Environmental Sciences Subject Guide
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This guide is designed to assist you in locating information for environmental science courses. Where appropriate you will be directed to other library resources which may also assist you with your studies. Starting your
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When starting your research, you can gain some understanding of the topic area by locating background information, definitions or explanations of words and concepts. Dictionaries and encyclopedias commonly provide such information. Print publications can be found in the Reference Collection at your campus library. Online dictionaries and encyclopedias, please see our Web Reference Sources. Below is a list of useful dictionaries and encyclopedias for clarifying definitions and providing introductory information for the environmental sciences. |
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Environmental Science Reference Sources |
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Online resources: |
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Print resources: |
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Encyclopedia of environmental analysis and remediation [check catalogue for location and call number] |
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Encyclopedia of environmental science, edited by David E. Alexander and Rhodes W. Fairbridge. [check catalogue for location and call number] |
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Environmental literature: an encyclopedia of works, authors and themes [check catalogue for location and call number] |
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Macmillan encyclopedia of the environment [check catalogue for location and call number] |
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The Wiley encyclopedia of energy and the environment [check catalogue for location and call number] |
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The Library Catalogue is the database of all items (books, videos, audiocassettes, print journals and online full-text journals, etc) held by the CQU library. To find texts and other resources relating to your studies in tourism, you will need to conduct a keyword search in the Library Catalogue. It may be necessary to perform more than one search using varying combinations of your search terms or key words. |
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KEYWORD OR KEYWORD PHRASE: |
"water pollution" |
treatment |
Australia |
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SYNONYM OR RELATED WORDS: |
wastewater effluent sewerage |
purification |
Australian Australia's Australi* regional |
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Another way of searching for books and other materials is to do a subject heading search - every item on the same subject should be classified under the same heading, regardless of the words that appear in the title etc. Searching with subject headings can be a very effective way of finding relevant items. To do a subject heading search select "subject heading" from the Library Catalogue main page.
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Subject headings for environmental sciences |
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environmental sciences |
environmental chemistry |
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environmental management |
ecology |
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science |
environmental protection |
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ecosystem management |
ecological engineering |
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conservation of natural resources |
environmental engineering |
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environmental policy |
environmental impact statements |
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environmental impact analysis |
air quality management |
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landscape protection |
environmental law |
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human beings -- influence on nature |
environmental auditing |
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pollution |
environmental monitoring |
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air -- pollution |
marine pollution |
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Electronic journal databases are used to find journal articles. Journal articles are a good source of current information and enable you to keep up to date with trends and developments in your area. Looking through individual journals in the hope of finding relevant material is time-consuming. It is better to use the databases to find articles on your topic. For databases specifically related to your study area, please go to: Databases & Resources by Subject: Environmental science When the entire article (full-text) is not provided by a database, Article Linker finds the full-text source, or advises if the Library does not hold a copy. A guide to finding journal articles is available. If a journal article is available in print at the Rockhampton campus and is not available electronically, distance students can request to have a copy of the article sent to them. |
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The following is a list of environmental science web sites and online publications that may be useful during your studies. |
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Environmental science web sites |
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Seeks to compile and reference Internet information about rivers in an easily accessible and comprehensive manner to assist all those seeking to preserve and publicize Australia's Rivers. |
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Australian Agricultural and Natural Resources Online (AARNO) |
An integrated knowledge discovery tool for agriculture and natural resources containing ARRIP, ABOA and Streamline. |
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Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) |
An Australian government economic research agency noted for its professionally independent research and analysis. |
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Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry |
Provides customer services to the agricultural, food, fisheries and forest industries, and addresses the challenges of natural resource management. It also helps build and promote the whole food and fibre chain from paddock to plate for domestic and international markets. |
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Australian Government Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources (ITR) - Resources & Energy |
The Department develops policy and administers legislation covering Australia's resources and energy industries and plays an important role in formulating Australia's response to climate change issues. |
