ESP 401 - Environmental Impact Assessment and Lab

Introduction | Reference Sources | Indexes & Databases | Internet Resources | Writing the Paper

For further research assistance, please contact Tim Lynch tlynch@usm.maine.edu; (780-5156/780-5344), Research and Instructional Services Librarian; Liaison to the Environmental Science and Policy Department. Gorham Campus Library, University of Southern Maine.

This senior level class will assume some research ability and library familiarity on the student's part, but basic research instruction for databases mentioned will be provided. For more basic library information please consult course guide ESP 280.

The purpose of this course guide is to provide research materials to students searching for environmental impact statements and other governmental and technical reports. This type of information is most readily available in more specialized research resources than books and journal articles. Also, students should note that, also there is crossover, environmental impact information will be separated from other general governmental and technical reports when possible.

Environmental Impact

Environmental Impact Assessment

Council on Environmental Quality
Council mediates environmental issues and assessment concerns between agencies. This Whitehouse site provides access to recent annual freedom of information reports, NEPAnet and its Council of Environmental Quality procedural reports, as well as federal departments and agencies.

Environmental Assessment Association
Homepage of association features information about joining and being a member of the association, as well as workable online assessment forms, documents and courses offered for a fee, news, contact information and recent issues of Environmental Times.

International Association for Impact Assessment
Site contains publication and contact information as well as listservs, an information exchange, and other professional information. This organization also invites environmental teachers and their students to join IAIA and become active in the assessment dialogue.

National Association of Environmental Professionals
Website of the Association provides information useful to “Environmental Professionals” including upcoming events and conferences, membership, association listserv, articles, useful links, etc.

Environmental Impact Statements

The Environmental Impact Statement is a specific legal document made necessary by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). (Rob Sanford)

The University of Maine system (Ex. Orono and USM) has EIS reports in the form of Government Documents, searchable in the URSUS catalog. Also the Department of Environmental Science and Policy at USM has some EIS reports onsite.

How to Search for Environmental Impact Statements (EIS)
The Transportation Library at Northwestern Univ. includes a collection of Environmental Impact Statements, drafts and subsequent findings and reports from 1969 to the present.

Obtaining copies of Environmental Impact Statements
Includes procedures for obtaining EIS listings, comments by the EPA, contacts, and whole items via interlibrary loan. Some procedures may incur cost.

Encyclopedia of Environmental Analysis and Remediation
Gor Reference GE 10 .E49 1998

Encyclopedia devoted to remediation of environmental problems including air, water and biosphere pollution. Work also includes detailed procedures for conducting environmental analysis and impact statements.

Government and Technical Reports

Federal Agencies

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Search topically (Ex. air pollution) first, then look through links for reports
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Use either the Site Map link or the pull down menu (Ex. Coasts) first, then look through links for reports
National Council for Science and the Environment (Congressional Research Service Reports)
Very broad topical coverage. Use either Quick Search or Advanced Search.
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
Use either the pull down menu with keyword or use the list of sources on the left-hand side.
US Department of the Interior
US General Accountibility Office
Use pull down menus at top. Search GAO Reports > Then input keyword or report number.

Local Agencies

Maine Department of Environmental Protection
Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

Catalogs

URSUS can be used to search for both high profile Environmental Impact Statements and Technical Reports owned by the USM Libraries and the University of Maine system. This database also allows access to Maine Info Net which connects to the catalogs of the major private university libraries in Maine as well as its public libraries.

Basic Search

Searching Using AND and OR: (This process can be used in most any database including URSUS and journal indexes and databases)

1. State your topic in one sentence. (Ex. I'm looking for information about water pollution in Maine)
2. Separate important terms. (Ex. water AND pollution AND Maine)
3. Did you find enough information? If not continue. . . .
4. Add IMPORTANT synonyms and related terms that you would find in the professional literature. water AND (pollution OR water pollution) AND Maine
5. Truncate terms to get plural as well as singular form. Ex. water* AND (pollut* OR water pollut*) and Maine*

[Using Main* would bring up the words maintenance, maintain, main point, Main street, etc.]

