Finding literature for your mathematical paper

This Assignment Help will provide strategies and tips to find literature for your mathematical paper.

Before you start your search look carefully at the assessment details on your course site. Understanding the parameters of the task and the types of information you need is critical.

Any questions about the assessment should be clarified with the Course Coordinator.

Get to know the terminology

Start by identifying the main ideas (keywords) related to the task. You should:

• Look closely at the terminology used in the topic you choose
• Look closely at the terminology used in any references provided
• Draw on your own knowledge about the area
• Do some scoping searches (basic searches) through a search engine

You may find it helpful to think about how you would describe the assessment to another person. What would you tell them so they understand the purpose of what you are doing?

Consider alternative keywords

When thinking about keywords or terminology consider:

Consider visualising keywords

You may find it useful to create a table or mindmap to note down relevant keywords to use in your searches.

Test your knowledge

Use this worksheet to help with your planning and searching:

Depending on what topic you choose, this will then determine where you search. Below are some key places that should be useful for all topics:

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Search the Library Collection

The Library Collection is a good place to start your search for scholarly material. Use the "Refine my results" menu to refine your search to find exactly what you need.

Try searching math* education "Aboriginal students"

Quick tips

• Use quotations marks "..." around phrases to keep words together exactly. For example "Consumer Price Index" or "fair division"
• Use truncation* to find the plural and other forms of a word
• Add brackets () to group similar keywords together. For example ("magic square" OR sudoku)

Use the filters under 'Refine my results' to find exactly what you need:

• Narrow by Resource Type: Books or Articles
• Find scholarly journal articles by selecting Show Only > Peer-reviewed Journals
• Narrow your search by a Publication Date range

Use advanced search

Type each separate idea or keyword onto a new line:

Databases are online collections of resources including articles, papers, book chapters and reports.

Databases have advanced search options, helping to focus your search and find more relevant, scholarly references quickly.

Web of Science

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It is important that you critically evaluate the quality of the literature you find to make sure it is suitable to use. You can go back to the parameters of the assessment to remind yourself:

• What types of information are you being asked to find?
• Does what you find actually answer the question or aim of the assessment?

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This resource has been prepared for students working in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to assist with developing professional skills to work with purpose and sensitivity across cultures.  The principles involved in working with Aboriginal communities presented here, are fundamental to working effectively and respectfully across ALL cultures.

Study Help is an online hub complete with resources on assignment writing, referencing, study skills and more.

Academic integrity

“Academic integrity means a commitment to act with honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, respect and responsibility in all academic work. Academic integrity is the foundation of university life and is fundamental to the reputation of UniSA and its staff and students” (UniSA Assessment Policy & Procedures Manual, Section 9). 

Find out more about what is expected from you as a UniSA student and how you can demonstrate academic integrity throughout your degree.

Referencing

Referencing is an extremely important part of your studies and it is imperative that you reference correctly to avoid any academic integrity misconduct issues. You need to use the American Mathematical Society referencing style.

Display your references

Use a bibliographic management software to store, organise and cite your references. The Library supports the bibliographic management tool EndNote, although there are many free systems available.

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