ENVS 150 - Coastal and Marine Policy
http://ucsclibrary.pbwiki.com/ENVS150
Library Research Guide - Spring 2009
Course Information
ENVS_150_SYLLABUS_2009.rtf
GROUP PROJECT GUIDELINES_ENVS 150.doc
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Get an overview of your topic, and develop alternative keywords you can use in your searches. Examining encyclopedia articles, books, and evaluated web pages are a good way to refine your searches. See How to Evaluate Information on the Web for help with assessing web pages.
CQ Researcher - Provides background information and clear analysis of current, controversial topics. Includes many environmental issues.
Gale Virtual Reference Library - Encyclopedia articles on wide range of topics, including environmental themes.
Tip: Other helpful keywords to add to your search include environmental aspects, environmental impact, ecologic* impact, etc.
When using these sources, note the following:
- Write down new terms, alternative concepts and phrases, key dates, facts, etc.
- Look for citations and references to other sources.
- Use CRUZCAT (UCSC library catalog) to find the titles of any reports, journal names, or books referenced in the encyclopedia essays or journal articles and see if we own them at UCSC.
If you live off campus, you'll need to login to the OCA (proxy server) to be able to use any of the library licensed databases listed in this guide
Find information about policy issues from peer reviewed journals, organizations, and media.
Note: This list is not exhaustive. It represents a series of options. A full list of library-licensed databases is available from the library research page
- Web of Science - Large, multidisciplinary database of scholarly, high-impact, influential journal articles.
- Lexis-Nexis Congressional - Contains bill tracking services, congressional publications, congressional committee reports and testimony, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Congressional Record.
- Lexis-Nexis Academic - The Legal tab provides a search box for LAWS and REGULATIONS. The news section contains the text of many regional, national, and international newspapers and other news sources. Coverage varies depending on journal or news source.
- Academic Search Complete - Contains citations for articles in popular magazines and scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and general sciences. Legal, business, and health journals are also included. Use UCeLinks button to link to fulltext.
- Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management - Covers agricultural biotechnology, air quality, bacteriology, environmental impact statements, safety science, waste management, toxicology, pollution, and environmental science.
- ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts - Covers aquatic science, aquatic organisms, fisheries, oceanography, ocean technology policy and non-living resources, and aquatic pollution and environmental quality. Includes citations and abstracts.
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Environmentally Focused Organizations
- Natural Resources Defense Council - an environmental action organization. Select Policy Solutions tab to find fact sheets and policy briefs.
- Worldwatch Institute - environmental research group. Click on publications link for a list of books and papers produced by the institute. Click on the publication images and look for relevant titles with free pdfs - many of the reports are available for download in pdf format for free.
- Sierra Club - click on the Inside Sierra Club link for access to full text, on-line Sierra Magazine, newsletters and information about the various initiatives the Sierra Club is involved with - search for your topic in the search box provided on the page. Use the search box on the top of the web page and select "more issues" from the drop-down box for information about Sierra Club activity involving water quality, urban sprawl, and more.
Government Websites and Databases
- USA.gov - Portal to U.S. Government information. Search Engine feature is helpful for identifying relevant agencies in addition to finding policy sources.
- GAO.gov - Government Accountability Office. Non-partisan, independent auditing arm of Congress, responsible for ensuring federal funds are being spent appropriately. Has authority to issue findings and recommendations for improving accountability of federal agencies and programs.
- OpenCRS.com - Not a government website, but makes CRS (Congressional Research Service) reports available to the public. CRS Reports are prepared at the request of Congress (either a committee or a legislator) and contain background and descriptions of legislation and regulations for specific issues.
Environmental Issues
- Envirolink - Non-profit organization provides links to government agencies, publications, activist organizations and internet resources.
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Open Ocean Aquaculture
Rigs-to-Reefs Programs
Offshore Wind Energy
Marine Debris
Wetland Mitigation Banking
Regulation of Whaling
- International Whaling Commission (website intermittently inaccessible) and the International Whaling Convention
- Cetaceans: Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises - NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources. Provides species description, threats, conservation efforts, regulatory overview, etc.
- Search Web of Science, ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts and Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management for scholarly articles and reports. Use keywords like: whaling, regulat*, ocean policy, conservation
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These sites are excellent for staying current with environmental news and issues.
Newspapers (Note: Links below refer to the newspaper website AND databases which provide free-to-UCSC access to older articles)
You can have news and update "feeds" from these sites collected in one place by creating an account with a news aggregator like Bloglines or Newsgator (iGoogle and Yahoo also lets you customize your page with news feeds). Setting up an account means you will have only ONE site to check for the most recent updates to the sites you add to the aggregator.
The pages listed below were compiled by UCSC librarians and are helpful for finding more definitive sources of information
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Contact Lucia Orlando (luciao@ucsc.edu). Updated 06 April 2009.
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