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Toxic Town: Future of Hayward? An Earth Day Event: Find Search Terms

This research guide updates the previous Power Plants in Hayward guide in relation to the Earth Day Teach-in Event, taking place at the Chabot College Performing Arts Center, 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday, April 22, 2010

Subject Headings

Library of Congress Subject Headings books

These are the official Library of Congress Subject Headings that you can use for many of your searches in our databases. You would find subject headings such as these by browsing through the Library of Congress Subject Headings books or browsing the "Catalog Record" of every title found in our Library Catalog.

 

Power-Plants

Electric Power-Plants

Electric Power-Plants--Environmental Aspects

 

Pollution

Air--Pollution

Air--Polution Potential

Greenhouse Gases

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation

Environmental Risk Assessment

Environmental Impact Analysis

Air Quality Management

Environmental Justice

Social Justice

Environmental Policy

Right to Environmental Quality

Keywords

While not official subject headings, these keywords can be very fruitful for your research. Try to also think of other terms such as these. Keyword searches look at all the information in the book or article record including title, author, abstract, table of contents, etc. It always helps to think of synonyms, as the way one person would describe something is not the same way another would.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Calpine

Russell Energy Center

Chabot College

Natural Gas Fired

What "Search Terms" to Use?

Using the correct words to search will help you find relevant information. Different authors and search tools use different words to describe the same concepts, so it is useful to have a list of similar and related terms in your arsenal when you set out to search for relevant information. The process of creating these alternative terms is called brainstorming terms or concept mapping.

EXAMPLE

Power-Plants AND Environmental Justice

What "search terms" to use?

Using the correct words to search will help you find relevant information. Different authors and search tools use different words to describe the same concepts, so it is useful to have a list of similar and related terms in your arsenal when you set out to search for relevant information. The process of creating these alternative terms is called brainstorming terms or concept mapping.

EXAMPLE

Sex Differences AND Communication


If for some reason, you are getting results you do NOT want (say for example you want to find only articles on communication in opposite sex marriages) try a NOT search.  Librarians caution that NOT searches often also weed out articles that may have been relevant for you.  So only perform such searches if you have LOTS of results (say over ten that are in full text format):

EXAMPLE

Marriage NOT Same Sex