MATH105 - Structure of Mathematics 1 - Cortes: Home

Everyone: Do Preliminary Reading

Begin your project by doing some background reading on your issue. Preliminary reading helps you:

• achieve a basic understanding of your topic; 
• begin to identify interesting specific questions that will form the backbone of your project; and
• start to acquire vital search terms you need in order to explore your topic more fully. 

Your instructor may have already given you some background information. 

Find articles on the topics that you identified in Step 1.

• Do a comprehensive search utilizing all the sources below; leave no stone unturned
• Print/save/email the sources you find as you go to avoid backtracking
• Read your sources several times, highlighting relevant information and making notes as you go.
• If you find sources that will help others in your team, SHARE THEM.
• If you have trouble finding the appropriate type or number of sources: MEET WITH A RESEARCH LIBRARIAN

If you've chosen #1 or 2:

If you've chosen #3

• Make an appointment with Writing Center staff at least once. They will help you get started, proceed, and/or finish. This is a free service that you should always utilize to maximize your success.
• Utilize the MJC Library & Learning Center's LEARN TO CITE page to aid with APA or MLA. A research librarian can provide face-to-face assistance with formatting and citing as well. 
• If you're doing a presentation as part of this assignment, identify the main points to share. Find engaging audio/video files. 

What is a Journal?

• Scholarly journals exist to share new and important knowledge within an academic discipline or professional field.
• Articles are written by experts (researchers, professors, practitioners).
• The audience is other experts in that discipline or field.
• Articles often report on original studies, experiments, or theoretical work.
• Journals look different from magazines: they focus on advancing knowledge, not on entertainment or general interest.

Here are a few examples: 

• Journal of the American Medical Association

• Journal of Social Work Practice

How can I identify a journal?

Look for these features:

• Author credentials: advanced degrees, academic or professional affiliations.

• Length and depth: often longer and more detailed than magazine or newspaper articles.

• Discipline-specific language: technical terms and concepts.

• References: extensive bibliographies citing other scholarly sources.

Where Does Peer Review Fit into the Picture?

Peer review is a quality-check process used by many scholarly journals.

• When an author submits an article, journal editors send it to other experts (“peers”) in the field.

• These reviewers evaluate the research’s quality, accuracy, and importance before it can be published.

• Peer-reviewed journals are sometimes called refereed journals.

Why it matters:

• Peer review helps ensure the article represents high-quality scholarship and contributes meaningfully to the field.

• Not all scholarly journals use peer review, but professors often require peer-reviewed sources because they’re among the most credible.

Because journal articles use specialized vocabulary and assume the reader has extensive background knowledge, they can be tough for non-experts to read. That's why it helps to build some foundational knowledge first. Do some preliminary reading in encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, and websites to front-load your knowledge. That way you'll have the context and vocabulary you need to work through the articles. 

Watch this brief video to better understand the peer-review process.