For students in the IS and ISST Major, independent research credits are offered to allow you to explore independent research projects under the supervision of a faculty member. Please review the list of Information Science faculty and researchers to find a suitable supervisor for your project, if you haven't already. The list of Information Science Research Groups and labs may also be of interest. 

Cornell students who have an appropriate background in the field of information science are eligible to receive academic credit (INFO 4900) for doing independent research with Information Science faculty or researchers. Typically, students participating in independent research will have had at least 1-2 years worth of information science field course experience. The background experience that you are required to have varies depending on the nature of the study and the stated requirements of the sponsoring instructor.

If you are interested in doing an independent study, you should:

  1. Define your area(s) of interest
  2. Review the list of Faculty Research Interests to find faculty members who might have related interests. If you are still uncertain about who to approach after looking at faculty research areas, you should discuss the matter with your IS faculty advisor.
  3. Approach an IS faculty member who is working in the area that interests you and discuss the possibility of doing an independent research project.
  4. Reach an agreement with the supervising faculty member about what will be studied, academic credit and grading options, and how the results will be evaluated.
  5. Provide the faculty member with a brief written understanding of what you think you are studying and how the results will be evaluated (discuss this step with the faculty member).
  6. Register your project as outlined below.

Enrolling in INFO 4900 & registering your research

All IS and ISST student doing research for academic credit must enroll in INFO 4900 and register your abstract with the IS Dept as outlined below:

  1. Officially add INFO 4900 via Student Center using the Course ID# from the University Roster that corresponds to the professor with whom you're working. Make sure that the professor knows you are working with them before you sign up - see the steps outlined above.
    • If you are taking INFO 4900 to fulfill elective or departmental honors credit, you must register for at least 3 credits and choose the letter graded option.
  2. Submit the following information to the Information Science advising office at ISAdvising@cornell.edu:
    • Your name
    • Title of your independent study
    • Brief abstract describing your study
    • Name of the instructor with whom you are working
    • Agreed upon number of credits for the independent study and grading option
    • Expected graduation date

The purpose for registering INFO 4900 projects is to share research ideas with other students in the program. Your submission may be posted on the web unless you specifically request otherwise. If you would like us to include a URL of your project website, please make sure it is a permanent research archive site, not a location that exists in your temporary account.

For more information about registering for INFO 4900, email the Information Science Undergraduate Office.

Please note: Students may not receive academic credit for paid research.