Sessions

Program Overview

Module Description

SOAR² is organized around the research lifecycle—from getting involved in research to working with data, documenting your work, and sharing your findings.

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  Entering Research
  Learn how research works and how you can become part of it. You'll explore the research lifecycle, develop a research question, discover strategies for finding scholarly literature, and learn how research teams support the research process. The module concludes with an introduction to open research and the principles that guide responsible research practices.
  [Module webpage]
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  Data in Practice
  Work hands-on with data and learn how to organize, explore, and visualize it effectively. You’ll compare spreadsheet- and code-based approaches and see how thoughtful data organization and computational notebooks can make research more transparent, reproducible, and reusable. You’ll also practice thinking critically about what your data can—and cannot—tell you.
  [Module webpage]
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  Documentation & Reproducibility
  Learn how to keep your research organized, understandable, and reusable. You’ll learn about strategies for documenting your work—from keeping clear research records to describing data and organizing files—so others (and your future self) can understand, reproduce, and build on what you’ve done.
  [Module webpage]
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  Communicating Research
  Explore the many ways that research is communicated and shared, from presentations and scholarly publications to data, code, and other research outputs. You’ll practice talking about your research, learn how scholarly publishing works, and consider how research can be shared and reused responsibly and openly.
  [Module webpage]
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  Generative AI in Research
  Explore how generative AI can be used across research workflows. You’ll examine both the possibilities and limitations of these tools, practice using AI for research tasks, and consider how to use it intentionally, critically, and responsibly. Along the way, you’ll explore questions around privacy, bias, transparency, reproducibility, and disclosure of AI use.
  [Module webpage]
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  Open Research Identity
  Start building your identity and presence as a researcher. You’ll learn how to communicate your research contributions, develop your scholarly profiles, and reflect on your skills and goals. You’ll also identify concrete next steps for your continued growth as a researcher.
  [Module webpage]
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  Open Project Plan
  Bring together what you've learned throughout SOAR² and connect it to your own research journey. You’ll briefly share your research, highlight one idea or practice from SOAR² that you want to carry forward, and respond to a question from your peers. This session is an opportunity to reflect on what you've learned, practice talking about your research, and learn from one another in a supportive environment.
  [Session instructions]