ENVS 430 - Environmental Practices (Lesage): Activity: Judge the Sources -- Explanations

Take a look at this source:

The article, “Where’s the Green in Green Business?” from the website, Harvard Business Review, June 2002.

Is this an an appropriate source to use for your assignment?

Explanation

Focus on newer sources. Often, 10 years old or younger is best, though some acceptable sources are older. This article isn’t appropriate because it’s specifically about the economics of green business in 2002, which have little relevance to current costs”.

Take a look at this source:

“Buying green — sustainable purchasing” from the State of Washington Dept of Ecology

What do you think about this source? Is it credible for your assignment?

Explanation

The State of Washington Dept of Ecology is a reliable resource.

Take a look at this source:

The website, “Smart Steps to Sustainability 2.0” from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Is it an appropriate source to use for your assignment?

Explanation

As a rule, government websites are good sources. Sometimes dates are hard to find. If you sleuth a little on this webpage, you’ll find that the document “Smart Steps to Sustainability” is an update of the original 2009 edition, which would put it within a good range for use.

Take a look at this source:

“Top Companies come Together to Fight Climate Risk in Supply Chains” on the website TriplePundit: people, planet, profit. September 18, 2018.

Take some tie to really look over this website. Look at the about section. Is it a credible source for your project?

Explanation

This article is from a blog. The author’s credentials state she “…is a freelance journalist who has a passion for storytelling and sustainability.” Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the link to “About 3p” and read over it. As a rule, give blogs and other .com and .org  sites rigorous scrutiny before using them.

Take a look at this source:

“Should business care about sustainability?” from Business Times, Dec. 03, 2019.

What do you think? Is it an appropriate source to use for your project?

Explanation

Business Times is a reputable business magazine; it is not scientific or scholarly. This specific article, however, is a commentary, or opinion, piece. Use these types of articles with caution. Opinion articles often comment on current research, so they can lead you to more credible sources. 

Take a look at this source:

The article, “Energy management to foster circular economy business model for sustainable development in an agricultural SME” from the Journal of Cleaner Production, Sept. 2022.

Open up the pdf and look at the article itself. Is it a credible source for your assignment?

Explanation

This is a scientific study from a reputable research journal. Open up the pdf of the article and take a look at all the different sections that provide evidence that this is a scientific study:

• Look at the list of authors and their credentials
• Locate the “Received” and "Accepted" information in the footer of the first page. The received, revised and accepted dates indicate this is a peer-reviewed article.
• Look at the major sections that indicate a scientific paper: Introduction, Literature Review, Material and methods, Results, and Concluding remarks.
• Look at the long list of references at the end. These give credit to the sources that the scholars used to research this subject.