Master of Science in Information Systems - Handbook for essays

Graduate students of the MScIS program have the option of pursuing 1 of 2 routes: project and essay (course-based). The essay route is an avenue for those students who wish to enhance their knowledge and skills in Information Systems by completing the required elective credits and a three-credit essay.

With respect to the implications of this choice for the student, the essay route consists of the foundation courses (3-12 credits), core courses (9-15 credits), 3 elective courses (9 credits) and an essay (3 credits). The essay is carried out under the supervision of a supervisor and reviewed by a committee. The student will be able to register to COMP 696 and start his/her research only after completing the required foundation, core credits and 3 elective courses. It would normally be completed at the end of the student's program.

In order to complete the credits requirements for the essay, the student must register in COMP 696 (3 credits) and follow the submission schedule. The student will be given a mark of Pass or Fail after the committee review and mark the essay.

Research essays should meet the following criteria

• Essays should provide a generalist rather than a specialist view, and a comprehensive critical survey of aspects of integration (applications, IS organization, and technology), which can be adequately addressed in reasonable time and effort (equivalent to 1 course, 3 credits).
• Topics should show how disparate applications, platforms and networks could be integrated to provide a flexible and efficient application, and technology infrastructure for the organization.
• Essay completion should require the application and synthesis of the competencies acquired during the program of study.
• The essay may identify significant open problems, but it is NOT expected to contribute significantly to their solution.

Step 1. Selecting a research topic and finding a supervisor

Research work formally begins after the Student has completed his/her Foundation courses and Core courses. During taking COMP 695, the student should discuss with the COMP 695 course instructor(s) or MScIS program director to find a prospective supervisor. The student should follow the template to write a mini-proposal for the essay. After completing COMP 695, the student is requested to submit the mini-proposal to the program director for approval.

Some students may indeed enter the program with ideas for an essay and, if so, the student is welcome to begin the process of generating and presenting a mini-proposal to a prospective supervisor.

To facilitate the task for selecting an essay topic and finding a supervisor, the steps delineated below may serve as a framework:

1. Register and successfully complete COMP 695;
2. A brief mini-proposal is written up either while registered in COMP 695;
3. If the graduate student has a perspective supervisor in mind through interactions with the SCIS faculty members and/or referring to the Research Topics), she/he should submit the mini-proposal to the perspective supervisor (otherwise, submit the mini-proposal to the program director and go to 7). The prospective supervisor reviews the student's mini-proposal and agrees (or does not agree) to act as the essay supervisor. The essay supervisor should get the approval for the supervisorship from the program director;
4. If the prospective supervisor does not agree to act as a supervisor, then the student must either modify the min-proposal in accordance with the prospective supervisor.s recommendations for resubmission (if the supervisor agrees to accept the mini-proposal again) or submit the mini-proposal to another potential supervisor or return to step 2 with the goal of generating a new mini-proposal.
5. If the student can not find a supervisor, she/he should submit the mini-proposal to the program director to assign an essay supervisor.
6. The program director reviews the mini-proposal and distributes it to the faculty. A faculty member who is interested in supervising the essay should send an email to the program director to express his/her willingness within two weeks.
7. The program director will discuss with the school director about the assignment considering the workload balance. External supervisors or co-supervisors will be considered when needed.

The effort expended in the writing of the mini-proposal (literature review, interactions with the program director and the presentation of the mini-proposal to prospective supervisors) are NOT factors that impact on the acceptance or rejection of the mini-proposal.

The mini-proposal (and each of the steps that lead to the completion of the research) is the individual student's responsibility and the onus is on the student to demonstrate that the proposed investigation is worthy of being deemed an essay.

Step 2. Writing an essay

Essay-writing can generally be broken down into the following five phases.

1. Scoping phases

The purpose of the scoping phase is to clearly identify and define research questions or issues that have been introduced in the mini-proposal. The Student should clearly identify the research problem or issue to be examined. This activity is often the most difficult part for Students to complete and it is important that Students work closely with their essay supervisors to select an appropriate research topic. The Student will develop more passionate and well-argued essays if the Student writes about a subject that sincerely interests the Student.

The most common error students make is choosing a topic which is far too broad to explore in a standard essay. Once you've chosen a topic, a thinking or "incubation" period gives you time to get used to the subject.

