Earning RIL with Honors Thesis or Directed Study

Need RIL?

Are you taking an honors thesis or other directed-study project with a faculty mentor?

Do you still need to fulfill a requirement in in the BU Hub area Research and Information Literacy (RIL)?

If you answered yes to both questions, sign up for HUB RL 401!

HUB RL 401: Research and Information Literacy (RIL) in Honors Thesis/Directed Study

What is it?

  • 0-credit course
  • Co-requisite with an Honors Thesis or a Directed Study course you are taking
  • Requires a 2-page written reflection due on the last day of classes
  • Earns you 1 Hub unit of RIL

Deadlines (Spring 2023):

Requirements:

  • CONSULT with your faculty mentor early in the semester about how you will meet the RIL learning outcomes through the process of completing your thesis or project. (See the 2 learning outcomes at the bottom of this page.)
  • By the semester’s final withdrawal date (2/23/23 in Spring 2023), submit Form #1, “Intent to Complete” to thehub@bu.edu. You will then be enrolled in the course by Hub Office staff.

* NOTE: if you miss the Intent to Complete Deadline but still wish to enroll in this course and submit a final reflection in order to earn a Hub unit of RIL, please contact the Hub Office at thehub@bu.edu for an exception to the deadline.

  • WRITE a 2-page reflection that discusses how you accomplished the RIL learning outcomes through your research and vetting of information sources.
  • COMPLETE Form #2, “Final Reflection”. Both you and your faculty mentor must sign the second, final form affirming the content of the statement.
  • SEND your written reflection and the signed “FINAL REFLECTION” form to thehub@bu.edu by the last day of classes (5/3/23 in Spring 2023).
  • You will be awarded a Hub unit in RIL after submission of both the second form and your written reflection paper, which will appear on your transcript as a 0-credit course with a P (passing) grade: “HUB RL 401: Research and Information Literacy in Honors Thesis/Directed Study.”

More about the Written Reflection Paper

Below are the two learning outcomes for RIL, which you will engage with as you work on your honors thesis or directed-study project. To earn your RIL Hub unit, you must reflect on how you have met both of the learning outcomes. Activities that you might engage in and then reflect on in your final 2-page written reflection could include, but are not restricted to:

  • Meetings with research mentors
  • Any training with pertinent research librarians
  • Consideration of the quality and ethical use of sources
  • Refinement of research questions and/or methodologies
  • Scaffolded components of writing a paper (e.g., literature review, annotated bibliography, research question, hypothesis, methodology, progressive drafts)
  • Summative reports
  • Surveys

Learning Outcomes for BU Hub Area Research and Information Literacy (RIL)

  1. Students will be able to search for, select, and use a range of publicly available and discipline-specific information sources ethically and strategically to address research questions.
  2. Students will demonstrate understanding of the overall research process and its component parts, and be able to formulate good research questions or hypotheses, gather and analyze information, and critique, interpret, and communicate findings.

Questions: Please email thehub@bu.edu or call the Hub Office at 617-358-6535.