LibGuides: ENVS 101: Intro to Environmental Studies: Find Articles

Scholarly vs. Popular Articles

Wikipedia

Wikipedia can be very useful for giving an introduction to or an overview of a topic, helping to develop keywords for use in your research using library databases, and can even point you towards other sources (check the references listed at the bottom of the article) but many scholars don't consider Wikipedia a credible source for their own or their students' research. The following video explains why:

Suggested Search Terms

Try putting phrases in quotation marks. For example, instead of searching for Fidel Castro, try "Fidel Castro". This one change can make a big difference!

Boolean operators like AND and OR can greatly narrow down or expand your search terms. A search for "Fidel Castro" AND socialism yields 5,600 results, while "Fidel Castro" OR socialism yields more than 21,000,000!

To learn more, watch this video!

Database Searching Tips

Use the databases below to help you find articles.

This guide, created by MIT Libraries, has all kinds of great advice on searching in databases. Check it out here.

Having trouble finding things? Contact sandersrc@guilford.edu.

Library Databases

The following databases will help you find articles.

General Information

Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window
Over 8,200 publications are available in this multi-discipline database, with full text for nearly 4,650 of those titles.
Proquest Central This link opens in a new window
General reference database for over 175 subjects from magazines, journals and newspapers, including peer-reviewed and scholarly works.
Agricultural & Environmental Science Database This link opens in a new window
Articles plus searchable charts, figures, graphs, maps, photographs and tables representing all major environment topics.
Science Database This link opens in a new window
Applied and general science articles covering topics such as global warming, alternative energy sources, robotic engineering, genetically modified food, and more.
Project MUSE This link opens in a new window
Provides online access to the full-text of over 200 scholarly journals in arts and humanities, social sciences and mathematics.

Environment & Biology Specific

Birds of the World This link opens in a new window
Brings deep, scholarly content from four celebrated works of ornithology into a single platform where biologists and birders can find comprehensive life history information on birds.
Tiempo Climate Cyberlibrary This link opens in a new window
Access to news of current climate events, science and politics and to the electronic archive of Tiempo, the quarterly bulletin on climate and development
NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service This link opens in a new window
NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to the stewardship of living marine resources through science-based conservation and management, and the promotion of healthy ecosystems.
GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Offers well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment.
Environment Complete This link opens in a new window
Journals on topics including agriculture, renewable energy sources, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, urban planning, and more.

Medicine

PubMed This link opens in a new window
PubMed comprises more than 24 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Other Resources

Political Science Database This link opens in a new window
Political science and international relations journals, dissertations and working papers on topics such as comparative politics, political economy, international development, and environmental policy.
Digital Sanborn Maps, 1867–1970 This link opens in a new window
Delivers detailed property and land-use records that depict the grid of everyday life in 158 North Carolina towns and cities across a century of change.
Art & Architecture Complete This link opens in a new window
A leading database for the study of art and architecture, this database provides full-text coverage of 380 periodicals and more than 220 books.

Academic Search Complete

Digital Film Streaming and Video Tutorials

Kanopy This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary mediated streaming video service, licensed for classroom use, and viewable on a range of devices and platforms. Please note: Kanopy films without instant access are available upon request. Please fill out Kanopy's Request Form to request reactivation of titles. Only Faculty/staff requests will be considered.
Films on Demand Video Collection This link opens in a new window
Thousands of high quality videos, interviews, historical speeches and newsreels.