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Hours

Workshops

Find upcoming workshops. Popular topics include citation management, practical copyright considerations, literature review and GIS software.

Don’t see what you’re looking for? Reach out to library@northwestern.edu to meet with a librarian one-on-one.

Instructors can request course-related instruction tailored to a course. See Teach with the Libraries. 

Oct
20
2026

Zotero: Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research (Online)

2:00 PM Online

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, Zotero is a tool that can help! In this session we will introduce you to the citation management application, Zotero, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your reading and writing. Zotero is a freely available citation management software application that works as standalone software or through a web browser. Zotero is easy to use and allows you to collect, manage,  and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and LibreOffice.

This workshop will be presented online via Zoom. Please register to receive connection information. A Northwestern Zoom Account will be required to access the workshop.

Oct
22
2026

Literature Review Basics for Students: From Research Question to Writing (In Person)

4:00 PM Evanston

This session will introduce students to strategies for completing a literature review. The session will include tips and guidance on developing and refining a research question, choosing databases, advanced searching techniques, using citation management tools for organizing materials, and tips on constructing a review. The content will apply to literature reviews for short papers to articles to dissertations and more.


This session will be presented in person at the University Library by Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian and Geoff Morse, Distinctive Collections & Research Services.

Oct
28
2026

Your Dissertation and Copyright: What You Need to Know (Online)

11:00 AM Online

As you prepare your dissertation, you may have questions about copyright. Can you use articles you’ve published during your time at Northwestern? What about images and texts by other creators? This workshop will help you understand copyright as it applies to your dissertation, from the basics of copyright ownership to exceptions like fair use. No matter where you are in your program, come to discuss real-life examples – and feel free to bring your own.

This workshop will be presented over Zoom, led by Liz Hamilton, Copyright Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access the session.

Oct
29
2026

Literature Review Basics for Students: From Research Question to Writing (Online)

4:00 PM Online

This session will introduce students to strategies for completing a literature review. The session will include tips and guidance on developing and refining a research question, choosing databases, advanced searching techniques, using citation management tools for organizing materials, and tips on constructing a review. The content will apply to literature reviews for short papers to articles to dissertations and more.

This session will be presented online via Zoom by Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian and Geoff Morse, Distinctive Collections & Research Services.

Oct
30
2026

Searching for Data: Strategies & Resources​ (Online)

11:00 AM Online

Do you need to find statistics to support an argument?  Or a dataset to analyze as part of a research project?  Finding datasets from authoritative sources can be challenging. This introductory workshop will point you to the best places to start looking for data to streamline the discovery process.  How to cite datasets will also be addressed. 

Topics NOT addressed in this session: cleaning data, analysis methods or software.

This workshop is presented by Becca Greenstein, STEM Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access this session.

Nov
2
2026

Can I Use This? Copyright and Fair Use in Practice (Online)

11:00 AM Online

Copyright is a growing concern among researchers, who may have questions like “When can I use someone else’s copyrighted work?” or “What rights do I have in my own research?” This workshop will cover basic copyright principles, as well as taking a deeper dive into how exceptions to the law like fair use apply in an academic setting. Expect large-group discussion of real-life fair use case studies. Participants are encouraged to bring examples of texts, images, and other copyrighted materials they would like to incorporate into their work for the group to discuss.

This workshop will be presented over Zoom, led by Liz Hamilton, Copyright Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access the session.

Nov
4
2026

Cite Smarter and Manage Your Research: EndNote and Zotero Drop-In Assistance (In Person)

4:00 PM Evanston

Keeping track of your research can be an overwhelming task. Fortunately, EndNote and Zotero are both tools that can help keep your research organized! In this session we will introduce you to the citation management applications, Zotero and EndNote, which can help you organize your research materials and save you countless hours in the course of your reading and writing. Zotero is a free and open-source citation management software application that works as standalone software or through a web browser, and EndNote is free to download for Northwestern users. Both are easy to use and allow you to collect, manage, and share your research sources. You can also insert properly formatted citations and bibliographies as you write in Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

No registration needed. Drop by any time during these hours for help getting started using EndNote or Zotero, if you're already using the software and need help, or if you're just curious how a citation management tool can work for you!

Nov
6
2026

Searching for Data: Strategies & Resources​ (Online)

11:00 AM Online

Do you need to find statistics to support an argument?  Or a dataset to analyze as part of a research project?  Finding datasets from authoritative sources can be challenging. This introductory workshop will point you to the best places to start looking for data to streamline the discovery process.  How to cite datasets will also be addressed. 

Topics NOT addressed in this session: cleaning data, analysis methods or software.

This workshop is presented by Becca Greenstein, STEM Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom account is required to access this session.

Nov
12
2026

Systematic Reviews: An Introduction to the Process (Online)

4:00 PM Online

This session will introduce you to the steps in the systematic review process, and the support services that Northwestern Libraries provides. Topics covered include different types of reviews, what to do before starting a review, software & tools, and scaling down projects using systematic review techniques. This session is geared towards faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and other researchers.
 
This session will be presented virtually over Zoom by Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian and Chris Davidson, Campus & Community Engagement Librarian.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access this session.

Nov
19
2026

What Type of Review is Right for You? From Literature Reviews to Systematic Reviews (Online)

4:00 PM Online

This session will provide an overview of systematic and scoping reviews, how they differ from literature reviews, what you should be thinking about as you plan your research, and the support available through Northwestern Libraries. This session is geared towards faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and other researchers.
 
This session will be presented virtually over Zoom by Jason Kruse, Undergraduate Engagement Librarian and Chris Davidson, Campus & Community Engagement Librarian. Register to receive connection information.

A Northwestern Zoom Account is required to access this session.