The course aims to provide doctoral students with essential knowledge and tools to navigate the processes of scientific publication and the systematic analysis of academic literature through the use of bibliographic databases.
The training is structured into three main sections:
The first part focuses on understanding the strategic role of academic publishing in the advancement of scientific knowledge and the development of an academic career. It explores the main types of publications, the structure of a scientific article, journal selection criteria, and the stages of the peer-review process. Content is enriched by the sharing of doctoral students’ direct experiences, encouraging peer-to-peer learning and exchange.
The second part centres on conducting an effective literature review. It addresses the stages of bibliographic research, from identifying keywords to using major scientific databases available through the University of Parma (including EBSCOhost, Emerald, ESSPER) and other online resources (such as ResearchGate, Academia.edu, ScienceOpen, Iris, and Il Sole 24 Ore). It also introduces key reference management software, particularly Zotero and Mendeley Cite.
A practical session is included to familiarise students with the resources presented and to apply them to individual or shared research topics.
The final part of the course consists of a seminar on contemporary issues in academic publishing, with a focus on Open Science, Open Access, and FAIR Data. The aim is to raise awareness of the ethical, technical, and political dynamics of the modern research publishing ecosystem.