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Research Support Advent Calendar 2025

By Naomi, on 1 December 2025

It’s time. For the third year in a row, we have a wonderful Advent Calendar of Research Support for you to enjoy!

We will be sharing a link each day on our Bluesky account, as well as our Linkedin account, but don’t worry if you’re not on Bluesky or Linkedin – the interactive calendar is embedded below for you to access at your own pace, or you can access it directly on your browser. We will also update this blog post throughout the month with an accessible version of the content.

We hope you find something here that will interest, inform and inspire you during this month of advent.

The front cover of the book published by UCL Press. It is dark blue, and in yellow text is written 'The collected works of Jeremy Bentham' at the top of the cover, then 'Essays on logic, ethics and universal grammar' in the middle, and in small yellow text at the bottom 'edited by Philip Schofield', below which is the UCL Press logo, also in yellow.

Cover image from UCL Press website.

1 December: Unwrap timeless ideas this festive season with Bentham’s open access Essays on Logic, Ethics and Universal Grammar, which publishes today. These thought-provoking essays explore reasoning, morality, and language- perfect for cosy winter reflections and sparking deep conversations by the fire!

 

 

 

A green bauble hanging from the branches of a Christmas tree which fills the entire image. Printed on the bauble is an image of the UCL portico as well as the UCL logo.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore.

 

 

2 December: Nothing says Season’s Greetings like writing and sharing your data management plan!

 

 

 

A cartoon of Father Christmas holding a scroll with the copyright symbol on it.

Image AI-generated using prompts from Christine Daoutis.

3 December: Father Christmas has been collecting data again this year…But is his list protected by copyright? Take our online copyright Christmas quiz.

A grey background covered with half a clock which has the large hand pointing just past 3 o'clock and the short hand just past 4 o'clock. In front of this is the title 'The Chronopolitics of Life' with the subheading 'Rethinking temporalities in health and biomedicine beyond the life course' below which is a list of the editors - Nolwenn Buhler, Nils Graber, Victoria Boydell and Cinzia Greco.

Cover image from UCL Press.

 

 

 

 

 

4 December: End the year with a powerful read.

Publishing today, The Chronopolitics of Life is the final book of the year from UCL Press. This open access work explores how time shapes life, politics and power, offering fresh insights for reflective winter reading and inspiring conversations as the year comes to a close.

 

A central view of the portico looking up at it from the ground. The pillars are lit up in different colours, from blue on the right, going through purple, pink, orange, gold, green and ending with turquoise on the left. In front of this colourful façade is a beautiful Christmas tree lit up in warm white lights. Everything in the foreground of the image is in darkness which gives a more impressive effect to the lights.

Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez on UCL imagestore.

 

5 December: Read about the gift of rights retention, which is now included in UCL’s updated Publications Policy, and the actions for UCL authors.

 

 

Two people sit in front of computers in a room decorated with lots of plants. One of the people, a man wearing a navy t-shirt, is pointing at their screen, showing the other person, a woman wearing a light green jumper, something on the screen.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

 

6 December: Retraction Watch is a searchable database of retracted, corrected, or concern articles with 40k+ entries. Search by author, title, or affiliation to ensure your research is based on trustworthy sources.

 

Four people are standing in front of a large interactive digital screen, which displays some hand-drawn notes in the form of a flow chart. One person is standing close to the screen with a pen in his hand but is looking towards the rest of the group who appear to be giving him some ideas or opinions and it looks as if he will continue to write some more notes on the screen.

Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez on UCL imagestore

 

7 December: Looking to start or grow your Citizen Science project? UCL’s Resources Hub offers training, tools & support to help you succeed. Explore what’s available today!

 

 

Cartoon of an anthropomorphic red copyright symbol with a white beard, legs and arms, smiling and wearing a Santa hat.

Image AI-generated using prompts from Christine Daoutis

 

8 December: Join UCL’s Copyright Literacy community channel for a virtual mince pie and the latest copyright news!

 

 

 

 

 

Two people are behind a desk which has an open notebook and what appears to be elements of an experiment, as well as a computer screen. One person, a woman wearing a green cardigan and earrings which appear to be in the shape of a raspberry, is sat looking at the screen whilst the other person, a woman wearing jeans and a brown jacket as well as blue latex gloves, is standing next to her with a hand on the mouse also looking at the screen.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

9 December: Refresh your Research Integrity training with the recently updated course which now includes guidance on Research Security and updates from the revised Concordat to Support Research Integrity.

 

A wintry, evening view of the entrance to the main UCL campus. The portico with it's ten pillars is in the background, lit up in rainbow colours, there is a Christmas tree with warm white lights in front of this and then two large trees adorned with colourful lights on the left and right sides of the portico. In the foreground, the two small security buildings on either side of the entrance are lit up from within and groups of people under umbrellas are walking along the pavement. At the far edges of the image are illuminated street lamps and the whole effect of the image is a wet, wintry, festive feeling.

Image by James Tye on UCL imagestore

 

 

10 December: Jingle all the way…to gaining ethical approval! The Research Ethics Team can help – book a drop-in session with one of the team.

 

 

A blue-grey mug sits on a plate, along with a mince pie dusted with icing sugar, and a sprig of holly with red berries.

Image by Lidia from Pixabay

11 December: Christmas is a time for relaxation, celebration…and careful study of official documents. There are 4,000 government documents in Overton from 80 different countries on the topic of Christmas.

 

A Christmas tree, decorated with warm white lights and colourful baubles is in the centre of the image, in front of the Andrew Huxley building in the centre of the main UCL campus. A dark blue sky is slightly visible above the buildings, many of the lights inside the buildings are on and there are a few people along the walkway on the left hand side of the image.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

 

 

12 December: Keep your rights, and wave goodbye to embargoes – next year, UCL’s updated Publications Policy will help staff use and share their own articles as soon as they’re published.