Advanced Search (Default)

AND and OR searching can also be accomplished by filling in the search boxes using the AND connector in the Advanced search mode. Make sure and place all the OR terms (ie synonyms) together in the same box with the word OR between them. Then also place the AND terms in the same box, connected with the word AND

To obtain materials not located at USM, but within the University of Maine System, you will need to click on the black Request button on the URSUS screen and enter your name and barcode number (found under the barcode on your USM Card). Your barcode will need to be activated at the Circulation Desk on the first floor. Remember also to choose a location for the item to be delivered. Items requested in this manner require 3 to 5 days for delivery.

If the item is not available through the University of Maine System (URSUS) or Maine InfoNet you can request it via Interlibrary Loan (Illiad). Books (Reports would be thought of as books) requested by interlibrary loan may take a week to 10 days to arrive.

Other Databases

Scopus
Perform a regular search and refine; then look for websites tab to find reports.

STAT-USA
Includes the National Trade Databank. (Password protected) Must be used in USM libraries.

Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Databases
Perform a regular search and refine; then look for websites tab to find reports. Note many of these databases are NOT subscribed to by USM.

Federal Register
Available from the homepage of the USM Library under “Government Information” and “Frequently used sites” According to the website: “The Federal Register is the official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents.”(FR)

GPO Access
Access to all Government Publications available online. Note science.gov is a database devoted just to the sciences!

GreyLit Network
"Provides searchable access to over 100,000 full-text technical documents which report the results of federally funded research and projects. Includes reports from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration." (Mariner)

There is no authority control for the Internet. In choosing Internet resources it is imperative to evaluate the authenticity of the source. Thinking Critically about Discipline-Based World Wide Web Resources (UCLA College Library) provides excellent evaluation criteria.

Citation Example

The following paragraphs and examples are from Wagner T. and R. Sanford., 2005. Environmental Science: Active Learning Laboratories and Applied Problem Sets. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Format for citing references and literature

Use the format below to cite any literature used in your report (e.g., your textbook, journal articles, books, and so forth). In the text of your report, if you cite specific information, or quote data or persons, cite references using the author’s surname, and year of publication (e.g., Botkin and Keller, 2003); give the page number for the source quoted or paraphrased (to help avoid plagiarism—for example, Botkin and Keller, 2003, p. 234). Sources must be credited if you obtain ideas or thoughts from them, even if you are not giving a direct quote.

No single, correct citation format exists; each discipline (e.g., biology, economics, etc.) and each journal has a preferred citation format. Thus, what is presented below is one particular style but you will see other styles in your research. The most important aspect is to be consistent and to ensure all necessary information is contained in the citation.

For the purposes of this textbook, when you write lab reports use the following citation format from the Soil Science Society of America Journal (it is a typical science format), unless your instructor recommends a different one.

Journal Articles:

Single Author:

Connell, J. L. 1974. Species Diversity in Tropical Coral Reefs. Science 234:23-26.

Multiple Authors:

O'Rourke, D., L. Connelly, and C.P. Koshland. 1996. Industrial Ecology: A Critical Review. International Journal of Environment Pollution 6:89-112. 

Books:

Single Author:

McHarg, I. L. 1971. Design with Nature. Doubleday, Garden City, NY.

Multiple Authors:

Botkin, D.B. and E.A. Keller. 2003. Environmental Science: Earth as a Living Planet. 4th ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York.

American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America. 1998. Publications Handbook & Style Manual. ASA, CSSA, SSCA, Madison, WI.

Chapter in a Book:

Rabe, G.B. 1999. Sustainability in a Regional Context: The Case of the Great Lakes Basin. p. 248-281. In D.A. Mazmanian and M.E. Kraft (ed.) Towards Sustainable Communities: Transition and Transformations in Environmental Policy. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Internet:

Citations for Internet (web) sites should be similar to print media citations, including author, publication date, article title, site title, URL, and date the information was posted (or when the address was accessed).

Internet Article:

Sanchirico, J.N. and R.G. Newell. 2003. Catching Market Efficiencies: Quota-Based Fisheries Management. Resources 150 [Online], 23 Sept. 2003.

Government Website:

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). 2004. Home Page [Online]. Available at http://www.epa.gov (verified 3 June 2004).

Source: American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America. 1998. Publications Handbook & Style Manual. ASA, CSSA, SSCA, Madison, WI.

Plagerism

Plagiarism-The Do's and Dont's: Guidelines for Avoiding Plagiarism (University of California-Davis)

Plagiarism: What it is and How to Recognize and Avoid it (Indiana University)

Last Update: 10.2005
Comments: Ask-A-Librarian