CHSBS journal gives students opportunity to publish original work as undergraduates
Undergraduate students will soon have the opportunity often reserved for students at the graduate level or higher.
"Humanorum," a double blind, peer-reviewed research journal through the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, will allow undergraduate students to publish their original research and papers. The publication is in the midst of its first call for materials from students.
Houghton Lake senior Ian Moloney, a member of the "Humanorum" editorial board, said the purpose of the journal is to push students to seek out new experiences and get published early in their careers.
"It's very beneficial to have a platform like "Humanorum,"" he said. "It shows that undergraduates at the university are doing great work. They're not just learning basics, but they're learning how to apply (concepts), how to synthesize information."
Joseph Michael Sommers, English literature professor and a member of the faculty advisory board, said expectations are increasing for students looking to find work or get into graduate school. "Humanorum" provides an opportunity to show off the strengths of CHSBS students.
"Undergraduate publishing is becoming an increasingly popular trend across the country, so it's good to see (editorial board members) Ian (Moloney) and Justin (Wigard) really getting steam behind this project to give CHSBS, and CMU, a first-rate publication," Sommers said.
The benefits for undergraduate students go beyond just being published, Moloney said.
"('Humanorum') not only allows for undergraduate students to learn to write well, but also boosts overall communication to boost the academic community," he said. "Research has been done to see what professionals and job markets want, and they want good communication. That's the central idea to 'Humanorum.'"
Many fields of study are overlapping, and looking at your own major or area of concentration through the perspective of another field can be very beneficial, Moloney said.
"The intent of the journal is to really get undergraduates working in different departments than their scholarship, to get together to explore different facets of research," he said.
Houghton Lake senior Justin Wigard, a member of the editorial board, said although the journal will have a limited printed release to be distributed to important areas on campus, it will largely be online.
"We're technology-age kids. Everything is shifting to digital media in some fashion," he said. "With students getting so much information from technological means, it makes so much sense to have it online."
Moloney said whether subject matters are abstract or concrete, the point is ultimately to contribute to the overall knowledge of students and others at the university.
"We want to be the top in all our endeavors," Moloney said. "Students come to Central Michigan University for all different reasons, and those who came for academic reasons, we want to push for academic success"
