LibGuides: ENVS 117: Environmental Science (Dugger and Hoffman): Find Articles

Environmental Science Databases

These databases have articles related to environmental science:

ScienceDirect (Elsevier)

Journal articles and books published by Elsevier, covering the natural and social sciences.
Scopus

Citations and abstracts for journals, books, and conference proceedings, primarily in the natural and social sciences.
BioOne Complete

Journal articles about the biological, ecological and environmental sciences.

CrossSearch
(on the Libraries' homepage)

GreenFILE

Journal articles, reports and other publications across many subjects that address human impact on the natural environment.

Keyword Brainstorm Example: How does fast fashion affect the environment?

Keywords	fast fashion	environment
Synonyms	quick fashion, rapid fashion	environmental, environmental impact
Broader Terms	fashion industry, fashion	Earth, life
Narrower Terms	Shein, Forever 21, H&M, Old Navy, etc.	ecosystem, forests, ocean, beaches, water

Using Generative AI for Research

If you use an AI tool to do research, think of the results you get from the tool like something you would read on Wikipedia. Be sure to verify the information, and when possible, read the original source that the AI tool took the information from. Generative AI is still in its infancy at this point, and it still has a lot of issue with hallucinations, and inaccurate or biased information.

Generalization bias in large language model summarization of scientific research
"When summarizing scientific texts, LLMs may omit details that limit the scope of research conclusions, leading to generalizations broader than warranted by the original study. [...] Our results indicate a strong bias in many widely used LLMs towards overgeneralizing scientific conclusions, posing a significant risk of large-scale misinterpretations of research findings."

Getting Started: Keywords

Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay

Here are some general tips to guide you in choosing your search terms:

- Use keywords or brief (2-word) phrases instead of sentences -- one or two for each part of your topic.

- Use nouns and verbs as your keywords. Avoid most adjectives and adverbs. Think of words that are likely to be used in titles (or that you have seen in titles).

- If your keywords aren't turning up many results, you may need to:

Try thinking of synonyms or other ways of phrasing your topic. If you can find one or two relevant articles, check to see what subjects are listed for them and try to build keywords from there.
Try a broader search (broader topic, broader date-range, etc.)

If you are able to find an article or book on your topic, the database may list keywords or subject terms relevant to your topic. Use these words listed by the database, or in the article.
- You can also read the title and abstract of the article to find relevant keywords.

Keyword Brainstorming
Use this worksheet to start brainstorming keywords and searches for your topic.