Fictional example

Environmental Science Research Guide

A focused starting point for a paper on urban heat islands.

1. Frame the question

How do tree cover and paved surfaces affect summer heat in mid-sized U.S. cities?
Keep the location, cause, outcome, and season visible while you search.

2. Choose a database

GreenIndex Complete

Fictional multidisciplinary database

Start here for peer-reviewed studies that connect land cover, public health, and city planning.

City Data Archive

Fictional government-data catalog

Use it for temperature observations, land-cover maps, and neighborhood-level datasets.

Planning Sourcebook

Fictional policy collection

Use it to find municipal plans and case studies after the research evidence is clear.

3. Build the first search

Tap a concept to include it. The example keeps synonyms inside parentheses and joins concepts with AND.

4. Save enough to cite

Before closing a result
  • Save the author, title, publication, year, and persistent link.
  • Record the database and the search that found it.
  • Open the library citation guide for the required style, then compare the generated citation with the source record.

Need a second search?

Ask the fictional subject librarianBring your research question and one search that returned results.

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