Highline College Library: ENVS 101 Environmental Science: Choose Topics

Choosing Your Topic

Your topic has to embrace the requirements of the assignment as well as what you are genuinely interested in. Instructors generally require academic topics, but you might not yet be comfortable determining what academic topics are. These resources should help you find a topic that is academic and relevant, and that inspires you. Also, please don't hesitate to talk with your instructor or your librarian to help you find the best topic for you.

Resources for Choosing a Topic

Gale Virtual Reference Library (Gale eBooks) This link opens in a new window
Access to a collection of over 60 electronic encyclopedias on a variety of topics including business, law, history, medicine, science and many other subjects. Find more electronic encyclopedias by accessing A-Z List .
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics and more.
SIRS Discoverer (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
"Articles and graphics from more than 1,400 U.S. and international magazines, newspapers and U.S. government documents are carefully selected for their educational content, interest and level of readability." Designed for elementary and middle school students.

Google News
Google collects up-to-the-minute news links from around the Web and categorizes them. You can look at articles about the World, U.S., Business, Sci-Tech, Entertainment, Sports, Health and more. Browse to find ideas.
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These news links come from everywhere and anywhere, so don't expect them all to be accurate, or from well-regarded sources. Use your critical thinking skills to weed out silliness.

Recommended Databases

One Search This link opens in a new window
One Search is a search tool for the library's collection of books, journals, articles, videos, sound recordings and more. An excellent place to start your research.
Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
A scholarly, full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Covers virtually every academic subject.
Environmental Studies and Policy (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window
Environmental Studies & Policy (Gale OneFile:) is a digital resource that answers inquiries about environmental concerns with coverage of more than 5.4 million articles from more than 300 journals and book reference content from Delmar, including Soil, Science, and Management; Introduction to Agronomy; Food, Crops, & Environment; Fundamental Soil Science; and more.
GREENR (Global Ref on the Environment) Gale This link opens in a new window
The Global Reference on the Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources focuses on the physical, social, and economic aspects of environmental issues. Topic, organization, and country portals form research centers around issues covering energy systems,health care, agriculture, climate change, population, and economic development. Portals include authoritative analysis, academic journals, news, case studies, legislation, conference proceedings, primary source documents, statistics, and rich multimedia.
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center brings together viewpoint articles, contextual topic overviews, government and organizational statistics and more.
ProQuest This link opens in a new window
ProQuest contains full-text articles from over 5,000 magazines, journals, and newspapers. It is a collection of databases including Research Library, Consumer Health, ABI/Inform Trade & Industry, and U.S. Newsstream.
Science Direct (Elsevier) This link opens in a new window
Search for articles from 1200 Health & Life Sciences journals, 500 Physical Sciences journals, and 750 Social & Behavioral Science journals. Multidisciplinary database.
U.S. Newsstream (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
US Newsstream contains the most recent U.S. news content, as well as archives which stretch back into the 1980s featuring newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites in active full-text format. It offers exclusive access to the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and co-exclusive access (with Factiva) to The Wall Street Journal.

Possible Topics

Here are some topics that students in past quarters have chosen for their class presentations, in alphabetical order.

Air pollution
Alternative sources of energy
Climate disruption
Design with nature
Emergent diseases [with environmental causes]
Endangered species
Environmental Racism/Environmental Justice
Freshwater pollution
Green businesses
Marine pollution
Nuclear waste
Soil erosion and depletion
Toxic wastes
Urban sprawl
Waste disposal

Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a good tool for brainstorming and developing research questions. For help creating your own mind map, check out Mind42 and a tutorial from the University of Arizona on mind mapping by navigating to the links below.

Mind42
Mind42 is a free online mind mapping software. In short: Mind42 offers you a software that runs in your browser to create mind maps - a special form of a structured diagram to visually organize information. Use it to create todo lists, brainstorm ideas, organize events, you name it... Mind42 is free to use (ad supported) and you can even share your mind maps with others.
University of Arizona Libraries: Mind Mapping Your Topic