The scoping phase must be completed before the beginning of the essay proposal elaboration and is considered part of COMP 696.

2. Initializing phases

The Student, with the help of the Supervisor, should explore the viability of the research and identify the research methodology, resources and support required to complete the research successfully. The Student should also discuss the Research Ethics Policy and the Integrity and Misconduct in Research and Scholarship Policy with their Essay Supervisor.

A conference system will be set-up for the course COMP 696 and Students are encouraged to present and discuss their ideas with their peers and cohort.

3. Essay-writing phase

The aim of the essay-writing is to formally document the methods, findings, conclusions and recommendations of the Graduate Student's research consistent with the mission of the program.

It is important to write a general statement that is a sentence which tells what you think about the topic of your essay. Your statement should be a sentence that will prompt a response in a reader, or cause him/her to ask "why?" The statement should contain the gist of your point of view on the subject you are going to write about.

You should review the literature on related work as completely as possible. The Student can refer to this reference to find out how to conduct the literature review.

The topic and the thesis statement the Graduate Student choose may contain certain key words that will suggest the content and structure of your essay. For example, the Student may be asked to:

Analyze: Separate out the parts and show how they relate to the whole. For example, when the Graduate Student analyzes a paper in Information Systems, she/he will need to look at individual elements such as research issues, point of view, architecture, diagrams, tables, and future works. See how each of these elements contributes to the overall meaning of the paper.

• Argue: Give reasons for or against. Be sure to use specific examples to back up your points.
• Compare and contrast: If you are asked to compare, show the similarities and the differences. If you are asked to contrast, show only the differences.
• Describe: Write about a subject in detail, often so that the reader gets a clear mental picture or image of what you are describing.
• Discuss: Write about a subject in detail, giving reasons and examples.
• Summarize: State the main ideas, leaving out specific examples.

The student must write an essay that conforms to the MScIS Essay Style Guide which follows the APA style. Continue to revise until you have a version you are satisfied with.

Step 3. Submitting an essay

The student should follow the submission schedule. The student sends the draft of his/her complete essay to his/her essay supervisor for approval. The supervisor may request the student to revise the draft until the supervisor thinks that the draft is ready to be reviewed by the external examiner.

During this phase, the Graduate Student should undertake the following steps:

• Produce the final essay.
• Complete the oral defense of essay (if necessary).
• Submit the final essay.
• Identify lessons learned.

The student should brief the Supervisor and other study participants if any about the findings, conclusions and recommendations contained in the draft essay. The student should seek final feedback from all involved parties before submitting the final essay.

Important: Once the essay has been submitted for examination, the Graduate Student cannot make changes to the essay unless requested to by the Committee.

Step 4. Oral defence

The student may be required to defend their essay orally through a formal Oral Defense. Oral defenses will normally be required only when:

• The essay committee cannot reach consensus in its assessment of the essay.
• The essay committee would like to verify the ownership and authorship of essay content.
• The student is in disagreement with the essay committee.

The student who is required to participate in an oral defense may, in consultation with the Program Director, have the option of either completing their defense:

• In person at the Athabasca University campus, or
• At a distance using either phone teleconferencing or other conferencing facilities accepted by the essay committee.

The student should discuss the examination options and potential dates with their Essay Supervisor.

The student who is required to participate in an oral defense and who chooses to participate from distance will be responsible for the procurement of the conferencing facilities and related costs at her/his chosen location. Athabasca University will cover the teleconferencing costs of the essay committee. If the student chooses to travel to Athabasca University for the oral defense, she/he will be responsible for her/his own travel and accommodation costs.

Guidelines for oral defence

The student should discuss with his/her Essay Supervisor the conduct and procedure to be used during his/her oral defense. Some guidelines to consider are:

• During the conduct of an oral defense, the student will be allowed to refer to his/her essay and other supporting materials (such as data-gathering instruments) related to the conduct of his/her research.
• All other materials and reference books will not be allowed during the conduct of the defense.
• Essay committee members may ask specific questions to clarify or challenge the findings, conclusions or recommendations of the essay or they may ask general questions which relate to any of the program competencies studied by the Student.
• Essay committee members will discuss the results of the oral defense after the Student has either left the room or .logged off. from the defense.
• The Essay Supervisor will advise the defending Student of his/her results. This will normally be a short time after the oral defense has been completed.
• In a teleconference oral defense, ensure that the conferencing facility has a commercial quality conferencing phone with a good speaker and microphone. You will not want to sit there and hold a telephone to your ear for two or more hours.

