This guide is intended as a 'starting point' for students in the Environmental Studies program.
Start here:
Key reference works:
- Canadian Encyclopedia
- Canadian Environmental Resource Guide
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography
- Dictionary of Environment and Conservation
- Environmental Encyclopedia
- Green Cities
- Oxford Reference Online
- State of the World (annual volume)
Do an initial search on Wikipedia:
- to become familiar with a topic or person of interest
- to broaden your search terms
- Using Wikipedia wisely (watch this video)
Search Summon to easily find peer-reviewed journal articles on any topic. Remember to refine your search by selecting the following options: Scholarly & Peer-Review, Journal Article and Discipline to obtain high quality, academic literature (see diagram below).
You can also limit your search to many other source types in Summon, such as books/e-books, newspapers, magazines, trade publications, videos, dissertations or conference proceedings. While many sources are published in different formats and written for specific audiences, they do not have solid authority as with the scholarly, peer reviewed literature.
Alternatively, search subject-specific databases to find journal articles. They offer many advanced search features to help focus your search results and only contain scholarly literature.
Subject-Specific databases for environmental studies:
- Academic Onefile
- Canadian Business and Current Affairs
- Environment Index
- GEOBASE
- GreenFile
- Scopus
- TRID Transportation Research
- Web of Science
Note: If the library does not have what you need, you can order books and/or journal articles from other libraries through RACER. If you are a first time user, you must register first before you can start using it.
Key Environment Journals
- Alternatives Journal
- Ambio: a journal of the human environment
- Canadian Journal of Environmental Education
- Directory of Open Access Journals ( DOAJ)
- Environments
- Environmental Politics
- Ethics and the Environment
- Journal of Environment and Development
- Local Environment
- Nature
- Society and Space (Environment and Planning D)
The red arrows on this sample Summon search show the elements selected to refine the search.
Recommended books:
- Environmental Indicators
- Vital Signs
- Green Planet Blues
- World Changing: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
Government & Intergovernmental Information:
- Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
- Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- International Environmental Agreements Database (U of Oregon)
- IPCC - Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature (search "environmental impact assessment" for reports
- Natural Resources Canada
- OECD Environmental Policy Tools and Evaluation
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- United Nations Environment Program
Useful web sites:
- Data Basin
- GEO Data Portal (UNEP)
- Canada's Greenhouse Gas Inventory
- EnviroStats (Stats Can)
- Human Activity and the Environment (Stats Can)
- Scholars GeoPortal
Click here for more Canadian data
Click here to find Maps
Referencing your sources is an important part of academic writing. Why?
- it lets you acknowledge the ideas or words of others if you use them in your work
- it helps you to avoid plagiarism
- it demonstrates that you are using the scholarly record and that you can provide authority for statements you make in your term paper
- it enables readers to find the source information
Geographers most often use APA citation style:
- Link to APA Citation Style web guide for basic instructions
- OWL Purdue APA Guide
- Citing your sources web page for information on all citation styles
Alternate Citation Guides:
Writing Guides:
- Communicating in geography and environmental sciences (print only)
- Making Sense; a student's guide to research and writing: geography and environmental sciences (print only)
- Writing an annotated bibliography: link to the Youtube video or web page for instructions
- Writing the research paper: link to the Youtube video
Writing Services: located on the 4th floor of the library
- offers students help with learning the mechanics of academic writing
Just need a few resources to get you started? Try the Environmental Studies Quick Guide.
