Do's and Don't of Independent Study (IS)

THE POST ISN'T COMPLETE  AND BASED ON SOME PRACTICES THAT MIGHT OR MIGHT NOT SUCCEED.

Do's

1.  Try to find a topic of your relevance e.g. if you are a web developer go for web related research, if mobile developer choose any mobile related topic. This will not only help you enhance your knowledge but your burden will be shortened as well.
2. Create a folder in your PC for storing all research related stuff.
3. Maintain a file for your hard copy stuff. (I also place the Research Methodologies notes along with this file)
4. Use http://portal.acm.org/results.cfm to search your topic. You will get a list of research paper here.
5. Select the research paper you want to get. Simply Google it (with and without quotes try both). Mostly you will be able to find your paper within first two pages of Google search.
6. While saving the research paper try to put it under a folder named on the conference it is published in.

Don't

1. Try to find a specific topic. I have proposed a general topic for the first time and my proposal got rejected.
2. Usually authors from developing countries (like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc) don't post pdf's of their articles. So if you are unable to find article within the first 10 minutes try not to waste you time. Also add that author to you blacklist to avoid any further wastage of your time.