Teleconferencing guidelines

For an oral defence conducted via teleconference, the student must:

• Select a teleconferencing provider (i.e. local telephone company).
• In conjunction with their essay committee members, select a time and date for the teleconference.
• Arrange for a conferencing bridge if required. (A bridge is recommended if more than three sites are being linked. This can be arranged through the local telephone company. For three or less sites, one location must have at least two lines and an ability to teleconference in at least two other locations).
• Advise all essay committee members of the time, date and method (i.e. bridge or link) to be used to conduct the teleconference oral defence.
• Before the day of the oral defense, circulate to each essay committee member all supporting material that may be used in the defence but is not part of the final essay.
• On the day of the oral defence, initiate the teleconference.

Step 5. Assessment

The essay committee members should produce written assessments of the Student and the essay using the Essay Assessment Form. The Essay Supervisor should share his/her written assessment with the Student before submitting it to the Program Director.

The essay committee will use these written assessments as the basis for their final examination of the completed essay. The Chair of the essay committee will communicate their decision (.Acceptable., .Acceptable with Minor Revisions., .Acceptable with Major Revisions., or .Not Acceptable/Rejected.) directly to the Student.

The Student is responsible for revising the submitted essay according to the essay committee request of changes to the essay. If the committee requests changes, a copy of the revised essay should be submitted to the supervisor and the Program Director for validation of the revisions before the Student submits three final copies of the revised essay. The Student will not be recommended for graduation until the essay is validated.

Step 6. Essay final submission

A copy of the .pdf version of the approved essay and supporting materials must be submitted to Athabasca University before the student can be authorized for graduation. The .pdf version of the essay must be submitted to Administrative Assistant for the MSc IS program. The Essay will be reviewed by the Program Director and forwarded to the AU Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR) services for processing. The .pdf version of the essay must be submitted to Administrative Assistant for the MSc IS program.

The Library will retain a bound hard copy of the Essay for open access and will also forward a hard copy of the Essay to the National Library of Canada for transfer to microfilm and for central cataloguing. The University may also request permission from the student to make the essay available online at the University website in .pdf format.

The Library will retain a bound hard copy of the Project for open access and will also forward a hard copy of the essay to the National Library of Canada for transfer to microfilm and for central cataloguing. The University will also require permission from the graduate student to make the Project available online at the University website in .pdf format. In this instance, the graduate student will be required to submit an electronic copy of the final Project in .pdf format.

In the event that the Essay is a multimedia presentation or other electronic essay, two copies must be submitted to the Library on a CD-ROM or in a format that can be accessed using a Web browser.

The graduate student will be invoiced for all additional bound copies that are requested by the graduate student including the 2 required Library copies. This fee must be paid to the School of Computing and Information Systems before graduation. The Student is also responsible for the shipping costs of the bound copies.

The Student is responsible for the cost of binding two essay copies and any additional copies he/she may request. The Student is also responsible for the shipping costs of the bound copies.

Once the program requirements have been met, the student must contact the Office of the Registrar to apply for graduation. Office of the Registrar staff will be pleased to explain the administrative steps that must be completed in order to graduate.

1. Essay committee

Every student writing an Essay will be supervised and assisted by an Athabasca University essay committee approved by the MSc IS Graduate Program Director.

The role of the essay committee is to:

• Provide guidance to student during their research and the completion of their essays;
• Provide professional advice and feedback to students during the completion of their essays;
• Review documents to verify that they meet the minimum academic requirements established by Athabasca University; and
• Assess students and their ability to demonstrate the required competencies for the essay.

All essay committees must have the following minimum membership:

• Essay Supervisor
• Reviewer
• Committee Chair

The student is encouraged to find a reviewer who is external to the school or to the university. The committee chair will not actually vote unless there is dispute between the essay supervisor and the reviewer.

2. Essay Supervisor

The Essay Supervisor may be either a permanent faculty member of Athabasca University, or an adjunct faculty member, or an outside professional approved by the MSc IS Graduate Program Director.

The Essay Supervisor is charged with the responsibility of mentoring the student throughout the completion of the essay. The supervisor should be a knowledgeable and experienced authority in the area of the student's interest.

