Independent Study

Guidelines for Researching and Writing the Independent Study

• Independent Reading & Research Study Handbook, Coady International Institute, 2010. (259K pdf)
• Introduction to the Independent Study : General Guidelines on the Process
• Section 1 and 2 Overview : Creating the Introduction and Background Analysis
• Sample Introductions and Key Questions
• Starting Your Source Review : Conducting research based on the information sources
• Section 3 and 4 Overview : Writing the Source Review and Conclusions/Recommendations
• Formatting : Organizing the Completed Study
• Title Page Layout : Typical format for the Title Page
• Finding Electronic Sources of Information
• Recording Your Research, Taking Notes
• How to Cite References
• Examples of Quotations and Citations
• Citing Electronic References
• Sources of Information

REMEMBER!

You MUST acknowledge all sources of information. If you quote directly from a print or electronic source, the passage must be clearly identified, and the source acknowledged. Submitting any work that is taken from other sources and presented as your own, is called Plagiarism and will result in a failing grade. The links below provide guidelines to assist you in learning what plagiarism it and how to ensure your written work is presented correctly.

• St. F.X. University Library Plagiarism Resource Page, links and tutorials to assist students with learning about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
• You Quote It, You Note It!, tutorial on citing references correctly to avoid plagiarism, from Acadia University.
• Quoting and Paraphrasing Sources, shows the difference between quotes and paraphrases and how to write each way, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• St.F.X. University Policy Regarding Plagiarism, the University’s rules and penalties for violators.

Searching for Information

Electronic Research Tutorials

• Novanet, the library catalogue.
• Evaluating Web Sites, from Ohio State University.
• Citing Net Sources, from Ohio State University, how to identify the creators of web pages, and how to cite them correctly in your own work.
• How to Evaluate Internet Resources, from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
• How to Search Successfully, from Memorial University.
• Critically Analyze Information Sources, from Cornell University.

Electronic Research Resources

You are encouraged to browse through the Coady Course Links on the subject areas related to your topic.

Databases

• The Institute of Development Studies maintains several databases of current development information.
• ERIC Database, this is a large database of resources related to education and training. It contains abstracts of published journal articles, plus full-text content of conference papers, reports, theses and other non-published resources from 1993-2004.

Electronic Journals

• Journals to which the Marie Michael Library subscribes. Click on the journal title that interests you, and browse by issue, or conduct a search using the journal's search feature.
• Indexes and Full-text Databases to which St.F.X. subscribes. A few recommended databases include: Contemporary Women's Issues, Elseveier, JSTOR, Kluwer, and ProQuest Research Library. Remember, these are academic journals, so you are less likely to find practice-based development related material than you would find in Eldis, for example.
• Oxford University Press Journals, a wide range of academic subject areas.

Writing Support

On-Campus Assistance

• St. F.X. Writing Centre, there is a brief online tutorial. Staff are available at the Centre Monday-Friday to assist you with your writing. Call 5221 to make an appointment.

On-line Writing Guides

• APA Style Guide, MCC Guide to Writing Research Papers, from Monroe Community College, State University of New York.
• APA Style Guide, examples on using the APA format for citing references in a bibliography. APA is the format used at the Coady Institute. (Site from the University of Alberta).
• Book Review Tips, from Memorial University.
• Reading and Writing Guides Index, from the University of St. Thomas.
• Writer's Handbook, an overview of different types of writing assignments, grammar and style. (Site from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)
• The Elements of Style, by William Strunk. This is an old text, but it is a very thorough guide to writing for those who may be interested a more advanced self-tutorial.
• Oxford Reference Online, online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, as well as other reference resources.