Answer: When joining two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction, the comma is placed before the coordinating conjunction.
Explanation: An independent clause is a clause that can stand alone as a sentence because it expresses a full idea. Moreover, a compound sentence is a sentence made up of two or more independent clauses. This type of clauses can be joined by means of a semicolon or by adding a comma and then a coordinating conjunction. In that way, the comma is always placed before the coordinating conjunction. For example, the independent clauses "I picked up my friend" and "We went to the park" can be combined by writing: "I picked up my friend, and we went to the park".