The supervisor is responsible for providing direction and support within reasonable limits in order to maximize the possibility that a conscientious and hard-working student will succeed. The supervisor will also be responsible for assembling the essay committee. The responsibilities of Essay Supervisors are

• Guide students in the identification and development of their essays.
• Help students to ensure that their essay conforms to the Research Ethics Policy.
• Undertake regular consultations with students during completion of their essay.
• Review and provide comments on all drafts of the Essay produced by Graduate Students.
• In consultation with other committee members.
• Assess completion of the competencies as described in the program mission
• Determine if the Graduate Student must complete an oral defence of the Essay
• Communicate the success or failure of the Graduate Student's Essay to the MSc IS Graduate Program Director.
• Circulate copies of the draft essay to all essay committee members for review and comments.
• Produce a written assessment of the Graduate Student after the essay has been submitted.

Qualifications of Essay Supervisors

To qualify as an Essay Supervisor, individuals will normally possess a relevant doctorate degree, and be approved by the MSc IS Graduate Program Coordinator. Potential essay supervisors may be:

• Athabasca University faculty and adjunct faculty members
• Faculty members from other academic institutions
• Professionals from related industries

The Essay Supervisor may be selected in one of the following ways:

• Faculty members may request that specific Graduate Students be assigned to them based on mutual research and academic interests.
• Graduate Students may request that they be assigned to a specific faculty member.
• The MSc IS Graduate Program Director may assign Graduate Students to individual faculty members to ensure that an equitable distribution of work is maintained within the Program.

Note that potential supervisors (Athabasca University faculty members or those who are given approval to act as supervisors) are not obligated to accept an essay mini-proposal that has been submitted to them for consideration. The reasons for refusing to accept a mini-proposal or to take on the role of supervisor are varied - e.g., the supervisor may have little or no experience or expertise in the area, the mini-proposal may be weak or the supervisor may be supervising a sufficient number of students.

3. Chair of the committee functions

The Graduate Program Director or School Director will serve as a honorary committee chair. The chair will not vote unless there is a dispute between the supervisor and the external reviewer. The responsibilities of chairs of the essay review committees are

• As required, arbitrate all disputes among members of the essay committee.
• As required, reassign existing or appoint new essay committee members.
• Ensure the essay committee review of each essay meets or exceeds the academic standards established by the university.
• Act as the final reviewer of the essay, when the essay committee recommends that a student essay be .Rejected..
• On behalf of the program faculty, approve all essays as .Completed. when recommended by the essay committees.
• Authorize Students to graduate, when all program requirements related to the essay have been satisfied.

4. The external examiner

The supervisor should communicate to the Graduate Program Director the name of the selected committee member (external examiner) and send him/her a copy of the essay. The external examiner should be outside of SCIS and preferably outside of Athabasca University.

The responsibility of the external examiner is to review the essay and provide comments on all drafts of the essay produced by Graduate Students. Normally, the external examiner must be a holder of PhD or equivalent in the IS filed.

5. The graduate student

• Review and understand this Essay Handbook.
• Review and understand registration and other requirements that apply to the essay route for completion of the MSc IS program.
• Identify a topic, problem or issue that will meet the program mission as the basis of their essay.
• Discuss the topic, problem or issue with their Essay Supervisor.
• Complete the essay, in accordance with the Essay Proposal and in accordance with the Athabasca University Research Ethics Policy and the Athabasca University Integrity and Misconduct in Research and Scholarship Policy.
• Regularly communicate essay progress to the Essay Supervisor.
• Produce both a draft and final essay that conform to Athabasca University policies and guidelines.

6. Changing committee members

A committee member, the Graduate Student or the Graduate Program Coordinator may initiate changes in the essay committee at any time. Change in a committee member may be required for the following reasons:

• A Graduate Student changes his/her research direction, and requires an Essay Supervisor with interests more closely aligned to his/her research interests.
• The Graduate Student has irreconcilable academic, intellectual or personal differences with one or more of his/her committee members.
• A committee member is unable to reconcile his/her academic or personal differences with the Graduate Student and to continue would jeopardize the Student's chance of success.
• A committee member finds himself or herself unable to work with the other members of the essay committee.
• A member of the committee becomes ill or unavailable for a long period of time and therefore is unable to complete his/her functions successfully.
• A committee member is unable to effectively perform his/her duties.
• Other reasons known to the Graduate Program Coordinator.

