Digital Scholar Series 2026 - Term 3 Schedule

06 Jul 2026
poster for digital scholar series
06 Jul 2026

2026 3rd Term Digital Scholar Series

The Digital Scholar Series returns for the 3rd quarter of 2026. This packed programme showcases digital practices and tools that can enhance your research skillset, with a particular emphasis on effective research data management. Designed primarily for postgraduate researchers, the sessions are hosted by Digital Scholarship Services of UCT Libraries and are open to all.

Topics focus on managing digital materials (or what many of us simply call “data”) throughout the research lifecycle. The aim is to help make your digital scholarship more efficient, so that your data requires less effort to manage and you can spend more time on teaching, learning, and research. During the second half of the year, our focus will shift towards the middle and later stages of the research process, including updating Data Management Plans, cleaning and preparing data, and sharing research outputs responsibly. We will also consider the growing impact of artificial intelligence on research workflows and data management practices, alongside sessions on working with sensitive data and understanding licences for data publication.

After registering for a session, you will receive a calendar invitation via email. All sessions begin at 1:00 PM, with topics and dates listed below. Sessions will be hosted on Microsoft Teams and will run for 50 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions and discussion. DSS staff will be available throughout to moderate the chat and assist with any queries. 

See the full schedule and register.

 

Digital /A.I. Scholarship

  • Thu 2026-07-30
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/ai-scholarship
  • AI is changing the way we work with data in research—but how much can we rely on it, and how do we use it responsibly? In this session, we explore practical ways AI tools can support your research data workflows, from automation to analysis. We’ll also look at how to verify AI outputs and stay on the right side of ethics. After this session, your digital scholarship boundaries may be safely extended! (please note this blurb was written with the assistance of CoPilot AI)

Return of the DMP

  • Tue 2026-08-04
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/dss-return-dmp
  • Completing a Data Management Plan at the start of your research project is the best way to start managing your data. But at some point, during your project, it might be time to do some updates and rethink your answers. As the UCT DMP platform always keeps your living document editable, this session takes you through updating your DMP with the information you have learned so far during your research project.

Capture and Manage Data with Forms

  • Tue 2026-08-06
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/dss-capture-forms
  • Collecting and capturing data is likely a key part of your research project. In this session, we expand on practical ways to use forms and spreadsheet tools to make capturing and managing your data more consistent and efficient to make your life easier. After this session, all options will be dropdowns!

Cleaning your data in spreadsheets

  • Thu 2026-08-13
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/dss-data-clean
  • This session will look further into using spreadsheets to tidy up your data. We will explore some of the possibilities available to you through the use of tools, formulae and basic logical operators, as well as a brief look into how to find out more about the tools available in spreadsheets. Let's formulate a plan to clean up your data!

Cleaning your Data for Analysis with Open Refine

  • Tue 2026-08-18
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/dss-data-openrefine
  • This follow-up session will take a more detailed look at Open Refine. This data cleanup tool can be a powerful ally in organising your data and preparing it for analysis. We will explore the tools’ basic functionality and look at some of its more powerful transformation and cleanup features, such as clustering. After this session, you will be ready for analysis!

Data & Visualisation

  • Thu 2026-08-20
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/data-viz
  • Lets tell your data analysis story using pictures! But which is the best data visualisation tool for your needs? Finding the right tool may take some trial and error, so in this session we will look at a number of options, from Excel to Tableau to ggplot, to show various possibilities. We will also share some principles for getting your data ready for visualisation, as well as outlining available choices when designing graphic data outputs. After this session you will be able to say thousands of words with your pictures!

GIS at UCT

Sharing and Publishing Research Openly with ZivaHub

  • Thu 2026-08-27
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/fair-zivahub
  • Research outputs become more valuable once they are shared, allowing others to use them to glean information, build knowledge, and acknowledge the original authors in a scholarly manner. In today's academic landscape, you get credit for publishing the data you produce and share, leading to new opportunities for study. To do so, your data must be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). We look at how you can make your data FAIR by sharing and publishing it on UCT's data repository ZivaHub. After this session, DOIs might be your new best friends.

Sensitive Data

  • Tue 2026-09-01
  • Time: 1PM SAST
  • Register: https://uct.ac.za.libcal.com/calendar/libraryevents/sensitive-data
  • Data is powerful and with great power comes great responsibility. In this session, we explore sensitive data, how to identify it and how it should be handled during a research project. We explore topics such as de-identification, secure storage solutions, open licenses and appropriate embargos to assist you with ensuring that you are not on the wrong side of ethics and laws. After this session, you should be more sensitive about working with data!

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