Argumentative Topic: Global Warming (Focusing on Corporate Policy and Responsibility)

Class: Eng 112 / Instructor: Jane Rosecrans

 

Scope  ll  Online Search Techniques  ll  Finding Books via the Library Catalog 

Finding Articles via the Library Databases  ll  Off-campusAccess

Web Sites  Citing Sources  ll  Ask a Librarian for Help

---

Scope:

Global warming, also known as the greenhouse effect, is the warming of the earth's surface and atmosphere due to "the release of 'greenhouse gases', such as carbon dioxide. These gases are released into the air from burning gas, oil, coal, wood and other resources which then holds heat in an action similar to the walls of a greenhouse." (pbs.org) This handout serves as a guide to research information on global warming at JSRCC Libraries.  

---

Finding Books:

To look for books available at JSRCC Libraries, you can search the VCCSLinc Library catalog

 

Sample Subject Key Words to Search in Catalog:

Global warming, Ozone layer depletion, Climatic changes,  Greenhouse effect, Green movement, Social responsibility of business, Environmental policy

      Sub-headings: -Political aspects; -Government policy; -United States; -Research

 

Browse books by Call Number:   QC912-999

 

Selected Books available at JSRCC:

• Atlas of Climate Change: Mapping the World's Greatest Challenge 

• Climate Crash : Abrupt Climate Change and What It Means for our Future
• Cool It: the Skeptical Environmentalist's Guide to Global Warming
• Coming Clean: Breaking America's Addiction to Coal and Oil

• Global Warming :  a Very Short Introduction
• Greening of American Business: Making Bottom-Line Sense of Environmental Responsibility
• Hell and High Water: Global Warming- the Solution and the Politics-and What We Should Do 

• High Tide : the Truth about our Climate Crisis
• An Inconvenient Truth: the Planetary Emergency of Global warming and What We Can Do About It
• Ozone Depletion and Climate Change : Constructing a Global Response - [electronic book from NetLibrary]

 

---

Finding Articles:

You can find authoritative articles on global warming using the databases on or off-campus; you will need to login off-campus with Off Campus Access . Use "My JSRCC" login.  To focus on library databases which cover global warming, look at Databases by Subject- Geography, Earth, & Environmental Sciences. 

---

Finding overviews to understand the basics of the discussion about global warming: 

 

CQ Researcher

CQ Researcher offers in-depth, non-biased coverage of political and social issues.  Each report is written by a seasoned journalist based on a common structure. Users may browse through articles by topics in alphabetical order, or search for articles using words, dates, or other criteria. 

CQ Researcher search tips:

Type global warming in Quick Search box.  You will retrieve a list of related reports on global warming.

 

Issues & Controversies

Presents and enhances the full backfile of Issues and Controversies On File. Provides balanced coverage of over 600 controversial topics in the news. 

Issues & Controversies search tips:

Click on "Access All Topics" from "Quick Access." Then choose Global Warming from the A-Z list.  You will get a balanced analysis and sidebars including key events, statistics, related articles and overviews.  

---

Finding Viewpoints and Debates on Global Warming: 

 

Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center

Provides a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to web sites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles. 

Opposing Viewpoint Resource Center search tips:

Choose "Global Warming" from the "Popular Topics" list.  You will find viewpoints, reference overviews, magazine, and journal articles, news, primary documents, statistics from Gallup, and NPR podcasts and transcripts.  

---

Finding more articles on your refined topics:

 

Environment Complete

Offers coverage in applicable areas of agriculture... energy, renewable energy resources...pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy...and more. Includes domestic and international titles going back to the 1940's...and contains full text for more than 650 journals.  (EBSCOHost)

Try a Basic Search using Boolean operators and truncation. See example below:

            (global warming or climate change) AND (policy or policies).

 

Try an Advanced Search and type the keywords, (global warming or climatic changes).  Select SU Subject from the menu on the left. You can also type secondary keywords such as corporat* or united states in the 2nd and 3rd search windows. Add more search boxes/windows as needed.  

 

MasterFILE Premier

Comprehensive, multi-disciplinary full-text database provides full text for more than 1,750 general reference publications with full text information dating as far back as 1975. Covers virtually every subject area of general interest. (EBSCOHost)

 

Academic Search Complete

Comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 5,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 4,600 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,500 journals and a total of more than 10,000 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for nearly 1,000 journals (EBSCOhost) 

 

For more information about online search strategies, check:

http://teach.jsr.vccs.edu/library/online-search-techniques.htm

 

 

If you have the citation of an article, how to obtain the full text?

 

• Check JSRCC Full Text Periodicals List from Serials Solutions

• Check local libraries

• Use Interlibrary Loan Services

 

For more information, check:

http://teach.jsr.vccs.edu/library/researchguide/stepthree.htm#ILLarticle

---

Selected Web Sites: 

• Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis - A Report from Intergovernmental Panel on ClimateChange,written by 600 climate scientists from more than 40 countries and was reviewed by some 620 other scientists.

• Global Warming - from US Environmental Protection Agency

• Global Warming - from Natural Resources Defense Council

• Global Warming FAQs - from National Climatic Data Center

 

Organizations for Corporate Responsibility (from CQ Researcher):  

• Business for Social Responsibility 

      Advocates good corporate citizenship. 

• Business Roundtable

      Organization of corporation chief executive officers that promotes corporate attention to society, environment and economy. 

• Competitive Enterprise Institute 

       Think tank devoted to free enterprise and limited government; opposes CSR initiatives. 

• The Conference Board 

       Association of major businesses that advises companies on social responsibility through its Center for Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability. 

• Social Investment Forum  

      Trade association for the socially responsible investing industry. 

• SustainAbility 

      Consulting firm that coined the phrase "triple bottom line," for businesses' responsibility to "people, planet and profit." 

• U.S. Climate Action Partnership 

      Alliance of major corporations and environmental organizations that lobbies for government action against global warming. 

• Wal-Mart Watch 

      Advocacy group that pressures Wal-Mart on labor, environmental and community-impact issues. 

• Yale University Center for Business and Environment 

      Carries out research and education on business solutions to environmental problems.

---

Citing Sources:

To learn how to compile your Works Cited list in MLA, please check:

http://teach.jsr.vccs.edu/library/assistance/citation.htm

---

Need more help?

Visit the reference desks at JSRCC Libraries or Ask a librarian@JSRCC!