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ENVS 4100/4400

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Library Research for ENVS 4100/4400

I. PRESENTATION:

1. Scientific Information Overview: 

  • Types of Environmental Literature: 
  • Types of Resources
    • Subscription-based Databases vs. Open Resources (Open Databases & Search Engines)
      • Subscription-based Databases: EBSCO Databases, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, etc
      • Open Resources: Agricola [EBSCO], GreenFILE [EBSCO], PubMed, Google Scholar, ScholarSpace, Digital Repositories
    • Citation databases vs. Full-Text databases
      • Citation databases: Agricola [EBSCO], GreenFILE [EBSCO], PubMed, Google Scholar
      • Full-Text databases: JSTOR, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Taylor & Francis, Sage

2. Strategic Searching:

* What to Search

  • Select a Topic
  • Formulate your research question
  • Identify Keywords: find synonyms, related terms, broader/narrower term

* How to Search

  • Use Boolean Operators & Modifiers (truncation, wildcards, phrase, parenthesis) to combine your keywords to build search strings

* Where to Search

  • Understand your research tools: 
    • What tools are available via HPU Libraries?
    • Explore and Be familiar with ENVS databases: features and capabilities

II. SEARCH DEMONSTRATION

  1. How to find Peer-reviewed Journal Articles:
    • Searching Databases for Scholarly Journal Articles
      • [EBSCO] Academic Search Complete, Environment Complete & Sustainability Reference Center
      • ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Gale Databases, HPU Discovery
    • Searching Open Resources: Grey (Gray) Literature
      • WorldWideScience.org
      • PubMed @ HPU
      • Google Scholar @ HPU
    • Searching Databases for Ebooks: Ebrary Ebooks, SpringerLink, EBSCO Ebooks
    • ​Searching Databases for Open Dissertations & Theses: 
  2. Tips for Finding Full-text Articles
  3. Evaluating Sources: Ulrich's Web Directory, Impact Factor, Google Metric
  4. Organizing research: Zotero Overview
  5. Research Guide: Environmental Sciences

III. HANDS-ON EXERCISE:

Basic Research Strategy

 

1. Identify and develop your topic:

      --Find a topic that interests you

      --State your topic as a question
         (e.g. "What effect does the plastic debris have on the marine ecology?" )

      --Identify the main concepts and keywords
         "What effect does the plastic debris have on the marine ecology?"

2. Locate a background information on your topic using 
   Specialized/Subject-specific Encyclopedias and Online Encyclopedias 
 
       --Provide more extensive coverage of a topic than a General Encyclopedia.

       --Help you to get a better understanding of your topic and clarify your ideas

       --Supply the keywords that are commonly used in a discipline

       --Provide related articles in Bibliography (References)

3. Create a list including;

       --Search terms: relevant terms, synonyms, brooder & narrower terms, or 
         descriptive phrases that describe your topic

       --Call numbers you discovered for relevant books 

       --Subject Headings: browse LCSH online to look up broader terms, narrower 
         terms, variants, and related terms.
         (Enter keyword or phrase, select "LC Subject Headings," and then click "Search")
 
       --Names of experts and organizations

       --Titles of scholarly journals related to your topic

4. Select Resources considering;    

       --What are you going to research?

       --What are your information requirements?
         (Consider the type, quantity, and format)

       --What kind of assignment do you have to complete?

       --How much information do you need?

       --What types of publications do you want to read?
        (books, newspaper, journal, or consumer magazine articles, government
         documents, & primary sources)

       --What format do you need? (audio-Visual, print, electronic)

5. Search library’s HPU Discovery to locate:

       --Articles

       --Books & Ebooks 

       -- Reference Books

       -- VHS, DVD, & Streaming Videos


6. Browse your libraries’ shelves for the call number discovered in step 5.

7. Search library’s A-Z Databases to locate:

       --E-Books

       --Online Encyclopedias (Reference & Statistics)

       --Journal & Magazine (Consumer or Trade) Articles

       --Newspaper Articles

       --HPU Graduate Professional Papers
        (On Campus Access Only)

8. Search Tips

       --Do a trial search, using a few of the specific key terms for your topic.

       --Review the first few articles and focus on the subject terms used.

       --Revise your search using;

             *Boolean Operators [ AND, OR, NOT ] to combine 
              more than two search terms.

             *Quotation marks [ "  " ] for searching  phrases.

             * Wild card characters [ ? & * ]

       --Refine or narrow your search using limiters such as date range, article 
           type, full-text availability, etc.

       --Revise search again for more focus, if necessary 

9. Evaluate what you found: skim everything you locate to determine which resources may be the most useful.

10.Revise/refine your search as necessary: repeat steps 5 through 9 as necessary.


Source:
George, M. W., (2008). Strategy and Tools for Discovery.  The Elements of Library Research (pp. 67-69). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.