RSNR 110 Methane emissions
- Getting started
- Finding background information
- Using Summon
- Web sites, Government Reports and Google Scholar
- Is my journal article refereed?
- Burping cows and other videos
- Reference list
- Need some help?
Getting started
Analyse the topic and pick out relevant keywords to use in your search for information.
Some good keywords include: methane; "methane production"; "methane generation";"methane emissions"; "reducing methane emissions"
"cattle production"/cattle/feedlot/ruminants/livestock/"enteric methane"
landfill/"council dumps"/"waste management"
Note "methane production" - "...." - creates a "phrase search".
Finding background information
Encyclopedias are often a good place to start searching for information. They give an overview of the topic and often provide good links in the Reference lists.
Go to the Environmental Science Subject Guide and locate a list of relevant Encyclopedias and Dictionaries which are suitable for RSNR110.
Go to Sage eReference
Do a simple search - methane landfill
Another search - methane ruminants
Try some of the other keywords to locate other items.
You could try other encyclopedias such as Gale Virtual Reference Library or Oxford Reference Online.
Wikipedia can also provide easy background reading but keep in mind this is unrefereed material so use cautiously. It is not considered suitable to cite in your essay. The references listed at the end of the entry however, can lead you on to more reputable links and articles.
Your lecturer will place essential readings on eReserve. Check to see if there are readings for RSNR110.
Using Summon
Summon searches for books, ebooks, journal articles and eReserve articles (Course Readings) in a single search.
View the Summon video for tips on searching.
Go to the Library page
Use the Summon search box and enter your keywords: methane cattle. For those who have chosen to do the landfill essay you could try - methane landfill
Now 'Refine your search' by using the facets in the left menu.
Journal articles provide recent, scholarly research on your topic. Journal articles can be highly technical and often difficult to read, but concentrate on the Abstract, Introduction and Conclusion to gain a broad understanding of the content.
Tick the box 'Limit to articles from scholarly publications, including peer-review'.
Select a Date range: Change the 'Publication Date' to 2008 to present (slide the arrow to the right and 'Update').
Hover over the article to read the Abstract. To read an article in full simply click on the blue title. This will take you into a database such as CSIRO, ProQuest, Wiley or SpringerLink and you can then open up the full text of the article by selecting the 'pdf' option. Or you may be taken directly to the Journal in which the article appears.
Summon does need careful attention - make sure the article you are reading is a journal article - and not just a News item or a Letter to the editor. A journal article will generally have an Abstract at the beginning and a Reference list at the end of the article. [Check below for instructions on how to make sure it is a peer-reviewed, scholarly article].
Summon allows you to create a list of the references you are going to use in your essay. Hover over the top right of the article to "save this item". At the end of your search session go to the 'Saved items' folder. Select APA format and your references will be reformatted into the correct referencing style for Sciences. Once again, Summon needs careful attention. Always double-check your reference list against the ASO referencing guide for the APA style (see below).
You could try other search combinations in Summon:
"reducing methane emissions" - then 'Refine your search' by selecting appropriate 'Subject Terms' - click on the 'more...' to open more Subject Terms and 'Sort by A-Z'. Try selecting landfill/ ruminants AND cattle etc
Web sites, Government Reports and Google Scholar
Use your keywords to search Google and locate some relevant web sites and government reports.
You can refine your Google search to return more authoritative web sites:
Example
methane reduction landfill site:gov.au (site:gov.au returns Australian government web sites)
methane reduction ruminants site:gov.au
Try some of these:
Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC). (2008). Using methane in Intensive Livestock Industries. Retrieved from http://www.australianpork.com.au/pages/images/Methane%20in%20intensive%20livestock%20operations.pdf Check the section on Methane p. 4 and Livestock enteric fermentation p. 9.
Primary Industries Science and Research. (n.d). Responding to climate change. Retrieved from http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/research/topics/climate-change/response Check the section on 'Management of livestock emissions.'
Warnken Ise (2007). The potential greenhouse gas liability from landfill in Australia: An examination of the climate change risk from landfill emissions to 2050.
Take care because this report is sponsored by industry and therefore may have some bias. It is not a peer reviewed report.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar accessed from the Library page automatically links you to authoritative journal article which UNE holds.
Try the following search in Google Scholar: methane emissions cattle
To open the article, click on the 'FullText@UNE' link.
Is my journal article refereed?
If the articles in a journal undergo a peer review process, the journal is deemed to be a scholarly, refereed publication. Each article is reviewed by an independent panel of referees (scholarly or scientific peers) before being published. Peer reviewed material is considered more academically reliable than work that has not undergone this process (eg Wikipedia).
Ulrichsweb is a database which allows us to search for a particular journal to determine if it is peer reviewed.
Identify the name of the journal in your citation, then use Ulrichsweb to confirm it is a refereed journal.
Example
Sejian, V., Lal, R., Lakritz, J., & Ezeji, T. (2011). Measurement and prediction of enteric methane emission. International Journal of Biometeorology, 55(1), 1-16. doi:10.1007/s00484-010-0356-7
The name of the journal in this citation is International Journal of Biometeorology.
Go to the Library page.
Select 'Find a database' and go to the A-Z list.
Select Ulrichsweb and search for the journal by title. 
A 'referee's jumper' indicates it is peer reviewed.
Burping cows and other videos
Why burping cows do not help stop climate change.
Reducing methane output in dairy cows.
Cow burps
Farting cows Is methane really produced by farting cows? or is it produced by burping cows?
Powering the future: Landfill methane production in Durban
Transforming an environmental liability into an energy asset
Cat Generator sets: How renewable landfill energy works
Reference list
Use the ASO Referencing Guide.
The Sciences use the APA style.
Need some help?
Ask a Librarian - an email service to help you out.
eSKILLS UNE - an online Library tutorial to get you started on your assignment.
Service Desk in Dixson Library - 6773 2458
Lisa Gurney - Liaison Librarian 6773 2209 or lgurney2@une.edu.au