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EMSC 100S Climate Change and Climate Justice in Frontline Communities

Research guide for the course EMSC 100S taught by Greg Jenkins

LionSearch Basics

For full text items, click the "full text online" link to go to the full text of the article.

  • If you see the Penn State "GetIt" menu and you need to click the word "article" to get to the full text. 
  • If there is no "article" link, click the word "journal" to get to the journal page and look for the correct year, volume, issue and pages for the article you need.
Tip: Save the relevant sources into the LionSearch temporary folder by clicking on the small folder icon to right side of the item.  When you are finished compiling your sources, click on the folder icon at the top of the screen and email or print (which allows you to copy into your clipboard) the references so you can easily add them to your project. 
 
CAVEAT: computer systems make mistakes when auto-formatting.  
Don’t lose your work!  Unless you sign up for Refworks, items are saved in LionSearch ONLY for your current session.  You won’t be able to go back later and see a list of saved items.

Creating a Research Question

Research questions serve two purposes:

Firstly: Research questions focus your topic from something very large into a more focused query that you can answer in your assignment. Sometimes assignments focus on a single large research question, others build in multiple smaller questions. 

"Gun Control?" is not a research question. "Do assault weapon bans decrease violent gun death?" is a research question. 

Secondly: Research questions allow you to use multiple concepts to create a more powerful search. Databases don't always produce good results when searching for a single concept. 

I would type "assault weapon ban" and "gun death" and into LionSearch, or a related database to research this question.  

Focusing the Scope of a Topic

It is very easy to go overboard with really big ideas! Remember, a quality topic is one that you can address thoroughly in the full length of your assignment. Avoid single concepts, generally. Some examples are: 

  • Entire wars or conflicts. 
  • Social issues that are constantly discussed (ex. abortion, or legalizing marijuana)

Instead think about focusing on:

  • How a specific group was affected by a war (ex. how children were affected by conflict in Iraq)
  • A specific element of a social issue (ex. how the criminalization of marijuana has affected black men) 

It's also very easy to get an idea that is so focused that it is essentially impossible to research, often because scholars just haven't looked at that issue yet. Check when you pick a topic that you can find a variety reliable sources on what you plan to address. Some examples are: 

  • Why a little-known athlete is underrated. 
  • How a single video game should receive more awards. 

Instead, think about focusing on:

  • The system that allows excellent athletes to be ignored despite excellent performance, using your athlete as one example.
  • The flaws in the system of evaluation for video games, using your game as one example.