Research Process

Part One

I believe that air pollution has a major affect on our plant life. I will need to research into the source of air pollution, and the dangerous effects it has on plant life in order to complete my project. The sources that I will be looking for are the pollutant impacts on plants. I believe that the information is current and not historical. The history of pollution, and more specifically “air pollution”, is not a mystery to many. The current impacts of this deadly issue are of more interest and guidance for my topic.

Part Two

Academic Disciplines:

The subject areas that would contain information regarding pollution are as follows:
Ecology
Environmental
Biology
Geology

Key Term:

Atmosphere Air Pollution
Flora
Fumes Greenhouse Gases Plant Life
Smog Toxic Waste
Trees

Library of Congress Classification (LC) Areas:

S Agriculture
SB Plant Culture.
SD Forestry.
Q-Sciences
QK-Botany
QK750 Chemical Agents Affecting Plants
QK870 Phytochemistry

The key words for my concepts that helped me in this endeavor of my pathfinder are as follows; (Concept # 1- Pollution) “Atmosphere”, “Greenhouse Gases”, “Smog”, “Fumes”, Toxic Waste”, (Concept # 2 – Trees) “Old Growth”, “Foliage”, “Vegetation”, “Leaves”, (Concept # 3 – Plants) “Shrubbery”, “Plant Life”, “Flora”, “Undergrowth”, “Water”, and “Soil”. My combined concepts were as follows; “Pollution AND Foliage AND Plant Life”; “(Greenhouse Gases OR Toxic Waste) AND Vegetation AND Flora”; “Smog AND Trees AND Plants”. In using these concepts, the doorway to finding information regarding my topic (How does air pollution effect plant life?) opened up wide, and I had no problem finding the information that was required to successfully complete my assignment.

Part Three

I would have to say, going into the process of this assignment I found it interesting, and not to mention a little hectic at times, but I was able to work through the stressful hurdles. The beginning stages of my research were a little rough around the edges, such as, my topic was pretty broad, and my key terms were not quite right. Once I narrowed my topic down, I found it easier to come up with key terms that would aid me in my research process, rather than putting up roadblocks for myself as I did my researching.

As I ventured through the internet doing research on my topic I found an abundance of information relating to “air pollution”, but some of it took me off the path of the effects it has on plant life. Several of the information results I obtained pertained to the cause of air pollution, and suggestions on how to reduce it. In advancing my search, I was able to find the exact information I needed for my topic. I found numerous articles within newspapers, magazines, books, and documented studies completed by Universities/Colleges within “Horticulture” departments. I was astonished to find out how drastic the whole ecosystem is affected by air pollution. Furthermore, I was just as astonished at how rapidly it is getting out of hand. I thought I knew quite a bit about air pollution, but I realized rather quickly I only knew a minuscule portion of the endless magnitude of information available.

In my opinion, the internet is a very valuable source to use in doing any type of research. Once a person learns how to navigate through the confines of the web, informational resources are just a click away, and it takes a few minutes and the information is right at hand for immediate use. I find it more convenient to have access to the internet at home (or anywhere you might be), than it is to locate a library and travel to and retrieve the information needed. There are many “pros” to using the internet as a place to do research, but there is also “cons” to it; those being not knowing for sure if all the information provided is documented truth or not, and when you go to a library, a person can usually count on the information within it to be documented truth.