GANGTOK, 4th April 2023:Department of Medical Biotechnology, Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS) and Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing (SMCON),SMUorganiseda One Day Hands on Workshop on “Zotero: Reference Management Software Tool”on 4th April, 2023. The program was organized under Student Research Forum (SRF), SMIMS in association with Directorate of Research (DoR), SMU and was funded by Dr. Ramdas Pai and Mrs. Vasanthi Pai Endowment Fund.Student Research Forum (SRF), SMU was established in November 2021, working to stimulate and inculcate a passion for research in SMU students. Operating under the leadership of the Directorate of Research (DoR), SMU, Sikkim, it has a team of faculty members and students (undergraduate and graduate) from the SMU constituent institutions.
The objective of this workshop was to sensitize the participants to the importance of the Reference materials, role and functions of reference management tools in research its types especially the Zotero.The theme assumes significance, because when it comes to doing research, the process of gathering and organizing information is just as important as the actual research itself. Good reference management software can make all the difference for academic researchers and Scholars - from making sure that references are formatted correctly to helping in find and use them quickly and easily. It allows keeping track of references, creating bibliographies, and collaborating with other researchers.
The one-day workshop was successfully conducted for total of 60 participants including theMSc. Students (84%) and faculty members (16%) of Department of Medical Biotechnology and Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing (SMCON), SMU. The inauguration session was graced by Dr. Bidita Khandelwal, Director, DoR, SMU, Prof. Champa Sharma, Sikkim Manipal College of Nursing (SMCON) and Dr. Barkha Devi, Associate Professor,SMCON & Chairperson, SRF.
In the inaugural address, Dr. Bidita Khandelwal, Director, DoR, SMU and Dr. Barkha Devi, Chairperson, SRF, highlighted the importance of research from early part of once career. Proper and optimal use of the available resource related software is the need of the hour. SMU is committed to make our students future ready in all spheres of life, including research, and such workshop is a step towards it.
The workshop included two sessions curated by the organizing team, led by Ms. Chamma Gupta (Faculty member, SRF), Dr. Barkha Devi (Chairperson, SRF), and the Student Executive members of the Student Research Forum. The first session of the workshop began with a keynote address by our eminent Resource Faculty, Dr. Akash Kumar Bhoi, Adjunct Research faculty on the title "Project Management with AI Tools & Tips on Zotero". The second session was anintroduction and Demonstration on “Zotero: Reference Management Software Tool” by Resource faculty, Ms. Chamma Gupta. The session concluded by hands-on training, dataset-based activity, and an interactive session led by Ms. Chamma Gupta and Mr. Abhishek Byahut. The vote of thanks was delivered by Ms Prashansa Chettri, Vice President, SRF, SMU.
Sikkim Medical Council has granted the workshop 2 credit points for the participants and 3 credit points for the resource faculty.
