As you are researching, use text from your search results to develop a broader list of related terms on your topic. The more creative your keywords, both general and specific, the more likely you are to uncover gems of information you didn't know to look for when you began!
Books are a good starting point for your general research, but articles and papers are good sources for more specific and up-to-date information. You can also search for scholarly articles via the NYSID Library website, in databases such as EBSCO and JSTOR.
Both databases search thousands of magazines, books and academic journals. EBSCO will have the most relevant results for this class as it includes GreenFILE and Avery Architectural Index, and indexes journals such as Environment & Behavior. JSTOR may also be worth a look as it includes both journal titles and full text books about environmental design, sustainability and social issues.
If you are researching a specific company, material, manufacturing process, or geographic location, those terms are great to try as well as these more general ones:
Environment and Behavior
Cradle to Cradle or Cradle to Grave
Life Cycle Analysis/Assessment
Environmental Product Description (EPD)
Sustainable Design
And don't forget to look at the bibliographies of relevant books and articles--sometimes they can lead you to great sources that keyword searches don't pull up!
