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HEALTH 100 -- CONTEMPORARY HEALTH ISSUES

Library Research Assignment

Environment and Human Health

Our health status and our environment are tied together in many ways. Choose an environmental issue, i.e. air pollution, mercury poisoning, population, etc., and describe how it effects health on an individual or a global scale.

Pick a topic that is particularly interesting to you, and create a topic statement that focuses on a definable aspect of broader topic, such as

Broader topic	Examples of a topic statements
Pollution	Automobile emissions and human health Air pollution: What are the causes in southern California
Population	Long-term health effects of over-crowding in cities Too many people, not enough water: The looming global water crisis
Food	Genetically engineered food; How it may just save humanity Genetically engineered food; How it may just destroy humanity.
Weather	Global warming and its effects on human health Regional climate can increase risk of suicide among teens

Before beginning the research, write down as many synonyms for important topic words as you can think of. In the list above, for example, where genetically engineered food is a possible search term, you might also list artificial, mutant, or modified, or agricultural biotechnology. Add to this list as you discover new words while conducting your research.

In order to complete this research assignment for Health 100, you will need to go to the Coastline Virtual Library and use its online journal subscriptions (do not select all five articles from the same subscription database):

1. Go to the Virtual Library home page <library.ccc.cccd.edu>.

2. Click on “Research and Information Resources.”

3. Click on “Online Databases” on the horizontal menu bar at the top of the page.

4. If you have not yet registered, select “new user, " and supply the necessary information; be sure to print the “Registration Complete” sheets for future reference.

5. Scroll down the list of databases, and select the one in which you wish to search.

6. Enter the user name and password on your “Registration Complete” sheets, and you are on your way!

I. ProQuest Research Library

A. Enter the username 000YGHP6XG and password WELCOME.

B. Select "Search Methods" tab from the horizontal menu bar, and then select "Guided." This search option helps design a question that is more likely to return useful articles than a simple keyword search.

C. In the first "Search for" box, type environment. Notice the field box to the right and click on the down arrow. That list shows you all of the fields in the database that can be searched. Select "Subject."

D. In the next box, type health, and select "Subject" as above.

E. In the next box, type effects. From the field menu, select "Article text."

F. In the "Publication Type" box, select "Periodicals."

G. Check the box next to "Show results with full text availability only, " and next to "Show total number of articles."

H. Click on "Search."

The results list will only show articles with environment and health as subject terms. All results will also include the term effects within the text. Results will not include newspaper articles.

Experiment with different terms in different fields to expand or narrow your search: climate, pollution, environmental contamination, wellbeing, and so on.

Use the options near the top of the page to print, save to disk, or email the article. You can also copy-and-paste directly into your open word processing document if you wish. Record the article information (bibliographic citation) as you go so that you can easily document your research.

II. Academic Search Elite

A. Enter username (user i.d.) s6222955 and password password, and login. Select the EBSCOhost Web option, and then click on "continue."

B. Select "Advanced Search" from the blue tab near the top of the page.

C. You'll notice that the search screen is similar but different from ProQuest's. The number of fields you may select to search is much smaller, and it defaults to full text only searching.

D. In the box next to "Find," type genetically modified and then select SU Subject in the field box.

E. In the next box, type health, and then click on "search."

F. You will notice that many of the results are the same as in ProQuest. There are differences, however. Academic Search Elite provides us with access to many more peer-reviewed, or professional, journals than ProQuest does. To find these journals, click the back arrow button until you are at the search screen, check the box next to "Peer Reviewed," and then "search." Peer reviewed articles are generally longer, more rigorous in research standards, and very carefully documented.

G. Be sure to go back and insert your own terms in the search boxes before selecting the articles for your report.

III. NetLibrary e-Books

A. In the "Subject" box, type pollution, and in the "Full Text" box type health effects, then click on "Search.

B. Select one of the titles listed, and then click on Browse this ebook online.

C. Scroll through the Table of Contents and click on a chapter that interests you, or scroll through the index.

D. Use the "Help" button to find out more about e-books and some of their great features. Feel free to create your own account (under the Coastline account); simply follow the instructions on the screen. Be sure to put your username and password in a safe place, and use them the next time when you login.