Environment: Search Tips

Use of "AND" and "OR":  Use of AND combines important concepts.  OR brings up items containing any of the search terms.

Note:  If you put more than 1 word in the search box, the catalog assumes the AND and will look for items that include all your terms.  Also, in our catalog, operators must be capitalized.

Examples:

1. To find fewer: narrow the search with AND - "environmental studies" AND children
2. To find more: broaden the search with OR - "climate change" OR "global warming"

Using " " (Quotation marks)

Putting quotation marks around words tells the system you are looking for that phrase, not the individual words.  It's a way of narrowing your search and getting more relevant results.

The Meaning of * (Wildcard)

* picks up any characters after the end of the typed-in term.  Very useful for words with many variants.  For example, climat* brings up climate, climatological, climatic, and any other variant.     

Environment in general:

• "Environmental policy"
• "Environmental impact"
• "Environmental science" 
• "Environmental engineering"

Ecology & Ecosystem:

• Conservation (as subject search)
• Ecolog* balance -- * picks up ecology, ecological etc. in the context of balance in the environment
• Ecosyst* -- * picks up ecosystem, ecosystems, ecosystemic, etc.

Food / food supply / food security

• Food (security OR insecurity)
• Hunger AND environment* -- * picks up environment, environmental, environments, etc.
• "Food supply"
• "Crop failure" 
• "Crop science*

Health-related topics:

• Contamination (as subject search)
• Drought
• Pollution -- limit results by adding water, air, soil, etc.

Water-related topics:

• "River health"
• Freshwater
• Water scarcity
• Sea level (as subject search)