ENVS 7700 : Step 1: Background of Topic
Step 1 Objective
In this step of your project you will write a brief overview, with cited references from peer reviewed articles. This will explain the importance of the topic, what is known and what are the gaps.
Importance of Background Information
The Importance of Background Information
Finding background information before writing your project important, especially if you are unfamiliar with the subject area. Background information will give you a stronger foundation and understanding that will help you complete your writing assignments. Reference sources provide background information, which often includes:
- A broad overview of the subject
- Definitions of the topic
- An introduction to key issues
- Names of people who are authorities in the subject field
- Major dates and events
- Keywords and subject-specific vocabulary terms that can be used for database searches
- Bibliographies that lead to additional resources
LSU Libraries has reference sources covering many topics in the sciences. Because reference sources provide an overview of the topic, you will feel better prepared to discuss and to write about the topic and the general issues surrounding it after reading them.
Writing a Research Background | Dr Amina Yonis
Database Resources to Explore for Background Research
Agriculture
- Agricola This link opens in a new windowContaining bibliographic records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library, this source provides access to millions of citations. The citations are comprised of journal articles, book chapters, theses and much more, all relating to the field of agriculture.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowGreenFILE provides a collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles and covers content about the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments as well as what can be done at each level to minimize these effects.This tool offers indexing and abstracts for more than 780,000 records and open access full text for more than 11,000 records. Key journals include Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, Conservation Biology, Forest Ecology & Management, International Journal of Green Energy, and Journal of Wildlife Management.
- Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide This link opens in a new windowOffering a global perspective, this resource is the world's largest index to literature on wild mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. Comprehensive coverage includes bibliographic records, many of which include abstracts, covering a variety of topic areas.
Biological Sciences
- Biological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowA complete collection of bibliographic references to life science journal literature published internationally. This database gives users easy access biological information and makes it simple to retrieve millions of records from earlier research in virtually every life science discipline.
**The maximum number of simultaneous users is 10.** - CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new windowThis is the definitive research tool for nursing and allied health professionals. With CINAHL Complete users get fast and easy access to top nursing and allied health journals, evidence-based care sheets and quick lessons.
- Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science This link opens in a new windowThis database includes access to the Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts, Oceanic Abstracts, and Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts. The database includes access to full-text articles published in scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications.
Chemistry
- Reaxys This link opens in a new windowReaxys and Reaxys Medicinal Chemistry combine comprehensive databases of chemistry data and literature with powerful search interfaces. They return relevant extracted data and citations in optimal formats for chemistry research. Both can seamlessly integrate into an existing environment of tools and systems, saving time and reducing the risk of inconsistencies.
- SciFinder-n This link opens in a new windowCAS SciFinder-n is the latest scientific information solution from CAS, a division of the American Chemical Society. In addition to the reference, substance, reaction and supplier content found in CAS SciFinder®, CAS SciFinder-n includes relevance-ranked results, step-by-step procedures and protocols, citation mapping, biosequence searching, retrosynthetic analysis, patent landscape mapping, touch-screen enabled structure drawing and much more—all accessible in a simple, easy-to-use interface.
You must Register for SciFinder with CAS before you can use it.
The following stipulations apply: - You must use your LSU email address when registering, as CAS will require an address with LSU's email domain when sending you a confirmation email with instructions for completing the registration process.
Environmental Science
- Agricola This link opens in a new windowContaining bibliographic records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library, this source provides access to millions of citations. The citations are comprised of journal articles, book chapters, theses and much more, all relating to the field of agriculture.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new windowThe Environment Complete database offers deep coverage in applicable areas of agriculture, ecosystem ecology, energy, natural resources, marine & freshwater science, geography, pollution & waste management, environmental technology, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, urban planning, and more.
Medicine/Health
- MEDLINE This link opens in a new windowSponsored by the National Library of Medicine, Medline contains citations and abstracts to international biomedical literature from over 3700 journals on topics including research, clinical practice, administration, policy issues, and healthcare services. The database contains a broad range of medical topics relating to research, clinical practice, administration, policy issues, and health care services. OldMedline from the NLM Gateway includes the years 1958 - 1965. The ISI/Web of Knowledge Interface contains info from 1950 to the present.
- PubMedPubMed comprises over 30 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering portions of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources
- Nursing & Allied Health Source This link opens in a new windowThis single dedicated resource minimizes the need for nursing students, researchers, and teaching staff to spend a lot of time looking for practice reference material. Leading nursing journals are provided alongside videos, dissertations, e-books, and study paths, making it easier to make connections between complex theoretical information and applying the acquired knowledge to practical settings.
Multidisciplinary
- Scopus This link opens in a new windowScopus combines a comprehensive abstract and citation database with enriched data and linked scholarly literature across a wide variety of disciplines. It finds authoritative research, identifies experts and provides access to reliable data, metrics and analytical tools.