Does an independent study count as research?

rhandco
Wed, 10 Jun 2015 19:51:05 +0000

Okay, got it. In general, independent studies as an undergrad would count as research, and should end up with some sort of publication in a journal (no matter the level but the higher the better), or at least a poster presentation at meeting. A thesis paper would also count as research if you were pursuing a new idea or reworking someone else’s data.

Remember to list it as research, not as you would a class. You would want a summary that would include what was investigated, what method was used, what results you got, and how the results might be used (briefly!).

Go back to your independent study adviser and/or thesis adviser for help. You also should consider using one or both for a recommendation.

So if you are trying to fill in “Research Experience”, yes I would consider an independent study and/or a thesis project as research. That is, unless they explicitly say “Job Experience - Research” then you can’t use it.

Good luck!