ENVS 200, Analytical Environmental Health Research Paper Assignment

 

Due: August 10th, 2020

 

The Assignment: Research and write an analytical paper on an environmental health issue in which the relationship between another factor is explored. This relationship must be supported by credible scientific research. All sources used must be from credible sources. At least two of your sources must be from peer-reviewed publications.

 

Analytical paper: An analytical paper requires a Research Question in place of a thesis statement. The research question should be answering a HOW or WHY question.

• You are required to use in-text citations. At minimum two in-text citations.
• All citations (including quotes) MUST include attribution to the original source.
• You will be required to submit your research question in advance.

 

Topic: Any topic covered during the course this summer. Choose from topics listed &/or discussed in the course materials (i.e. syllabus, textbook, lecture slides, and discussion board.)

 

Format:

Length: 4 to 6 pages. No more & no less. (This does not include list of sources)

Font: Times New Roman, 12pt.

Line Spacing: Double spaced

Accepted Formats: MLA or APA only

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/resources.html.

 

Write a Research Question

A research question is the question you set out to answer. Here are some templates. Use one, fill in the blanks with your specifics. You are required to submit your research question in advance.

 

How do the effects of ____ influence ____?

How does ____ relate to ____?

Why is ____ an issue in relation to____?

Why is there a relationship between ____ and _____?

 

Watch the videos and review documents in the research question folder on Blackboard.

 

Research Questions Examples:

Here are some examples to use as models. You may use any of these but are NOT required to use the questions listed above. Develop your own based on these models. They can be variations of these or on a different  topic covered in the course materials.

 

• How does spread of infectious disease relate to changes in habit range of vectors?
• What is the relationship between groundwater pollution and disease?
• How does pesticide use relate to the decline in bee populations?
• What is the relationship between climate change and the increased frequency & intensity of fires? (or migration, or hurricanes, or drought, or drinking water scarcity, etc)
• How do lead pollution in drinking water relate to childhood development?
• Why is particulate matter emissions an issue in relation to environmental health?
• How do the effects of sea-level rise from climate change influence human health?

 

Finding Credible Sources:

• Medgar Evers College & CUNY libraries have paid subscriptions to many peer-reviewed publications. You are entitled to use them as part of your tuition. https://ares.mec.cuny.edu/library/

 

• Open source (free) peer-reviewed publications online. Avoid pay-walls.
  1. Public Library of Sciencehttps://plos.org/
  2. Directory of Open Access Journals https://doaj.org/
  3. Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/ a monthly journal of environmental health research and news published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
  4. Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/

 

• NGOs (non-governmental organizations)
  1. WHO (The World Health Organization is an international non-governmental organization) Public health, environmental and social determinants of healthhttps://www.who.int/phe/health_topics/en/
  2. American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) http://www.aaas.org/ An international non-profit organization dedicated to advancing science around the world by serving as an educator, leader, spokesperson and professional association.
  3. American Public Health Association Environmental Health topics (a non-profit organization) https://www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/environmental-health
  4. The Global Health Network https://tghn.org/ A collection of websites and online communities supporting global health researchers by facilitating collaboration and resource sharing.
  5. International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID) http://www.isid.org/ – Supports health professionals, nongovernment organizations and governments around the world in their work to prevent, investigate and manage infectious disease outbreaks when they occur, especially in countries that have limited resources and that disproportionately bear the burden of infectious diseases.
  6. Planetary Health Alliance http://planetaryhealthalliance.org/ – A consortium of universities, NGOs and other partners supporting the growth of a rigorous, policy-focused, transdisciplinary field of applied research aimed at understanding and addressing the human health implications of accelerating change in the structure and function of Earth’s natural systems.

 

• European Union
  1. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en A European Union agency to identify, assess and communicate current and emerging threats to human health posed by infectious diseases.

 

• US Federal Govt agencies

(information on pages updated after Jan 20 2017 should be verified with other sources).

1. CDC National Center for Environmental Health (The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is a US, federal gov’t agency)https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/
2. EPA Environmental Health topics (The EPA is a US federal gov’t agency)https://www.epa.gov/environmental-topics/health-topics
3. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences web sitehttp://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/