Guidelines for Researching and Writing the Independent Study

• Independent Reading & Research Study Handbook, Coady International Institute, 2016. (575K pdf)
• Introduction to the Independent Study : General Guidelines on the Process (105K pdf)
• Section 1 and 2 Overview : Creating the Introduction and Background Analysis (113K pdf)
• Sample Introductions and Key Questions (88K pdf)
• Starting Your Source Review : Conducting research based on the information sources (148K pdf)
• Section 3 and 4 Overview : Writing the Source Review and Conclusions/Recommendations (108K pdf)
• Formatting : Organizing the Completed Study (19K pdf)
• Title Page Layout : Typical format for the Title Page (20K pdf)
• Electronic sources of information (267K pdf)
• Recording Your Research, Taking Notes (129K pdf)
• How to Cite References (113K pdf)
• Examples of Quotations and Citations (87K pdf)
• Citing Electronic References (88K pdf)
• Sources of Information (112K pdf)

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.

• StFX University Library Plagiarism Resource Page, links and tutorials to assist students with learning about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
• Quoting and Paraphrasing shows the difference between quotes and paraphrases and how to write each way, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• StFX University Policy Regarding Plagiarism, the University’s rules and penalties for violators.

Searching for Information

Electronic Research Tutorials

• Novanet, the library catalogue.
• How to Evaluate Web Pages, from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
• How to Search Successfully, from Memorial University.
• Critically Analyzing 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 StFX subscribes. A few recommended databases include: Contemporary Women’s Issues, Elsevier, 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

• StFX Student Success Centre is a place for students to find free academic skills instruction and coaching, help on assignments, English language help, and a place to connect with tutors. The Centre is located within the Angus L. Macdonald Library.

On-line Writing Guides

• APA Citation Style, MCC Libraries’ Research Guides, from Monroe Community College, State University of New York.
• APA Style Guide, resources and examples from the University of Alberta. APA is the format used at the Coady Institute.
• UW-Madison writer’s handbook provides an overview of different types of writing assignments, grammar and style.
• 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.