dissertation and thesis festival

Dissertation and Thesis Festival: 27 – 31 October 2025

Want to boost your library research skills? Find out more about the library resources for your research question?  Or about managing your bibliographic and research data?  Find out what the Library can do to help you succeed with your dissertation or thesis at our Dissertation and Thesis Festival 2025. 

Sessions include:

  • Finding Academic Literature
  • Spotlight on: Research Planning
  • Enhancing Your Dissertation Literature Search With GenAI
  • Study resources for literature reviews
  • Introduction to Reference Managers
  • National Library of Scotland presentation & tour

Live session times don’t suit you? Online sessions will be recorded and available for viewing after the event.

In addition, Festival sessions are complemented by modules in the LibSmart II online course which can be undertaken at any time to build your knowledge and skills for library-based research. 

 For Dissertation and Thesis Festival programme details click here. 

Dissertation and Thesis Festival 24-28 February 2025

Want to boost your library research skills? Interested in finding out more about library resources for your research question? Looking for help with managing bibliographic and research data?

Join us for the Library’s week-long programme of events to help you succeed with your dissertation or thesis.

We’re offering a range of online sessions including EndNote for managing references, SAGE Research Methods and Literature reviews: functions, types and methods.

If you prefer to attend in-person events, why not come along to our Dissertation & Thesis Festival Discovery Day on Wednesday 26 February!

We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with a day of LGBTQ+ themed events in the Main Library, featuring :

  • Stalls with information, freebies and advice on library resources
  • Deep dive sessions into our digital primary sources
  • Hands on session with our unique archival resources

Information and booking for all events is available here

We look forward to welcoming you!

Dissertation and Thesis Festival: 11 – 15 March 2024

A picture of a girl reading a book and a QR code for the festival programme

The Library is holding a Dissertation and Thesis Festival from 11 – 15 March 2024, aiming to support students to use library resources for dissertation and thesis success.  

To create the programme, we’ve collaborated with Digital Skills, IAD, Library Research Support and the Centre for Research Collections, as well as external publishers and other libraries including the NLS.  

Key themes for sessions in this year’s Festival include:

  • Using Film in Research
  • Getting started with NVivo 
  • Expert searches for systematic reviews  
  • Discover Overton : the world’s largest searchable index of policy documents
  • AI tools for literature searching: Opportunities, limitations, and responsible use 

Most sessions will be delivered online and will also be recorded, making them accessible to online only students and students unable to attend live sessions due to study or work commitments. 

In addition Festival sessions are complemented by modules in the LibSmart online course which can be undertaken at any time to build student knowledge and skills in library-based research. 

Click here for the Dissertation and Thesis Festival programme details.   

An infographic showing a film camera and details of a seminar on using film in research