Geographical perspectives: world environmental problems - GEOG 200

Sources for background information

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

• Encyclopedia of ecology and environmental management
• International Encyclopedia of Human Geography
• The Oxford Companion to Global Change
• Dictionary of ecology
• Dictionary of environment and conservation
• Dictionary of geography
• Dictionary of physical geography
• The Encyclopaedic dictionary of environmental change Humanities and Social Sciences Library Reference GE10 E534 2001
• Encyclopedia of global environmental change Schulich Library Reference GE149 E443 2002
• Environmental encyclopedia Schulich Library Reference GE10 E57

 

Searching the library catalogue

Use the basic word(s) anywhere or advanced keyword search in the library catalogue.

Truncation symbol:	?	e.g. sustain? will retrieve catalogue records containing the words sustain, sustainable, sustainability, etc.
Phrase searching:	"___"	e.g. "Fishery management" will retrieve catalogue records containing the phrase fishery management
Boolean operators:	(), AND, OR, NOT default: AND	e.g. fisheries AND (ecology OR environment) will retrieve catalogue records containing the word fisheries AND either ecology OR environment

Get more catalogue search tips.

 

Article and Research Databases: Finding articles on your topic

• GEOBASE (physical and human geography)
• GeoRef (geosciences)
• GreenFILE (focuses on human impact on the environment)
• Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Database (environmental sciences)
• General Science Full Text (general science)
• Scopus (multidisciplinary, scholarly)
• PAIS International (political, social and public policy issues)
• Web of Knowledge (multidisciplinary, scholarly)

Most of the Library's licensed electronic resources, such as databases, full-text online journals and e-books, are restricted to McGill students, faculty, staff and other authorized users of the McGill Library. Find out about accessing the Library's online resources from on and off campus.

Grey Literature Sources

Non-academic or "in-house" literature outside of traditional publishing -- government documents, urban plans, reports, working papers, etc. If the source is a Google Custom Search, use the Google search tips here: google_tips_handout.pdf.

• Carleton University's Find Canadian Government Publications on the Web
  Google Custom Search that searches across Canadian government websites with the option to limit to federal, provincial, or municipal information.
• Canadian electronic library: Canadian public policy collection
  Publications from Canadian public policy institutes, government agencies, advocacy groups, think-tanks, university research centres and public interest groups.
• IGO Search
  Google Custom Search of websites of over 3000 IGOs for reports and other publications. Maintained by the Union of International Associations (UIA).  
• NGO Search
  Custom Google Search of websites of IGO websites for reports and other publications  
• Google Scholar
  Searches scholarly literature across disciplines and sources and includes some grey literature.
• McGill Library Subject Guide for Theses and Dissertations
  Lists sources for locating theses and dissertations from McGill and beyond.  
• McGill Library Subject Guide for Conference Papers
  Lists sources for locating conference papers and presentations. Conference papers and presentations report research in-progress. 

Writing and referencing your research paper

Consult these resources for tips on how to write a research paper. Click on the call number to find out the McGill Library where the book is located.

Title	Call number
Introduction to scientific geographic research	G73 H36 1992
An introduction to scientific research methods in geography	G73 M58 2006
How to do your essays, exams & coursework: in geography and related disciplines	e-book
Making sense : a student’s guide to research and writing : geography & environmental sciences	G70 N67 2007
The Little, Brown essential handbook	PE1112 A27 2008
The Little, Brown handbook	PE1112 F685 2008
Writing research papers : a complete guide	LB2369 L4 2005

 

Writing Help

• For assistance with writing book a tutorial at The McGill Writing Centre. These tutorials are for students of all levels. Students are permitted to five tutorials per term.

Citation Guides

• McGill Library Citation Guides

Endnote and Refworks

• All McGill students have access to Endnote and Refworks for free. 
• The Library offers workshops every week on how to use this citation management software.