Environmental Science

Scientific Method

Systematic way scientists approach research often called the “scientific method.” Using the scientific method, a researcher is able to integrate new data into existing theories about the natural and physical world.

1. The scientist formulates a question and develops a hypothesis that might shed light on the question posed.

2. On the basis of the hypothesis, the scientist predicts what should be observed under specified conditions and circumstances.

3. The scientist makes the necessary observations, generally using carefully designed, controlled experiments.

4. The scientist either accepts or rejects the hypothesis depending on whether or not the actual observations corresponded with the predicted observations.

What is the scientific method? (2015). In C. A. Hult, Handy answer book series: The handy English grammar answer book. Visible Ink Press. Credo Reference.

Detailed Explanation of the Scientific Method This link opens in a new window

Rice, S. A. (2015). scientific method. In S. A. Rice, & Ph.D., Facts on File library of American history: Encyclopedia of evolution (2nd ed.). Facts On File. Credo Reference.

Recommended Databases

The Shapiro Library subscribes to numerous databases filled with scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, statistics, and more from thousands of respected publications. The following is a list of some of the best databases for doing research on the subject of environmental science:

Databases for Statistics

General Research Databases

Google Scholar

It's true that you can find some high-quality, scholarly articles online. If you're going to search online for articles, make sure to evaluate your sources thoroughly. Check out our Google Like a Librarian guide for search tips or ask a librarian (ask@snhu.libanswers.com) if you need more help.

The Multi-Search

Search for books, articles, and more:

About this Search  |  Search Tips

Library Book Search

Find books in the library catalog by searching below!

You can find books and physical materials by using the search box provided above to search the Library Book Search. The catalog is a list of all the print resources the library has (including print books, print journals, and more).

How to use the Library Book Search | Search Tips

eBook Databases

The databases listed on this drop-down include eBooks (some also include other types of sources like articles).

Accessing eBooks

Recommended Databases

The Shapiro Library subscribes numerous databases filled with scholarly articles, book chapters, research reports, statistics, and more from thousands of respected publications. The following is a list of some of the best database for doing research on the subject of environmental science:

Evaluating Websites

It is particularly important that you evaluate any web resources you use (e.g. websites, blogs, wikis, etc.) because there is no editorial process for the web and anyone can post anything online. When evaluating web resources it is important to pay attention to details.

When evaluating websites, first ask yourself: How did you find the website?

• Did a professor or another reliable source recommend it?
• Was it cited in a scholarly or credible source?
• Was it a link from a reputable website?
• Did you find it by using a search engine like Google?

In addition to following the C.R.A.A.P.O. guidelines for evaluating sources, consider these 3 special criteria to consider when evaluating websites:

Web Resources

The following web resources have been compiled by a librarian and may be useful in your research but don't forget to always evaluate any websites you use!

Environmental Science

Climate Change

Sustainability & Environmental Compliance

Finding Web Resources

Use the blue buttons on the left to find websites on environmental science or related topics.

Did you know that Google indexes over 1 trillion web pages? That's a lot information out on the web! You don't want to wade through that many web pages to find the information you need, so in addition to evaluating every source you find online, you'll want to employ effective searching techniques.

Whenever possible, use advanced search features to control your search. For example, Google allows you to limit your search to just government or educational web sites via a domain limiter. It's true that you can find some high-quality, trustworthy websites to use in your research. If you're going to use websites, make sure to evaluate your sources thoroughly. Check out our Google Like a Librarian guide for search tips or ask a librarian (ask@snhu.libanswers.com) if you need more help.

How to Google It

Site

Websites sometimes offer a site search. However, for those that don't there is an option using Google. To limit to a website use site:example.com. This will search all pages that have example.com in the URL. You can limit this further by including a more specific domain such as search.example.com - site:search.example.com.  This string will only search for your query in the "search" hostname of the example.com domain.

Site Suffix

Another trick is to limit to a specific top-level domain. If you want information from organization websites you could limit to site:.org. 

Phrase

To limit your search to include a phrase you want to use quotation marks. Google, like the databases Shapiro Library subscribes to, will return sites that contain the individual words. Quotation marks tell Google that you only want results that have that specific phrase.

More Google Search Tips

For more search tips see the Refine Web Searches This link opens in a new window help article provided by Google. This help article includes how to exclude a term, how to search a date range or range of numbers, how to search social media, and more.