LibGuides: Math & Sciences: Environmental Studies and Sustainability

Getting Started: What Am I Looking For?

Interdisciplinary Research

Environmental and sustainability studies are considered interdisciplinary because there are a number of aspects of these fields:

Humanities: religious and philosophical discussions of the environment, environmental ethics
Social Sciences: sociological aspects of human-environment interaction, corporate and political sustainability initiatives, environmental history
Sciences: biological and chemical aspects of environment, sustainability and medicine

What does that mean when I'm researching?

You'll need to consult a wide variety of resources.
You'll probably need to start your research from one of the disciplines above, and find environmental/sustainability concerns within the resources on that subject.
You may end up doing research in more than one discipline.

Discovery Search Box

Featured Environmental Studies Resources

Use these resources to get topic ideas, find quick data, or learn the basics about a subject. To use them from off-campus, click the link, and then enter your Rosemont email and password when prompted.

CREDO Reference This link opens in a new window
Electronic collection of over 1,000 reference titles including encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks. Subjects cover all major fields including art, literature, history, social sciences, law, psychology, religion, philosophy, business, science, medicine and more.
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OmniFile Full Text Mega This link opens in a new window
OmniFile contains a wealth of essential material for learning and detailed research in a single, easily-searched database, with the full text of articles from over 2,500 publications, and indexing and abstracts from nearly 3,600 publications.
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NexisUni This link opens in a new window
NexisUni features more than 15,000 news, business and legal sources from LexisNexis—including U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1790.
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Annual Reviews This link opens in a new window
Indexes critical reviews of current research in the biomedical, physical, and social sciences. Limited volumes are available for the following titles: Biochemistry, Cell and Developmental Biology, Clinical Psychology, Genetics, Marine Science, Physiology, Physical Chemistry, Plant Biology, Psychology, and Public Health.
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ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) This link opens in a new window
Provides abstracts and selective full text of journal articles and reports on education research and practice from 1966 to the present. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education.
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GPO Monthly Catalog (Government Printing Office)
Indexes documents from all branches of the U.S. government. Useful for looking up documents and statements of policy.

At the FirstSearch screen, use “Jump to Advanced Search” and select “GPO.”
MEDLINE
At the FirstSearch screen, use “Jump to Advanced Search” and select “MEDLINE.”
Provides abstracts and selective full text of over 19,000 sources in the international biomedical literature from 1950 to the present. MEDLINE is the electronic version of Index Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, and International Nursing Index. Health services administration, nutrition, psychiatry, toxicology, and veterinary medicine are also covered. Published by the National Library of Medicine. Updated daily. Available through FirstSearch.

GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
This free research database provides scholarly, government and general-interest sources covering the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and governments and what can be done at each level to minimize negative impacts.
Click here for support.

These resources can be used to supplement the articles you've found using the resources above.

AgEcon Search
Scholarly research in agricultural and applied economics including sub-disciplines such as agribusiness, food supply, natural resource economics, environmental economics, policy issues, agricultural trade, and economic development. Some full text available.
Congressional Research Service Reports relating to the environmnet
EveryCRSReport.com is a project of Demand Progress in collaboration with the Congressional Data Coalition — a bipartisan coalition founded by Demand Progress and the R Street Institute to promote open legislative information.
Directory of Open Access Journals
Searchable collection of 3500 scholarly and scientific open access journals, maintained by Lund University Libraries. NOTE: Many titles in this collection are not in English. (What is Open Access?)
World Resources Institute: Maps and Data
Maps and data focusing on environmental, social, and economic trends. Maintained by the World Resources Institute.
The EcoGateway
Guide to online resources in sustainability.
Energy Citations Database
Contains bibliographic records from the Department of Energy (DOE) and its predecessor agencies. Subjects include chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, computer science and related disciplines. It includes citations to report literature, conference papers, journal articles, books, dissertations, and patents. Coverage: 1948 - current.
EPA National Service Center for Environmental Publications
Provides access to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publications.
Global Environment Outlook
Published by the UN Environment Programme. "GEO is both a process and a series of reports, analyzing environmental change, causes, impacts, and policy responses."
Public Library of Science
Gateway to open access journals in the fields of medicine, biology and genetics.
PubMed Central (PMC)
A free, full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journals maintained by the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine.
Science.gov
Gateway to scientific web sites as well as a search engine for government science information and research results. Maintained by a consortium of U.S. federal agencies.
TRID: Transportation Research Integrated Database
Provides access to records of published transportation research through a searchable database. An integrated database that combines the records from TRB’s Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Database and the OECD’s Joint Transport Research Centre’s International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) Database.
USGS: Energy Resources Program
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program (ERP) provides information from impartial, comprehensive research investigations of geologic energy resources, including: petroleum (oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids), coal, gas hydrates, geothermal resources, oil shale, oil sands, uranium, and heavy oil and natural bitumen. Includes viability assessments for different energy sources worldwide.

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