Environmental Science

Starting a research project?  Follow these steps to make the process more efficient:

1. Consult a reference source. You'll need to get an overview of your topic, so look for an encyclopedia or handbook written by a scholar in the field of environmental science.  Try The Encyclopedia of Earth for detailed articles on a vast array of environmental topics.  Sources like these will introduce you to major concepts and provide with the vocabulary you need to research your topic.

2. Form a research question. Or, decide on what you want your reader/user/client to know after engaging with your project.  These are usually "how", "why", and "what" questions.  For example, your research question may be "What barriers stand in the way of implementing a carbon tax?" or "How are island nations preparing for rising sea levels?"

3. Use a scholarly database to find research on your topic. You can find these on the Scholarly Literature page.  If you're unsure about which to use, try Web of Science first--it's a good, general database that indexes literature in nearly every academic field.  When searching for your topic, use keywords from your research question (these are usually the nouns and verbs in your question).  Try different combinations of keywords to get the most comprehensive set of results.

4. Ask a librarian for assistance. We're here to support you, so please reach out to us if you need help or if you just want to optimize your research.  You can find the many ways to reach us on the Ask a Librarian page.