Your Guide to an Independent Study

Obtaining research experience with a busy course load can be a tricky task to achieve. Conveniently, there is an opportunity for psychology students to simultaneously acquire research experience and a 0.5 academic credit in substitution for a regular course. Taking an independent study may be your ticket to falling in love with research and a refreshing change of pace to your university experience.

What is an independent study?

An independent study can look different for every student. Overall, you and a supervisor will design a project together for you to independently study over the course of a semester. During meetings with your supervisor, you will discuss the course breakdown of the project that will ultimately lead to a final written assignment consisting of a minimum of 2500 words. An independent study could be an empirical research project, a policy paper, or public education work.

An empirical research project includes designing a complete study in which you may collect data to analyse. Data collection may entail the creation of a questionnaire and the acquisition of participants through SONA. Your final assignment might be a review of the study that highlights its relevant literature, methods, results, implications, and limitations. An empirical study will require institutional review boards (IRB) and ethics approval. This route of independent study should consider time and funding resources from your supervisor.

Another route for an independent study may be directed readings that result in a policy paper. This will not require empirical work and will instead entail an in-depth literature review. Your supervisor may provide some foundational sources to analyze a topic related to a problem in the community. This research will lead to a proposal of future directions and solutions to the problem you are studying.

Public education work may also be a great independent study plan. Here, you can have a direct impact on your community by enhancing public knowledge of psychological health. You may start with researching your topic then design public education strategies such as an educational program, pamphlet, or presentation. Your final assignment may review relevant research, current practices, governmental reports, ongoing issues, gaps in knowledge, and potential solutions.

Why should you do an independent study?

There are many benefits to doing an independent study. Mainly, students in psychology will do an independent study to expand their research excellence. Even if you are not doing an empirical research project, an independent study enhances a student’s research abilities through the process of analyzing findings, critical thinking, drawing connections, and applying research to real-world situations. It's time efficient research with a clear deadline that allows students an in-depth research experience and academic credit. Independent studies are a positive change of pace to regular coursework, where you can apply knowledge learned from your psychology courses. It provides you with some autonomy in your education, allowing you to design a project that you are passionate about.

An independent study is ideal for students in their upper years who plan to pursue graduate studies that are heavy with research. If you are one of these students, you may need a lot of research experience to set yourself apart from your competition. An independent study is an opportunity to prepare yourself to join a lab or to write your thesis with guided research experience in a structured environment. It can strengthen a curriculum vitae, resume and foster a connection between you and a supervisor that may lead to powerful letters of recommendation.

The hands-on experience of an independent study allows students to make a difference in their community. Policy papers suggest needed change, public education work actively educates the community on important topics, and empirical research adds to current knowledge and leads to valuable implications. Many students find independent studies to be enjoyable and may complete multiple independent studies before completing their undergraduate degree!

What is it like to do an independent study?

To give you some real insight into what an independent study (ISP) is like, Cheyenne Morris (she/her) was kind enough to lend us her experience! She is currently in her 4th year of an Honours Specialization in Psychology (B.Sc) and completed her independent study with her supervisor, Dr. Paul Frewen. Her future plans are to enroll in a clinical psychology graduate program with a focus on non-invasive treatments for trauma disorders. Cheyenne shared her answers to the following queries:

Why did you decide to do an independent study?

“I decided to do an independent study (ISP) to get familiar with research before I did my thesis! Originally, I was a little unsure if I really liked research or not, as doing it in classes (e.g. research methods, stats) is completely different from conducting research in real life. I had a pretty busy semester, so I knew an independent study could give me a little bit more time to handle my other classes while gaining research experience. It also helped me get to know my supervisor and my future project. I knew I wanted my ISP supervisor for my thesis and potentially USRI, so I thought it would be a great way to get familiar with the lab while gaining academic credit!”

How did you match with your supervisor?

“I always knew I wanted to work with Dr. Paul Frewen ever since I did my first research paper in PSYCH2801 on PTSD! It is a pretty small field in terms of research popularity, so I was very excited to see a professor conducting PTSD research at Western. I reached out to him a couple times over email but never received a reply. I ended up taking his course and asked him in person if there were any opportunities to get involved in his research. He suggested I do an independent study, and I don’t regret it at all!”

What topic was your independent study on?

“Originally, I was helping an honours thesis project looking at the effects of brain stimulation (tACS) during meditation on trauma symptoms and electrophysiological response. However, I had an injury and completely changed my project in the last couple of weeks to accommodate it. I ended up doing a full manuscript and data analysis on the effects of teaching psychology in VR while in a real world classroom. Over a year after my ISP was done, I helped collect more data for the project, and now I am looking to implement it into my existing manuscript to send it to a journal for a first-author publication!”

What was your grade breakdown?

