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Science literature is made up of primary and secondary literature, or scholarly literature--research reports and analysis--and tertiary literature--news, opinion, and summaries. In most cases, you should use the "most primary" source available for academic work.
Tertiary literature is a general term for non-original or non-scholarly work. Science stories in newspapers are tertiary. Textbooks are also generally considered tertiary, because they report summaries of research and analysis, not original work. Dictionaries and Encylopedias are tertiary and should be used for background information, identification of key vocabulary terms for searching, and quick information.
Environmental News is available in our Newspaper Databases. Choose a local or regional source for location specific news, such as Connecticut issues, or a national source, like Newspapers from Proquest, for national and international news.
We have a few biological/environmental dictionaries in the library databases:
Print Dictionaries & Encyclopedias are available in the Reference area in the Library.
Scholarly literature is mostly made up of Journal Articles, primarily searched through online databases, or Scholarly Books, searched in the Library Catalog.
Databases are the primary way of finding journal articles. Databases consist of indexes which list information about the articles such as author, title, journal information, and subject(s). Sometimes abstracts, or summaries, are included. Some database also have the full text of the articles, in which case you can also search for keywords in the text. When the full text of an article is not available in the database, use the Journal Locator to find full text, search the library catalog for the journal, or request the article through Interlibrary Loan. A list of Environmental Science journals available through the library (over 200) is available through the Journal Locator.
Peer-reviewed, refereed, or scholarly journals have articles that have been reviewed by experts in the field. Not all articles in peer-reviewed journals are reviewed, however. Some may be news, opinion, or short reports. Many databases are either all peer-reviewed journals or have a check box to limit a search to just peer-reviewed journals (not articles).
Search for concepts in any keyword search. In general, avoid searching for concepts in the Full Text of an article (stick to titles, abstracts, or keywords). Concepts represented by multiple words can be searched as phrases in many databases by using quotes: "global warming". Be sure to use additional related words and phrases: "global warming", "climate change", "carbon dioxide levels", "greenhouse gas". Search these as separate searches or using the Boolean OR if available: "global warming OR climate change". Connect separate concepts with Boolean AND to restrict your search to articles with both concepts: "global warming AND carbon offsets". Be sure to check for additional Subject Terms and Descriptors in the best results. Use those terms for further searches.
Searching for Latin (Genus species) names is the most accurate way of finding information about a particular animal or plant. Scholarly articles are also more likely to use full species names than are news articles. Searching for just the Genus name will get information on related species. If possible, use a search that covers the Abstract, not just the article title.
When searching for a particular location, you may have to search for both local and regional names (Pelham Bay, Long Island Sound, New York coast, etc.) If possible, searching the Full Text of an article for location names can be useful, as particular locations may not be mentioned in the article title or abstract.
Start your search with the most specific words (species name, specific locations), but you may have to search on more general keywords (common names, regional locations) as well. A book that covers the topic in general may have a chapter on your topic, so be sure to look for Tables of Contents in the Links or the Notes areas in the catalog record for each book. You may need to go to the shelves and browse a section, checking tables of contents and indexes. Find one book on the topic via the online catalog and browse the shelves surrounding it.
Just a few of the many Internet sites on Environmental Science:
For other web sites, be sure to check on the sources of their data. They should cite scientific journal articles, governmental studies, and similar authoritative sources. "White papers" and "technical reports" from corporations are generally not reviewed by outside sources, and, while they may contain interesting ideas, should not be considered of the same authority as articles in journals.
Environmental Science Databases
CT Science: Environmental Sciences
Environmental News
Biology Research Guide
Biology Databases
Science & Technology Databases
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