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Forms part of the Department of the Environment and Heritage and delivers the majority of programmes under the Australian Government’s climate change strategy. |
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Maintained by Environment Australia, this searchable atlas delivers information about Australia's agriculture, coasts, dryland salinity, irrigation, land, natural resource economics, people, rangelands, soils, vegetation and diversity and water. Also links to the National Land and Water Resources Audit. |
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A rapid prediction system used to assess the biological health of Australian rivers. |
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Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) |
Carries out research in agriculture, communications and information technology, health, manufacturing and construction, minerals and energy, services, the environment, transport and infrastructure. |
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A national research centre specialising in river and wetland ecology. |
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Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Water Quality and Treatment |
Provides a national strategic research capacity for the Australian water industry. |
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A source for locating single chemical toxicity data for aquatic life, terrestrial plants and wildlife in the U.S. |
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a comprehensive online service for accessing international environmental treaty data. |
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Providing national leadership in generating knowledge, informing debate and inspiring innovation and action in sustainable natural resource management. |
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Promotes the building of partnerships between communities, businesses and governments to care for Australia's environment now and for future generations. |
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A partnership between the governments and the community which has been established to give effect to the 1992 Murray-Darling Basin Agreement. It is the largest integrated catchment management program in the world, covering the watersheds of the Murray and Darling rivers, an area of over one million square kilometres. |
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A U.S. government initiative that provides a universal, timely, and easy-to-use single-point entry to environmental information and data for the use of all participants in the environmental enterprise. |
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A collaborative research and development effort that is investigating the causes of, and solutions to, the national problem of dryland salinity. |
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Inventories and compiles many of the sources of environmental technology/services company and technology information from around the United States. |
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A U.S. Health Institute that seeks to reduce the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental causes by understanding each of these elements and how they interrelate. |
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Published by the Australian Academy of Science, NOVA seeks to provide reliable and up-to-date information for senior secondary school teachers to use in class by focusing on scientific issues of importance in the media. |
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A database, maintained by Geoscience Australia that contains existing estuarine datasets and information. |
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Required every four years, these reports provide an information base to support the community, industry and government in working towards improved environmental management and the sustainable use of our natural resources. |
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Dedicated to the conservation and wise use of natural resources to produce food, feed, and fibre crops while maintaining and improving the environment. |
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The national SoE Reports provide information about environmental and heritage conditions, trends and pressures for the Australian continent, surrounding seas and Australia's external territories. These reports are required every five years under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. |
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Provides brief descriptions of a wide variety of cities and their groundwater issues, together with contacts and references. |
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For online statistics relating to the environmental sciences, please go to CQU's Environment Statistics page, which provides links to statistical data from both Australia and overseas. CQU Library also holds some print publications containing statistical data pertaining to environmental science - include 'statistics' as a keyword in your search. |
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When studying the environmental sciences, one must become familiar with the legislation and common law at the international, national and state level. |
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Environmental science law resources |
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AustLII provides access to acts and case law of the Commonwealth of Australia and most other Australian jurisdictions, courts and tribunals. |
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Queensland Legislation including current and repealed Queensland reprints, Acts and Subordinate Legislation as Passed from 1991 to current. |
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SCALEplus contains all legislation of the Commonwealth and non self-governing Territories (and related material such as Reserved Commonwealth Laws, Bills, explanatory memoranda/statements, tables, indexes and other finding aids). |
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It is important to rely on information that meets the standards expected by your lecturers. In many cases your arguments should be supported by what are termed scholarly, academic or "peer-reviewed" publications. Some databases - Proquest for example - make it clear which articles are scholarly and which ones fall into other categories. There are also databases, such as Emerald, which only contain scholarly articles. Remember that whatever the information source you are using you need to evaluate its relevance and suitability. The links to the right provide a guide to how to go about evaluating different kinds of resources. |
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The examples and keywords in the preceding sections will
have given you access to a substantial amount of information. You will now
have to use and reference the information you have gathered. |
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