Sources for Articles

Modified February 18, 2003
Many articles (news stories, features, reports, scientific papers, reviews) relating to environmental issues can be found on the web. The following links are good starting points to find such articles. All of these links contain search engines that can be used with certain keywords (e.g., "smog") to investigate topics of interest to you.

Library Resources

You should definitely explore the University Libraries web page, which contains many interesting links, some of which are duplicates of those above. Of particular interest is the list of Environmental Studies Resources available to you, as well as a list of current serials in Environmental Studies. Other useful web pages are: a list of journals currently received by the science library and the more comprehensive journal locator. And, of course, there is always the UR library catalog search engine.

Scholarly Journals

The following print journals are concerned with scientific research in fields related to environmental issues. All require a paid subscription for full access to the articles; however, most of these journals are also available in the Science Library (either hardcopies or electronic access). If only hardcopoies are available, you can search the journals on-line and if you find an article that interests you, simply go to the library and get the printed version.

  • Environmental Science and Technology (published twice monthly) is one of the premier journals for research in environmental science. If you are logged on to the internet through UR's network, then you should have complete access to all the on-line articles.
  • Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (monthly) is the official publication of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC). Free access is given to the table of contents and abstracts. The UR science library subscribes to the print edition of this journal.
  • Science (weekly) is the publication of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Many articles are published related to environmental chemistry, particularly issues related to atmospheric pollution (eg, ozone depletion, climate change, smog, acid rain). The journal publishes articles on original research, science news, public policy, and other topics. You should have online access to the full articles if you are logged on to the UR network.
  • Nature (weekly) is one of the premier scientific publications in the world. Free registration is sufficient to access a brief summary of articles; the science library subscribes to the print edition of the journal. A special on-line section called Nature Science Update (updated daily) is also useful.
  • Environmental Health Perspectives (monthly) is the publication of National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a division of NIH that studies the health effects of environmental pollutants. The focus of most of the research is toxicology, although a number of articles also deal with environmental behavior of pollutants (ie, environmental chemistry). You can browse the abstracts for free; online access to the full articles in EHP (and the Supplment) is possible thru UR; ask me via email for the username/password.
  • Chemical and Engineering News (weekly) is a publication of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds largest scientific organization. C&EN presents a summary of research published in other journals, as well as chemistry-related news items on policy and industry. A subscription is needed to view anything beyond the table of contents for any issue. However, there is a search engine that can be used to find articles (which can then be read in the Science Library).
  • Scientific American (monthly) often publishes articles related to the environment. These are generally lavishly illustrated overview articles written for the educated layperson. If you are logged on to the UR network you should have online access to the full articles.

Interested in the ties between environmental science and public policy or economics? Try the following journals, which provide free access to their complete contents.

  • Issues in Science and Technology (quarterly) is a print journal published by the National Academy of Sciences (among others) that addresses the link between science and public policy. Many of the articles, editorials, and reviews have an environmental theme. IST allows complete and free access to articles published since Fall 1996.
  • Reources (quarterly) is an electronic journal published by Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan, nonprofit Washington-based think tank.Their articles usually focus on the economics aspects of various environmental issues. The journal is published in PDF format, so you'll need Acrobat Reader to read it.
  • CQ Researcher. On-line version of the journal published by Congressional Quaterly. Publishes 44 reports annually on current topics, many of which relate to the environment. Also has searchable archives of previous reports, which a good index for browsing.

Periodicals

The on-line editions of these print magazines are surprisingly complete. In most cases there is no charge to view current articles. Archived articles can be searched but usually cannot be viewed on-line without paying a fee (but the print version may be available in the library).

Newspapers

Most major print newspapers are on-line, and are searchable. Access to current and recent stories is free, but some papers charge a fee for access to archived stories (e.g., stories older than two weeks). Environmental stories are most often in sections relating to science and/or health; however, they may also appear in sections dealing with politics, business, technology, or the front page.
  • LA Times. Many of the articles on environmental issues are in the Science section. The LAT charges for access to articles more than two weeks old; however, selected archived articles are still available on-site for free viewing.
  • NY Times. You must register (at no cost) to view the articles; those relating to environmental issues are often in the Science/Health section. The NYT charges for access to archived articles. However, like the LAT, the NYT allows access to selected archived articles; check the free search engine, which also searches articles available from other news sources (like AP and Reuters).
  • USA Today. Environmental issues are mostly covered in the Health and the Science Digest sections. Global warming and some other issues related to air pollution are frequently covered in the Weather section. USAT give free access to articles archived on their site.
  • Washington Post. Especially check out the Health section, although the Politics section is often worth checking out. The WP charges for access to articles more than two weeks old.
  • Richmond Times-Dispatch. Not really in the same league as the other four dailies, but the news is local. The Health and Science section is published only once or twice a week (usually on Thursdays).

Internet Resources

Unlike the previous links, the following do not correspond to any printed publications. All are searchable and offer free access to archived material.

  • Environmental News Network. An excellent site for news items and significant scientific research relating to environmental issues. Every news article is accompanied by useful links to related sites and stories.
  • MSNBC Environmental News. A compilation of environmental news stories, reports and features, attractively arranged.
  • BBC News gives a nice overview of current events worldwide. Environmental stories often appear in the Sci/Tech and Health sections, and sometimes the World section and its subsections. Like ENN, every article contains links to related sites and stories (a nice touch)