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Physical Geography: Ecosystems & Biosphere

Guide for research assignment for GEOG 101: Physical Geography (Christine Hansell)

Search Strategies

Focus your topic. Not too broad, not too specific.

Example:

Ecosystems and the Biosphere:

What is the symbiotic relationship of life forms in the biome of the city of (your city)?

Divide the topic into concepts:

  • (your city)
  • Biome
  • Life forms OR organisms
  • Endangered Species

Google Search

[Edit mode is disabled for mapped boxes]

To do a Google search with the same search words already entered in your OneSearch, click “Search” in the Google box on the “Extend Your Search” column on the right side of the results page

 

Google Search Tips!

To search for multiple concepts: 
- use ORs between words for the same concept,
- use quotes (" ") around phrases.
-  Google does not use the *

To limit to a specific domain, use site: in front of the domain name (no spaces)

site:.edu   will limit a search to just .edu sites 
site:.edu OR site:.gov   will limit a search to either .edu or .gov sites
-site:.com  will exclude .com

Example of a Google search limiting by domain:
(site:.gov Los Angeles AND biome AND "life forms" OR organisms AND "endangered species")
Example of search results: 

Ecological Impacts of Climate Change - NOAA's National Ocean Service

oceanservice.noaa.gov/.../ecological_impacts_of_climate_chan...
tion will likely cause serious harm to such treasured marine organisms .... an ecosystem's resilience, the ecosystem may not appear to be affected. ... erspot is the first endangered species for which climate change is officially listed as both a .... more active, releasing carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. tic. A la.

Database Searching

DATABASE SEARCHING

OneSearch feature located on the Library's home page will save you time as it searches across most of our article databases and book catalog to find sources matching your search terms with one click.  Sources include a wide range of articles from academic journals, popular magazines, newspapers and reference sources, e-books & other documents, plus print books available in the library. 

Preparation Needed BEFORE you search:  Use the key terms discussed above to write out your search string of key concepts.

Search tips to help you narrow or broaden your search results: 

  • Type an OR between synonymous words for the same concept.
  • Use AND between concepts to narrow and focus your research 
  • Use an * to search for multiple words from the same root, e.g. legislat* will find articles with the words: legislate, legislation, legislator or legislated
  • Use quote marks (“ ”) around search phrases (multiple words that should be searched together), e.g. “racial discrimination”

Here are some examples: 

 (your city) AND biome AND "life forms" OR organisms AND "endangered species"

 

(your city) AND biome AND "life forms"

(your city) AND "life forms" OR "organisms" AND "endangered species" 

You can also click on the "Advanced Search" feature and it will assist you in focusing your search. In each search box, type the search word(s) for a separate concept.   

Example:

Search box 1: (your city)

Search box 2: biome

Search box 3: "life forms" OR organisms

Search box 4: "endangered species" 

Click on the link below to begin your search.

OneSearch (To log into our databases off-campus you'll need to use your email or Canvas login.)

 

Below  is an example of the type of article you will find when using these terms in a "Super Search" with the city of San Francisco

Here is a link to an article for San Francisco: 

A Movable Feast 

Description: