LibGuides: Environmental Science: Current Topics in Environmental Science

Please note that the list below is not comprehensive. This are broad topics to help you get started on your project. You will want to refine your topic as you research so it is more focused and manageable. Remember, your project has a due date!

Climate Change or Global Warming
Environmental justice, environmental policy, environmental regulation
Waste and pollution or pollutants
Land management practices: farming, mining, forestry, deforestation, fisheries, channelization of rivers/streams, flood management, etc.
Habitat loss and species extinction
Biodiversity
Invasive species
Ocean acidification
Resource exploration: oil and gas drilling, fracking,
Resource depletion

When starting a research project about current topics in Environmental Science try using the following databases to gather preliminary information:

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Research reports on current issues and controversial topics, pro and con arguments, graphics, maps, charts, links to college-level, quality websites
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Search in hundreds of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri, quotations, and subject-specific titles, as well as 200,000+ images and audio files, nearly 200 videos.
Points of View Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Pro and con essays that will help you understand controversial subjects, and with debating, developing arguments, writing position papers, and developing critical thinking skills. Includes supporting articles and a forum for students to express and exchange their unique views on topics in the news. Use Firefox or Chrome.

Use these databases to gather preliminary information and gain a deeper understanding of your topic and to start refining it. For example, if your original topic is climate change as you read and learn more you may want to refine it to,

climate change and sea level rise and impacts on coastal populations, or
climate change and invasive species spread and agricultural impacts, or
climate change and effectiveness of carbon sinks in mitigation

Often the original topic is very broad and needs to be narrowed in scope so that is manageable for you to read and synthesize enough information to be able to write an academic research paper or research project. Sometimes, a topic can be too narrow making it hard to find enough information. In this case, the topic needs to be broadened so that you can find enough information to be able to complete your research project.

For more help with refining or narrowing your topic, check out the next page of this LibGuide, Research in Environmental Science, and scroll down to the last information box.

After you have selected your topic, you will want to refine it and locate peer-reviewed, academic articles for you assignment.

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Full text articles from over 2,100 academic research journals dating back to 1985, many are peer reviewed. Use Firefox or Chrome.
GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Summaries of magazine and journal articles covering all aspects of human impact on the environment global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling. Use Firefox or Chrome.
MasterFILE Complete This link opens in a new window
Full text for nearly 1,700 popular magazines with full-text information dating as far back as 1975, 500 reference books, 164,400 primary source documents, and 592,000 photos, maps & flags. Use Firefox or Chrome.
You may be prompted to login with your WebAdvisor user ID and eight digit birth date
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences This link opens in a new window
Full text articles from 400 journals, covering emotional and behavioral characteristics, psychiatry & psychology, mental processes, anthropology, and observational & experimental methods. Use Firefox or Chrome.
Science Full Text Select This link opens in a new window
Full text of 400-plus journals from 1994 to current, covering diverse fields of scientific inquiry: agriculture, atmospheric science, biochemistry, biology, biotech, botany, chemistry, environmental science, geology, marine biology, microbiology, physics, and more. Use Firefox or Chrome.

You can also search for scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles using OneSearch, the library's discovery system. Just enter your search terms as usual, and then use the checkboxes on the left to limit your results to "peer reviewed" and "open access".