Public Policy

Researcher Unbound: Grow your search skills. No travel required.*

NUS Libraries' flagship Researcher Unbound programme aims to help you develop the skills you need for your research journey. Join our webinars to gain expertise in essential areas like literature searching, referencing, publishing, and measuring research impact.

With the list of asynchronous online sessions curated below, you can participate in a way that best suits your schedule. From the comfort of your home, you'll learn from experts and grow your research capabilities with a flexible, learner-centered approach. Don't let your location limit your potential! 

*While we aim to offer as many online sessions as possible, not all workshops will be available in a virtual format. Please check out our Researcher Unbound website for a full list of programmes.

Getting the Public Pulse: Public Opinion Polls, Statistics and Data (AY2022-2023): This event focused on using public opinion polls and statistics for research. (click here for slides and video)

NUS Libraries offers workshops on AI in publishing and information discovery to equip researchers, students, and academics with skills to navigate the evolving information landscape. The series covers a variety of research areas including databases, publishing guidelines, and rights.

• AI for Smarter Literature Search (March, 2025): This session explored tools that enhance literature searching, investigated the impact of data sources on AI outputs, and the necessity of evaluating information quality, while complying with institutional guidelines. (click here for slides and video)
• Kickstart Your Social Science Research with the Right Resources (October, 2025): This session showed researchers how to use the library's collections (including journal articles, theses, and newspaper archives) to discover reliable information. It also covered AI tools that can enhance the discovery process. (click here for slides and video)
• Editorial Insights on Using Third-Party Content in Publications (March, 2025): This webinar discussed how developments in AI and machine-learning have intensified discussions on intellectual property and copyright in publishing and the reuse of third-party content in publications. (click here for video)

NUS Libraries offers the Social Science Discovery series to equip researchers, students, and academics with skills to navigate major social science databases. The series covers a variety of research platforms and provides guidance on effectively using library resources.

• Kickstart Your Social Science Research with the Right Resources (October 8, 2025): This session showed researchers how to use the library's collections (including journal articles, theses, and newspaper archives) to discover reliable information. It also covered AI tools that can enhance the discovery process. (click here for slides and video)
• Researching Current News Like a Pro (March 27, 2025): A workshop focused on effectively researching current trends and issues. (click here for slides and video)
• Deep Dive into ProQuest (September 24, 2024): This workshop focused on how to use ProQuest, a major multidisciplinary database for the social sciences, covering areas like sociology, politics, and criminology. (click here for slides and video)
• Delving into EBSCOHost (September 17, 2024): This session spotlighted the EBSCOHost platform, which offers a range of social science databases for subjects including economics and communications. (click here for slides and video)
• Exploring Factiva (October 8, 2024): A workshop dedicated to using the Factiva database to research current trends and issues. (click here for slides and video)

The NUS Libraries provide a range of workshops and services dedicated to systematic review methodology, a method frequently used by researchers to create a comprehensive and unbiased summary of existing evidence on a topic:

• Systematic Review (Part 1): An Introduction to Systematic Review Methodology (January 2024): This workshop outlined the key elements of a systematic search and pointed researchers to relevant resources. (click here for slides and video) 
• Systematic Review (Part 2): Paths to Publishing (January 2024): This webinar introduced the basic requirements for publishing a systematic review, including protocol registration, reporting guidelines, and journal selection. (click here for slides and video) 
• Systematic Review (Part 3): Developing Search Strategy (March 2024): This event focused on planning a structured search, developing a focused clinical question, and managing results. (click here for slides and worksheet) 
• Systematic Review (Part 4): Rayyan for Systematic Review (March 2024): This workshop provided a glimpse into using Rayyan, a free web-based tool for accelerating the screening process in a systematic review. (click here for slides and video) 
• Systematic Review (Part 5): Search Methodology for Non-Health Systematic Reviews, ProQuest and PsycINFO (July 2022): This workshop gave an insight into the processes and best practises in formulating and executing a systematic search to answer a non-health systematic review question. (click here for slides and video) 
• Systematic Review (Part 6): Applying Search Filters: When and How (July 2024): This session shows the practical uses of search filters to optimise your search results and achieve more high quality studies. (click here for slides and video) 

Economics Research 101 (Multi-part series)

• Part 1: Finding Relevant Academic Literature: This workshop introduces the various types of academic literature available and helps participants familiarize themselves with platforms for economics research. (click here for slides and video)
• Part 2: Finding Useful Statistics & Datasets: This session shows researchers how to find reliable statistics and datasets for economics-related assignments and projects. (click here for slides and video)
• Part 3: Introduction to EconLit: This workshop gives participants a deep dive into the EconLit database, a crucial resource for economics research. (click here for video)

Data Insights (Multi-part series): This series, which was offered during Academic Year 2024–2025, covers different aspects of data discovery and management for research.

• Part 1: Research Data Needs & Data Discovery: This session covers the process of identifying research data needs, common data concepts, and how to find reliable data. (click here for slides)
• Part 2: Data Preparation: A workshop focused on preparing raw data for analysis. (click here for slides and video)
• Part 3: Exploratory Data Analysis: This workshop addresses the process of exploring data to find patterns, spot anomalies, and test hypotheses.(click here for slides)
• Part 4: Statistical Resources & Tools: A session that guides participants through key statistical resources and analysis methods. (click here for slides and video)

For the latest updates, please refer to the Reference Management Guide.

Introduction to Zotero. (click here for slides and video)

• Key topics covered:
  • Adding and organizing references from browsers and PDFs.
  • Using the Zotero Connector browser extension.
  • Using the Microsoft Word plugin for citations and bibliography creation.

Fundamentals of EndNote. (click here for slides and video)

• Key topics covered:
  • Use, store and organise references in EndNote
  • Insert citations into your assignments or academic papers
  • Automatically format references to your desired citation style