please drop us a line if you have any questions or would like any advice.

a man in a tie is screaming yes yes yes yes

Alt: a man in a tie is screaming yes yes yes yes and flailing his hands excitedly

media.tenor.com

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 8d

If you're at the PGR orientation session today, come by and visit our stall! We'll answer all your questions about the library, publishing, or other Digital and Information Services. We also have freebies, including a few of the coveted Emerald Publishing Rhinos! Stop by and say hi, from 15:30!

A table laid out with two chairs and pull up banners for digital and information services behind it. The table has flyers and bookmarks on it, along with a tub of sweeties, stuffed rhinos, and free pens

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 8d

Part of our mission to make scholarship available has to include making sure those works can technically be accessed into the future. So, we're excited to announce a new partnership with @jisc.bsky.social and Libnova for long term preservation of our digital archives www.abdn.ac.uk/news/24712/

Preserving tomorrow's history today with new digital partnership

Books and manuscripts held in the University of Aberdeen's collections date back centuries.

www.abdn.ac.uk

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 8d

A lil' reminder to our colleagues. We have posted all the rules and guidelines for the contest under and open license, so you can run it at your institutions! Please tag us if you do so we can see what your students come up with!

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 8d

It's the first day of October and therefore the start of the Halloween Season 🎃👻🍬

We're thrilled to announce another year of our Carve your PhD contest, where we challenge our wonderful PGRs to represent their dissertation topic as a Jack O' Lantern. Have Fun! Get Spooky!
abdn.site/phD

a person with a pumpkin on their head dancing in a cemetery

Alt: a person with a pumpkin on their head dancing in a cemetery

media.tenor.com

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 13d

We think Open Research has a big part to play in improving research cultures at our universities, so we were very interested in this piece, co-authored by Aberdeen's own Ben Tatler, on the REF PCE pause. A lot of food for thought

Wonkhe @wonkhe.bsky.social · 14d

NEW on Wonkhe: Yolana Pringle and Ben Tatler make the case that the REF pause should be the moment to build on the most substantial sector-wide collaboration ever undertaken on research environments buff.ly/B53PxLd

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 24d

Welcome back! It's the start of a brand new term here at University of Aberdeen! What's your favourite part of a new term? Cracking open a brand new notebook? Meeting a whole new crop of students? A new year's Carve Your PhD entries to look forward to 😜 (abdn.site/phD ). It's all starting! 🍂 🍁 👩‍🎓 🎃

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · 29d

We are just days away from a new batch of Freshers arriving on campus, so for one final #BackToSchool post, we'd like to share this extremely comprehensive guide from colleagues in Canada on making your lectures and labs accessible for a wide variety of disabilities and differences.

Educator’s Accessibility Toolkit - Accessible Campus

The Council of Ontario Universities partnered with the University of Guelph, the University of Toronto, York University, and the Government of Ontario through the EnAbling Change Partnership Program…

abdn.site

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Sep 4

And if you're considering writing an #OpenAccessTextbook, remember our partners @scotunipress.bsky.social are available to help!

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Sep 4

Continuing our #BackToSchool series (Only six more days to Welcome Week!), we'd like to share this excellent guide from @ucdlibrary.bsky.social on using #OpenAccessBooks and #OERs in teaching libguides.ucd.ie/openaccess/e...

An image of the wall of a library with an upper gallery, the bookshelves are covered by glass panes and the shelving is warm coloured wood, lit by brass lamps image copyright: University of Aberdeen Asset Bank, all rights reserved

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Sep 2

Only a few days left to apply for this funding! One grant supports historians of all stages engaging in Open Research

Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · Aug 28

Friday 5 September is the closing date for the following three funding calls, hosted by the Royal Historical Society:

> Martin Lynn Scholarship in African History
> Early Career Fellowship Grants
> Open Research Support Grants

Full details and eligibility for these awards bit.ly/425YJgC

Calls for research funding from the Royal Historical Society: three current programmes - RHS

