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Stony Brook University

Environmental Humanities

Environmental Writing, EHM 310K, EHM 314, EHM 331, EHM 386: Beyond Eden, Civilizations in Collapse, Precolumbian Urbanism and the Maya. Course guide for Environmental Humanities.

Pro Research Tips

  1. Consider your source.  Scholarly articles are excellent sources for a number of reasons, including evidence in the form of citations and references.  Academic press books and eBooks also provide evidence.
  2. Subject terms.  Civilizations in Collapse, you say? Try incorporating subject terms such as 'collapse' and 'human ecology' (ex., Easter Island AND human ecology).
  3. Dissertations.  Dissertations are substantial, well-researched pieces of scholarship -- use the dissertations database to tap into a wealth of resources.

Research Starter

SEARCH Everything

Searches research databases, journals, our catalogs, and more | HELP

What Do I Do When...?

Problem: Solution:
I don't know where to start       Try Search & Discover
I get too many results
  • Add more search terms
  • Put phrases in quotes – “global warming”
  • Use AND – subprime AND mortgage
  • Use NOTMiami AND dolphins NOT football
  • Limit by date – the last two years or 2006 – 2008
  • Limit to peer-reviewed or scholarly journals
  • Combine keyword and subject searches
  • Use the Advanced Search tab, if available, for more options
I get too few results
  • Use OR with synonyms – students OR pupils
  • Use truncation (*) to search by word root - comput* for computers, computing, computation, etc.
  • Use wildcard (?) to search for alternative spellings – wom?n for woman, women, womyn
  • Go broader, for example, hip-hop rather than turntablism
  • Browse by subject
  • Look at the references or works cited list from an article or book you already have
  • Try a different database or search engine
I have trouble coming up with search terms
  • Check a thesaurus (The Oxford Paperback Thesaurus)
  • Check the subject headings listed on relevant articles or books
  • Browse subject headings in a database or the catalog
  • Read article abstracts to glean additional search terms
  • Look for  “Find Similar Results”, “Similar Pages” or “More Like This” links
  • Discuss with friends and family
  • Ask-a-librarian
I have trouble finding the right database
  • Use the subject drop down list
  • Check a subject guide for recommended databases
  • Ask-a-librarian
  • Ask your instructor