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ENVR101 - Lashley

Academic Articles about Environmental Issues

Finding Other Sources

Why Popular Sources?

Popular sources range from journalism published in newspapers, magazines, or online news sites (which is often high-quality and thoroughly researched/vetted, but is not peer-reviewed) to personal websites, blogs, and social media posts. Any/all of these types of popular sources may be relevant for this assignment, but think carefully about your decision-making process as you figure out which popular sources to include.

For this assignment, you might use popular sources to:

  • identify news articles discussing Rock Island's West End
  • find examples of people's lived experience
     

Two Databases to Try:

 

Websites, Blogs, Social Media posts, etc.

When you're using Google to find other internet sources, it becomes mandatory that you think critically about what you're seeing and why. Use the CLEAR guide (described below) or whatever metric works for you, but be consistent and be strict! Don't let a source "slide by" just because you like it - be ready to explain why you've chosen every source and be sure that you can explain the authority of its author(s) and any bias that it may have. 

Is it C.L.E.A.R.?

Librarians at SUNY-Brockport have developed the CLEAR guide for source evaluation.

Is it Clear: A Guide to Source Evaluation by Drake Memorial Library is licensed under CC BY 4.0 

 

Remember that none of these criteria is black and white! There are shades of grey in all of them.

Consider "credibility." Scholarly works are credible by virtue of the authors' education level, and the fact that their writings undergo the peer-review process (which grants even more scholarly authority upon a text). But, for example, a person of color (regardless of education level) holds a different kind of expertise on the topic of racism than a white sociologist who studies racism academically. Both can be authorities on the subject: lived experience grants authority, as does the scholarship. Each is valid and important, but they are different. Keep these things in mind as you're engaging with your sources, and your research (and therefore, your writing!) will be more nuanced and meaningful.

Consider "authority." We know from our earlier conversations that scholars have authority by virtue of their education level, and that their writings undergo the peer-review process (which grants even more scholarly authority upon a text). But, for example, a person of color (regardless of education level) holds a different kind of authority on the topic of racism than a white sociologist who studies racism academically. Both can be authorities on the subject: the person of color's lived experience grants authority, as does the scholarship of the white sociologist. Each is valid and important, but they are different. Keep these things in mind as you're engaging with your sources, and your research (and therefore, your writing!) will be more nuanced and meaningful.

While you'll probably focus on research from the field of environmental studies, think about other areas (majors or academic disciplines) that connect to your research. 

For example: How might the campus community's recycling behaviors be affected by factors such as awareness, education, and peer pressure? These are questions for psychology, education, and sociology.