Why join the course?
Curiosity is one of humanity’s most important characteristics. It has enabled us to make the unknown known, to break barriers and to shine a light on all aspects of life, from our day to day hobbies to the exploration of the stars. Our innate desire to explore is responsible for many of our proudest achievements. This course will help train you to harness your curiosity and use it to undertake your own research projects in a scholarly manner.
The course is intended for anyone who is currently undertaking or planning to undertake a piece of academic research, be that the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), International Baccalaureate Extended Essay, Welsh Baccalaureate Individual Project, coursework or a piece of independent scholarship. The course is running in June, September and October 2016 so you can chose the start date that suits you (select your preference on the right-hand-side).
Developed and delivered by research-active academics, the course will support you with every step of the research process, from developing a hypothesis and finding sources to writing up and presenting one’s findings.
The practical, hands-on lessons will give you the opportunity to share your ideas with fellow researchers from all over the world, to receive peer feedback on your research proposals and enable you to review and comment on the work of other researchers, building a supportive community of like-minded curious learners.
What topics will you cover?
- Academic research: principles and definition
- Drafting and developing research proposals
- Gathering information from literature and from findings
- Research methods: choosing an appropriate methodology
- Academic reading and note taking
- Referencing, plagiarism, and academic integrity
- Academic writing: organising sources, structuring essays
- Academic writing: summarising a research project into an abstract
- Academic presentations: preparation and delivery
When would you like to start?
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...
Who is the course for?
There are no specific course requirements, other than a curious disposition and desire to undertake some academic research.
Who will you learn with?
Emma Thompson
Learn with US Transition Leader, University of Southampton. Research Interests: political behaviour in the UK, the student experience and the value of the EPQ. Twitter: @DrEmmaThompson #FLcuriosity
Richard Penny
Post-doctoral researcher on economic inequality and social jusice & Learn with US Transition Officer at the University of Southampton. www.soton.academia.edu/RichardPenny @DrRichPenny #FLcuriosity
Who developed the course?

Free
Upgrade - $49
Get a taste of this course
Find out what this course is like by previewing some of the course steps before you join:
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University researchers talk about what inspires them
videoWatch this video montage of university researchers talking about what inspires them to do research.
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Top tips: what to think about before you get started ...
videoWatch this video montage of university researchers giving top tips on what to think about before you get started on your research.
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Exercise: 'exploding' out terms for searching
videoWatch Chris explain how you can ‘Explode’ out terms to narrow down your research title & come up with specific terms to use when searching for sources
Do you know someone who’d love this course? Tell them about it...
You can use the hashtag #FLcuriosity to talk about this course on social media.