 

 

A view along the centre of a large desk with students working on laptops on either side, some wearing earphones. There are water bottles, phones and a handbag in the centre of the desk. At the far end of the room is a door, and there are windows on the right-hand side.

Image by Alejandro Salinas Lopez on UCL imagestore

13 December: Grey literature, published by non-academic institutions, provides insights from real-world practitioners. It often addresses current, pressing issues & offers data or case studies not found in academic journals. Take a look at the UCL library guide all about grey literature.

A snowy scene of the quad and Wilkins building at UCL. The sky is completely white/grey, and the ground is completely white with snow, with a few people gathered or walking across it. A few leafless trees and two small round buildings are coated in snow, and it looks like the snow is still falling.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

 

 

14 December: Dashing through the snow… to the new UCL data management plan template!

 

 

Three students stand smiling and facing the camera with hot drinks in their hands and coats on. A larger group of students are standing and socialising behind them, not looking at the camera. In the background are two illuminated street lamps, as well as some purple and pink lights adorning two trees, and some windows within a building lit up with warm light.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

 

15 December: Join the UCL Citizen Science Community! Connect, share ideas, and grow your network with your peers at UCL. Staff & students welcome – let’s make research inclusive together!

 

 

A side view of Jeremy Bentham's auto-icon located in a glass box in UCL's student centre. Bentham is in the centre of the image, seated, holding his walking stick and wearing brown trousers, black jacket and a light brown hat. Some Christmas themed graphic elements have been added to the image, in the bottom left-hand corner is an image of a pile of presents, there are images of a star, Christmas tree, presents and bauble appearing on the wall behind Bentham, and a garland of holly, berries and a red bow above his head.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore, edited using Canva

16 December: When philosopher Jeremy Bentham died, he bequeathed over 100,000 manuscript pages to UCL. But what do these pages contain, and how does UCL’s Bentham Project make sense of them? In the final release from UCL Press Play this year, Professor Philip Schofield explains more.

 

 

A view from above of a selection of beautifully wrapped gifts in pale blue, orange, silver and grey, tied up with ribbon. Around the pile of presents are silver baubles, pinecones with the edges painted white, rose gold ribbons and a string of silver beads.

Image by Yevhen Buzuk from Pixabay

 

17 December: The gift that keeps on giving – but sometimes it doesn’t give quite what we want it to. Have a look at our libguide on using generative AI for searching.

 

 

A cartoon character with a Christmas hat and a long scarf with Creative Commons symbols on it, holding a present.

Image AI-generated using prompts from Christine Daoutis

18 December: Creative Commons licences reflect the giving spirit of the season. But are you as generous as a Creative Commons licence? Complete our fun personality quiz to find out!

 

 

 

 

 

A dark blue bauble hanging on the branch of a Christmas tree is in focus on this image, whilst a purple bauble, other branches of the Christmas tree and coloured lights are blurred in the background. The pillars of the portico lit up in green are reflected in the blue bauble which is also coated in raindrops.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

19 December: Are you a parent or carer toilet training a child? We need your help! Join the Big Toilet Project – the world’s largest toilet training study. Participate in this UCL citizen science project & help reduce plastic pollution from nappy waste.

 

A person wearing a red santa hat is standing facing away from the camera, looking towards the pillars of the portico at UCL's main campus, which is dark but has an image of a large snowflake projected onto it in light. On the left-hand side of the image is the edge of a low building which is decorated with icicle lights and has a window which is lit up from the inside.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

20 December: Take some time to reflect on Research Transparency with UCL’s online training course on transparency and reproducibility in research.

 

A logo with a deep pink background and a large white triangle in the centre, with two of its corners at the top and bottom of the logo, and the other pointing to the right, in order to appear as a 'play' button. 'UCL Press Play', the title of the podcast, is written across the white triangle.

Image from UCL Press website

 

 

21 December: Make this season brighter with UCL Press Play! Explore podcasts and documentaries where brilliant minds reveal bold ideas on queer histories, neurodiversity, climate justice and more. Listen now and celebrate knowledge!

 

 

A view facing the Cruciform building from outside the Wilkins building. The sky above is grey, and the night is drawing in, so lights are on inside the Cruciform building, creating a golden glow from all the windows, complimenting the vibrant red of the bricks making it seem cosy and festive. In the foreground, there are several bare trees which are decorated with purple and pink lights. This colour contrasts with the colour of the cruciform building, giving the whole image a magical, enchanting quality. The area is empty of people, apart from two small figures standing between two small buildings at either side of the entrance.

Image by Mary Hinkley on UCL imagestore

22 December: Great news for UCL staff publishing articles in subscription journals next year. Even if there’s no transformative agreement with your publisher, UCL can still make your manuscript open access immediately.

 

A view of the Wilkins building with the Portico looking quite iconic in the centre. With it's ten pillars and a UCL flag flying from the roof, the Portico looks grand against a blue sky, and in front of it sits a decorated Christmas tree reaching up to the middle of the pillars. In the foreground, there are blurred images of several people who must be walking across the quad, and there are a few small marquees on the left-hand and right-hand sides under which seem to be different food and drink stalls.

Image by James Tye on UCL imagestore

 

23 December: Make an ethical start to the new year! Plan your ethics applications for 2026 and check out our high-risk application deadlines.

 

 

Filed under Advent Calendar, Bibliometrics, Citizen Science, Copyright, Data Management, Open Access, Open Science, Research Data, Rights Retention, UCL Press, UCL Resources

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