A change in the Essay Supervisor should have minimum impact on the research essay, assuming that the alternative individual selected as Essay Supervisor has similar experience and interests as the previous Essay Supervisor.

In all cases, the Director of SCIS or Graduate Program Coordinator should be made aware of the need for any changes in the essay committee and will, where necessary, undertake an investigation. If the change is deemed necessary, then the Director of SCIS or Graduate Program Coordinator will assign new members and reform the committee as required.

1. Essay quality standards

The Essay should meet or exceed the content, layout and production standards set by the University and the program. The Graduate Student should consider the following quality issues when producing the Essay.

Content quality considerations

• Did the literature review consider all appropriate sources of information?
• Did the Graduate Student properly address the problems identified in the Essay Proposal using valid tools or methods?
• Does the final version of Essay adequately describe how the Graduate Student applied the research methodology and steps described in the original Essay Proposal?
• Are the data gathering techniques described or attached to the final version of Essay?
• Is the reliability and validity of all data gathering techniques described in the final version of Essay?
• Does the final version of Essay demonstrate the proper and effective use of statistical analysis or qualitative analysis tools?
• Are the findings, conclusions and recommendations in the Essay supported by collected evidence and other information described in the literature review?
• Does the Essay conform to the Research Ethics Policy of Athabasca University?
• Will the Essay stand up to rigorous academic scrutiny?

Production quality considerations

• Does the Essay layout and format conform to the MSc IS Essay style Guide?
• Are the citations and reference list formatted in accordance with the MSc IS Essay style Guide?
• Are the tables, figures, diagrams and graphs of sufficient print quality that they can be reproduced on a high quality photocopier? Are they suitable for microfilm reproduction?
• Is the essay free of spelling or grammatical errors?
• Is the essay printed on appropriate paper? Please refer to the style guide for advice on appropriate paper for Essays?

2. Assessment criteria

The Essay and supporting materials will be assessed based on their ability to meet the program mission to provide leadership in:

• assessing the integration of the IS function, IS technologies and scientific scope of an issue or problem pertaining to sustaining or enhancing IS in the enterprise;
• identifying, evaluating and comparing, from all perspectives, solutions or goals and alternative strategies; and
• preparing plans for, and securing action.

University assessment criteria

The Essay must be a sustained, creative, independent and original piece of applied work. Athabasca University requires that:

• The Essay must be conducted according to sound research and inquiry methods.
• The Essay must be open to critical examination and review by peers, scholars and practitioners in the Graduate Student's major field of study.
• The Essay must be defensible by the author, in that all claims, observations or recommendations made must be supported by intellectual and practical constructs.
• Underlying empirical evidence and methods used to analyze the problem and develop recommendations should be available for review upon request.
• The Essay must demonstrate thorough understanding of the program mission.
• The Essay must be presented in a manner that is suitable for evaluation and cataloguing.
• The Essay must conform to the MSc IS Essay style Guide or approved equivalent.

Supervisor and external reader assessment criteria

The Essay Supervisor and external reader will base their assessment of the essay on an examination of four key areas:

• Critical Reasoning
• Communication
• Knowledge and Skills
• Perspective

These key areas are outlined in the Essay assessment form.

3. Grading

After completing a final review of the Essay, the Essay committee members will discuss the results. The majority of Committee members must agree on one of the following Essay grades:

• Acceptable: No modifications are required to the Essay. The Graduate Student will be allowed to submit his/her essay and apply for graduation.
• Acceptable with minor revisions: Some minor modifications are required to the essay. When these modifications have been completed, the Essay Supervisor will review the changes with the Graduate Student. If the changes conform to the direction provided by the Essay committee, the Graduate Student will be allowed to submit his/her Essay and apply for graduation.
• Acceptable with major revisions: Major modifications, further justification or additional research is required before the majority of the Essay committee members would consider the Essay acceptable. When the Essay has been revised, the Essay Supervisor will review the changes with the Graduate Student. If the changes conform to the direction provided by the Essay committee, then the Graduate Student will re-circulate the Essay to all Committee members for review. The Essay Supervisor will discuss the results of the second review with the members. If the majority of Committee members consider the revised Essay to be acceptable, then the Graduate Student will be allowed to submit his/her Essay and apply for graduation.
• Not acceptable/rejected: If the majority of Essay committee members reject a Student's Essay, the Essay plus all Essay assessment documents and other supporting materials will be passed to the Graduate Program Coordinator for review. The Graduate Program Coordinator will determine whether the Student should withdraw from the program or be given an opportunity to complete a second essay. Students who are required to withdraw from the program will be sent a letter by the Graduate Program Coordinator explaining the reason for the decision.

