BI 101 Dubbs: Ecological Issues Project
FIND AN ISSUE
Your teacher has provided you several ideas for topics. Here are some places to get more ideas on current issues in the environment:
- The New York Times environment section
- OPB (Oregon Public Broadcasting) Earthfix
- Gale Environmental Studies In Context
- Or just Google: current environmental issues
Once you have chosen an environmental issue (one that interests you, and about which you can find multiple viewpoints), use the resources below to find articles with points of view that are supported by science. Remember:
For this project, we will discuss current environmental issues resulting from human activity. A social "issue" is a topic where people with good background knowledge disagree about how the topic should be handled.
Turning an Interest Into A Researchable Question
watch this video about how to turn an interest into a paper topic
FIND PEER-REVIEWED SCIENCE ARTICLES
You will need at least one peer-reviewed research study related to your issue. Not sure what a peer-reviewed study is? We explain it here. Try any of the databases below to find one on your issue.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 4,500 scholarly social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals. 3,700 are peer-reviewed.
- Biological Science Database This link opens in a new windowFull text articles from 280 biology journals, many of them peer-reviewed.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 1,000 peer-reviewed life sciences, Health Science, physical sciences, and engineering journals with citation information for thousands more. Look for the "Full-text available" indicators to view articles online. View the Science Direct handout.
Google Scholar
Searches the academic scholarly web for peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, and articles. Searching Google Scholar from Portland Community College (following this link to Google Scholar preferences and selecting Save will set it up in your browser) will identify articles available from the PCC Library.
FIND VIEWPOINT ARTICLES
You will need to find articles that discuss the various "sides" of an issue, and why specific groups or organizations hold the positions that they do. Try the databases below to find informed viewpoint articles on your issue.
- Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowA one-stop source for information on current social issues. Includes viewpoint articles on both sides of an issue, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full text magazine and newspaper articles. View the Opposing Viewpoints handout [pdf]
- CQ Researcher This link opens in a new windowTopical, full text reports on controversial issues. Each report features a summary, chronology, and bibliography. Updated weekly.
- SIRS Issues ResearcherAn curated pro/con database for students and educators providing overviews, essential questions, viewpoints, and selected primary and secondary sources.
FIND MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES
Most of your sources need to have been printed somewhere other than the web. Published articles about your issue from reputable magazines and newspapers can be found by searching in the databases below.
News articles from around the US and the world. Not all newspapers are equally credible, so verify the news you find.
- EBSCOhost This link opens in a new windowSearch from a wide range of research databases for magazine and journal articles. Updated daily. View the EBSCOhost handout
Mobile URL: EBSCOhost Mobile - GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowScholarly, government and general-interest content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.
- Environmental Studies (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowVideos, interactive maps, news sources, refereed case studies, and primary source articles are included. Browseable by issue or topic as well as by location.
- SIRS Issues Researcher This link opens in a new windowFull text information on social issues, science, health, history, government, business, and the arts and humanities. Citations include Lexile reading levels. View the SIRS Knowledge Source handout [pdf].