Get started: Advanced Writing in Environmental Professions
Tackling a new topic?
If you are unsure of where to start, try looking for a review article first. Review articles attempt to summarize the state of research on a scientific topic. While lengthy & not generally including the very latest research, review articles can be a great way to start to get a handle on a topic. Many databases will allow you to limit your search to include only review articles or literature reviews. There are a number of approaches to searching:
- Search Library Catalogs + Articles with Scholar OneSearch
- Choose a search tool recommended in your subject research guide
- Try an interdisciplinary database, such as Academic Search Complete, JSTOR, Web of Science, or Gale in Context: Environmental Studies
Don't overlook the literature cited at the end of the review - the bibliography contains a wealth of information about the key discoveries & main researchers in the field.
Key Resources
- GreenFILE (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowDrawing on the connection between the environment and disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology, GreenFILE is an informative resource containing nearly 300,000 records, with full text for selected titles, and searchable cited references with library links for more than 200 additional titles
- Building Green This link opens in a new windowAn array of media and information resources about green design. Includes Environmental Building News from 1992 to present, a Green Products directory, and 200 high performance buildings case studies.
- Web of Science, Core Collection 1975-present This link opens in a new windowCitations and abstracts from scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Includes conference proceedings, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions. One of the most comprehensive databases of academic research.
- SciFinder-n (CAS) This link opens in a new windowFor a comprehensive chemistry literature search. Provides searching of Chemical Abstracts, 1907-present. Note: See Use Restrictions and instructions for registration for first-time users.
- ScienceDirect Books and Journals (Elsevier) This link opens in a new windowScience Direct is the web site for selected journal titles from the scholarly publisher Elsevier and its affiliates.
- PubMed (NU customized)PubMed provides direct full-text access to Northeastern's resources and comprises more than 32 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
- Engineering Village This link opens in a new windowCombines the citations and full text links of Compendex and Inspec with full text books from Knovel, for a more comprehensive search on computer science and engineering topics.
Find more Key Resources in your subject:
The subject guides are a rich source of information for research in the field, containing links not just to articles but to statistics and more. Databases specific to your discipline provide better access to articles, improved searching, and other additional services that can help guide your research. The following might be related to Environmental professions:
- Biology
- Biomedical and Health
- Chemistry
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Marine Science
- Sciences (General Resources)
Can't find an article?
To request a copy of a journal article that the library doesn't have, please use the ILLiad request form. Most often, an electronic copy of the article is emailed to you within 2-4 days.
Online Reference
Online references like handbooks, encyclopedias, and dictionaries, give good authoritative definitions and background for you to get started on a topic new to you. Here is a selection of online reference sites for environmental topics:
- Dictionary of Energy (Opens in new window)Brief, authoritative definitions of technical and public policy terms related to energy. 2nd edition, 2015
- Encyclopedia of Earth This link opens in a new windowA crowdsourced encyclopedia of earth science and the relationship of environment to society.
- Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences, 2nd edition 2008 This link opens in a new window500 articles, scholarly, signed and referenced, useful for background on ocean sciences topics.
- Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies (Elsevier)Encyclopedia of Sustainable Technologies provides an authoritative assessment of the sustainable technologies that are currently available or in development. Sustainable technology includes the scientific understanding, development and application of a wide range of technologies and processes and their environmental implications. Systems and lifecycle analyses of energy systems, environmental management, agriculture, manufacturing and digital technologies provide a comprehensive method for understanding the full sustainability of processes.
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate and WeatherOver 300 entries about the earth's weather and climate processes, including science and history, events, ideas and biographies.
- Oxford Encyclopedia of Evolution (Opens in new window)Brief definitions, plus longer explanatory essays by renowned scholars. Published 2002-2006.
- Treatise on estuarine and coastal scienceWritten by a team of international expert scientists, the Treatise aims to provide a comprehensive scientific overview.
Research Tutorials
- Primary vs Review ArticlesA handout explaining the differences between a primary source and review articles in research.
- Introduction to Literature Reviews in ResearchA handout explaining what is a literature review in research.
Writing Guidelines
This webpage was designed to help students communicate their technical work---writing, presentations and with media. The guidelines include background information and advice on Assessing the Audience, with guidelines for Correspondence and Report formats.