4. Student appeal procedures

Students will have an opportunity to appeal their assessment if the Essay is deemed to be .Not Acceptable/Rejected.. This appeal should be directed to the director of the School of Computing and Information Systems (SCIS) for review and consideration.

Students must submit a Letter of Appeal to the Director of the School of Computing and Information Systems explaining their reasons for the appeal. The letter must be received within 60 days of being informed that their Essay was considered. Not Acceptable/Rejected..

Students who submit a Letter of Appeal will receive a formal decision from the Director of the School of Computing and Information Systems within 30 days of the receipt of their letter.

Click here to download the template in Microsoft Word, or copy below.

Style guide

Graduate Students should produce their essay in accordance with the MScIS Essay Style Guide .

The Essay

Content: The length of an Essay will vary depending on the type of essay and the amount of evidence collected. Students should make every effort to write concisely. The main body of the Essay (excluding appendices, references, etc.) should be between 50 and 80 pages in length.

Layout guidelines: The Essay will vary in content and style based on the type of research being conducted. It is meant to be a flexible document. The Essay should be formatted in accordance with the MSc IS Essay style Guide.

Please see the essay title page template: Sample essay title page.

Report requirements for alternative media: Individuals who elect to produce an alternative media (such as a video product, book, or CD-ROM) should still produce a supporting report that illustrates to the Essay committee how they successfully completed their essay in order to create the alternative media product.

Template for essay

Essay assessment form

1. Guidelines for using human subjects in research

Should the essay involve research that involves human subjects, the research must conform to the Athabasca University policy governing research involving human subjects. Some examples of Use of Human Subjects are:

• Interviews with individuals or groups.
• On-site job observations that involve human subjects who must provide personal data.
• Review of personnel files or assessment reports.
• Psychological testing.
• Lab work, evaluation or testing programs involving targeted subjects.

Students whose essays involve human subjects must follow the Research Ethics Policy of Athabasca University. The Research Ethics Policy may require that students submit their Research Proposal to the Research Ethics Board (REB) for review and potential revision. Students should discuss the Research Ethics Policy and the role of Research Ethics Board with their Essay Supervisor from the outset of their research.

2. Confidentiality in research

Students must adhere to corporate, government or not-for-profit organization confidentiality guidelines. They should become thoroughly cognizant of these guidelines before producing an essay proposal. Potential research that requires Students to restrict their investigative or reporting methods should be avoided. The Publication of Research Policy is available at the university website.

Some organizations may require signing non-disclosure forms. This obligates the student to confidentially restrict the use of specific information that may provide outside organizations with an insight into an organization.s competitive advantage or corporate strategies.

Issues of confidentiality and non-disclosure must be thoroughly explored with the research Sponsor. Non-disclosure agreements or restrictive practices that curb the ability of the Student to complete their applied essays should be avoided.

Some Examples of Restrictive Practices are

1. An organization reserves the right to restrict the type of data that is reported in the final version of the essay.
2. An organization limits distribution of the final version of the essay and therefore the ability of other researchers to use the essay is restricted.
3. An organization does not permit the student to describe productivity data or financial information in the essay.

3. Intellectual property (IP)

The completion of an essay may result in the creation of new knowledge, processes or tools. Ownership of this new knowledge, process or tools can often be complicated, especially if the outcome of the research has potential commercial applications. In most cases, the owner of the new knowledge, process or tool is the originator of the idea (e.g. the Athabasca University Master.s degree candidate). Some examples of IP are:

• A completed CD-ROM used for training.
• A written report and its supporting data.
• A set of evaluation instruments produced to gather data.
• A database used to collate and analyze data.
• A video tape.

Ideas are not considered intellectual property, until they have been recorded in some medium that others can read, review, touch and/or see.

Ownership of intellectual property

The issue of intellectual ownership becomes difficult when the person conducting a research study is either a paid employee or a paid contractor of the firm that the research is being completed for. In these situations ownership of any intellectual property should be clarified before the research is undertaken.