“My grading schedule changed due to my injury. It started as 50% for lab hours (which included helping conduct the honours thesis project) and a 50% final paper. By the end, my grade was 100% based on this final paper. However, profs tend to be flexible, and Dr. Frewen suggested I do a presentation. Since I wasn’t the best at presentations, we decided that I would do a final paper instead.”

How would you rate the difficulty of your independent study?

“I believe difficulty is supervisor-dependent. For me, I found it to be a very light course, and it was something I would've done for RA experience regardless — instead, I got a credit! It is difficult to go headfirst into a very niche area of research. For me, I had never worked with EEG before, so that was something I had to learn. If it is in an area of research that you find interesting, it will be easy to learn. I also had so much support if I needed help. The graduate students were incredible and patient in describing the lab work to me. I had also never analyzed a large dataset in SPSS before, so my supervisor sat down with me for hours and helped me figure it out.”

What do you wish you knew before you did your independent study?

“Honestly, I would say you should be more familiar with the lab before you do an ISP there. Even if a lab has a main focus (e.g. trauma psychology), just because you are interested in that topic does not mean you will love everything else. For example, a huge part of our lab is tech based. We use a lot of VR and portable EEG equipment, but I am not a huge tech person! This was definitely a learning curve for me, and you need to be flexible!

Did you enjoy taking an independent study and what was your favourite part?

“My independent study was the best experience I have ever had at Western by far. In terms of connections, my ISP got me a USRI and thesis with the same professor. I showed that I can be trusted with work and that I was passionate about it, leading me to be trusted with my own project that I helped design for my honours thesis. The graduate students and my supervisor have genuinely become more like mentors. I’ve gotten advice on many topics, such as the decision to apply to graduate school and effective ways to manage research and coursework. I know these are strong connections that will help me when I do my applications and years to come in my academic journey. The biggest benefit from my ISP was that it taught me what research is really like. Real-life datasets are not perfect, nor do they fulfill all the assumptions of statistical tests the way they do in classes. I have learned more about statistics and research methods from my ISP than all of my past classes combined. It also showed me the other side of research: putting numbers in spreadsheets, yelling at your code to work, and so forth. It is not perfect and definitely not for everyone! My independent study showed me that I do genuinely enjoy all aspects of research and that this specific field of research is my greatest passion in life.”

What did you learn from your independent study?

“To add to my prior comment, I often struggled in statistics classes, and I was not the best with computers and coding. However, I think this was more so due to the pressure of being tested instead of actually trying to learn something. My ISP taught me that I actually do have a strong understanding of statistics and methods when I apply them to something I love. It also showed me that I have the skills and abilities to do difficult things! If you told me two years ago that I did an entire manuscript and data analysis in two weeks, and that it might get published, I absolutely would not have believed you. Now, I am more confident in my abilities, which have helped me greatly in my honours thesis.”

Would you recommend an independent study to another student in psychology?

“This is an overwhelming yes. Like I said before, my independent study was the best thing I ever did at Western. You get a credit and (usually) a pretty high grade for doing things you would have already volunteered to do as an RA. You gain connections that can lead you to new opportunities (USRI, thesis, even the neuroscience graduates in my lab started as ISP students), and it provides opportunities to present your research, such as in conferences or publications. I would tell anyone that if they are interested in graduate studies and/or research, an ISP is the best thing to do. It is better to try something out and make sure you like it before committing to years of education for it.”

How do you apply for an independent study?

The process of applying for an independent study may be daunting, but nothing to be discouraged about! There are a few requirements to keep in mind. Firstly, you must at least be in the third year of your undergraduate degree. If you are not in your third year yet but are interested in doing an independent study, consider yourself a go-getter! In the meantime, you can get acquainted with research by applying for labs as a research assistant volunteer. Secondly, you must have an A-average from your previous year (80% and higher). With a dedicated work ethic and an organized schedule, this average is achievable for any student!

If you meet these requirements, you can proceed to finding a supervisor with the time and interest to take you as an independent study student. It’s best to start with professors who do research in your area of interest. For example, if you want to pursue clinical psychology, you may want to reach out to Western professors in clinical psychology. This is so that you are passionate about your independent study, as supervisors will look for this, and you will be more likely to succeed in and maintain commitment to your work. Be sure to reach out early, as planning your independent study takes time and consideration. Reaching out may be in the form of an email, connecting with a professor after class, or you may already be acquainted as a volunteer in their lab!

Once you find a supervisor who has agreed to do an independent study with you, you will begin the planning process. Together you will select a topic according to the supervisor’s area of expertise, and will create a grade breakdown including your due dates, final assignment and learning outcomes. You and your supervisor will complete an independent study form, submit it for special permission, and await confirmation before enrolling with Western’s Student Centre. Once permission is granted, you will be permitted to start your independent study on its start date!

Thank you for reading and happy researching!