The Society currently invites applications for the following three schemes — open to historians across a range of career stages and backgrounds — with a closing date of 5 September 2025. For further i...

bit.ly

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Aug 28

For today's #BackToSchool post, we're focused on PIs. For a lot of PGRs, the culture in their lab has the biggest impact on their experience of study and career trajectory. PIs who nurture a positive lab culture make a huge difference! Read more on how here:
wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/9-341

A young woman and older man are wearing safety equipment and standing in a lap looking at agar plates © Tricia Malley Ross Gillespie www.broaddaylightltd.co.uk - Broad Daylight

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Aug 21

Continuing our series of #BackToSchool resources: @forrt.bsky.social have many excellent resources on teaching and mentoring students in Open Research practices, including easy to incorporate materials, assessments, and lessons. Check some of them out here: forrt.org/adopting/

A woman and several younger women are wearing lab PPE and looking at equipment with a laboratory
Image by: Argonne National Laboratory, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Aug 14

To start: Have you visited Portal yet? This new resources from the graduate school directs you to all sorts of resources and can be filtered by your career stage, role, or topic. Check out the Portal for PGR supervisors, for instance: abdn.site/PGRP

A beautiful gateway looking out over a tranquil mountain lake, surrounded by greenery under a bright blue sky. Image by Terence Faircloth via Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND

Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Aug 14

As summer winds down (even if it doesn't feel like it yet), we're looking forward to the start of a new term. Over the next month, we'll be sharing some resources to get prepared for a new term, resources for preparing courses and supervising PGRS or mentoring new researchers.

A vintage poster depicting a girl in a green dress holding hands with a boy in brown shorts and shirt, reaching towards a bookshelf. It reads 'September: Back to work, Back to School, Back to Books'. Image is Public Domain, produced as a government work in the WPA art project

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 22

We're waving goodbye to the Tall Ships this morning, but we've enjoyed them while they were here. Did you know data from sailing races like this one can advance ocean and climate research in a number of ways? abdn.site/TSOR

As always, contact us to learn more about sharing your data

A graphic reading 'University of Aberdeen a proud sponsor of the tall ships races Aberdeen 2025' with a cartoon of a skipper looking through a telescope on the right side

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 18

Tall Ships Races are finally here starting tomorrow! When you're out at the festivities, don't forget to check out the amazing public engagement work our researchers! A list of events and activities can be found here abdn.site/TSR25

A graphic reading 'The Tall Ships Races Aberdeen 2025. 19-22 July 2025', on the left side is a cartoon family holding hands, a dark skinned woman with wavy hair in a green dress and red wellies with a child in a red dress and denim jacket with white wellies, and a light skinned man in a maroon jacket and jeans

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 15

Some really interesting stuff is happening with AI and copyright! Thanks for sharing

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 15

@aaas.org recently published a survey of Researcher's Understanding of Open Licenses, finding only half of researchers consider themselves familiar with open licenses abdn.site/OLSR
Remember we're always happy to answer your licensing questions, and have an explainer on our website abdn.site/CC

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 10

If you use #DataVisualisation in your work, we'd really recommend reading this excellent guidance from the House of Commons Library on designing effective charts.
It's freely accessible and reusable under the #OpenParlimentLicense so you can teach with it as well

Second Reading @commonslibrary.bsky.social · Jul 9

House of Commons Library guide to designing effective charts https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05073/

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Open Research, University of Aberdeen @openresearchuoa.bsky.social · Jul 9

One of our @uoa-archaeology.bsky.social lecturer's recently had an article in Nature, and published a research briefing to go along with. www.nature.com/articles/d41...
These plain language summaries can help expand the impact of your research by making it understandable to a wider audience

A genome from ancient Egypt

Most of an ancient Egyptian’s ancestry is best explained using North African genomes — the rest, by genomes from Mesopotamia.

www.nature.com

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