Clarifying ownership

The method of clarifying ownership before a study is completed could be as simple as a statement in the Letter of Agreement or as complicated as a legally binding research contract.

Research contracts often stipulate that intellectual property (which could be copyrighted) may be jointly owned and the agency or company participating in the research effort has the authority to exploit the knowledge, process or tool for commercial gain.

Athabasca University and intellectual property

Athabasca University holds NO claim on the intellectual property produced as a result of the research, but may be willing to assist in the patent process. The university will only approve projects that protect the rights of the Student to freely publish and defend the results of his/her research.

Copyright and the university

Copyright is the right to copy, distribute, publish and/or sell all or part of an academic, artistic or commercial product. The author of an Athabasca University project or research product owns the rights to their product and should claim copyright on the title page of the Essay.

As a condition for the award of the degree, the student is required to sign a form giving permission to the university to make the essay available for inspection, to copy and circulate the essay for scholarly purposes, and to make use of the material and ideas in the essay in the preparation of papers for publication.

At the request of the author and/or where circumstances warrant, an essay may be withheld from circulation for up to one year to allow such activities as patent protection or other legal steps to be completed.

For Master of Science in Information Systems (MScIS) essays and projects

Copyright permission is required when you want to include a substantial amount of someone else.s work in your MSc IS essay or project.

Copyright permission is required for

• A chapter or substantial excerpt from a book or journal
• Material copied from a website
• Screen captures from a website
• Charts and tables
• Images
• Audio or video clips

For a more comprehensive description of copyrighted material and when permission should be sought, see the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) A Guide to Copyrights: Copyright Protection.

Copyright permission is not required for

• Anything you write or create
• Short passages or quotes
• Items in the public domain
• Links to websites
• Ideas
• Titles

Open Access materials, such as items licensed under a GNU General Public License or a Creative Commons License, are usually less restrictive and can often be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided you acknowledge the source. Carefully review any such license or agreement attached to the works, as copyright requirements can vary. If in doubt, contact the rights holder of the work.

Expediting copyright permission requests

• For works from published books, journals, online journals, or e-books: submit your permission request to the publisher. Publisher contact information can be found using an online search or a print directory.
• For materials taken from a website: submit your permission request to the website administrator.
• For unpublished works: submit your request to the author.
• For photographs: submit your request to the photographer.
• For artistic works: submit your request to the museum or archive that houses it. You may need to obtain permission from the artist as well.
• For video clips or audio clips: submit your request the producer or distributor of the work.

If you have difficulty locating a rights holder, contact a Copyright Collective or the Copyright Board of Canada.

Requesting copyright permission

If available, complete and submit the copyright permission form provided on the publisher.s website. Fill out the form as completely as possible; incomplete forms or missing information will delay your request. If you are submitting a copyright permission form online, remember to make and keep a copy for your files. If no online form is available use the following copyright permission form as you template:

Pending copyright permission requests

Before you can include the cited material in your thesis you must receive written consent, via fax, mail, or email, from the rights holder. Obtaining rights holder permissions can be a lengthy process. Ensure that you allow sufficient time to complete your project with or without the material you want to reproduce. Following up on your initial request often helps to expedite a response from the rights holder. Keep in mind that many publishing houses may not respond to requests for several weeks.

If you are adapting the rights holder's material in any way, your permission request form must describe how you intend to modify the material.

Negotiating copyright permissions

Current copyright costs for published materials range from 5 to 25 cents per page. Photographs and images are often more costly. However, because your request is for non-commercial use, the rights holders may waive or significantly reduce any copyright fees.

If you are denied permission to reproduce the requested material, you may want to follow up with the rights holder by requesting further details, elaborating your intended use, or offering to provide a draft for review. If the denial is absolute, you must remove the item from your thesis/ project.

Inserting copyright acknowledgments

All copyright permission statements (credit lines) must appear on the first page where the reproduced material appears in your thesis/ project. If the rights holder has not provided a preferred acknowledgement statement (credit line), then include a complete bibliographic citation, plus the phrase, .Reproduced with permission..

Submitting copyright agreements

All written responses from copyright holders granting permission for the inclusion of their materials in your thesis/ project must be submitted to the MSc IS Administrative Assistant along with the final version of your thesis/ project. Ensure that you make and keep copies of all permission agreements for your files.