Hege Library & Learning Technologies

ENVS 101: Intro to Environmental Studies

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

Environment & Biology Specific

Medicine

Other Resources

Academic Search Complete

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