Basic Energy Facts
From the lab instructions, you'll find the following articles, images, and resources referenced:
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Inman, M. (2013). The True Cost Of Fossil Fuels. Scientific American, 308(4), 58–61.This 4 page article gives a wonderful visual introduction to your topic.
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Hall, C. A. S. (2011). Synthesis to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment). Sustainability, 3(12), 2496–2499. https://doi.org/10.3390/su3122496Pay special attention to the main considerations listed on the second half of the first page.
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Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. (2022). Renewable Energy Resource Assessment Information for the United States.The chart for renewable energy resources can be found on page 8.
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U.S. Energy Facts ExplainedFind the graphs for US energy consumption and other context here.
Table ES-1. Annual Technical Energy Potential for All Renewable Energy Resources in the United States, the Portion of Each Available within 10 mi of Federally Recognized Tribal Lands, and Historical 2020 Energy Production, found in the US Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Resources Assessment Information for the United States, March 2022
Researching Types of Energy
Trying to find good places to look for information on your project? Take a look at the links below. Make sure that any information you use is from a credible authoritative website (see the box below for more information on how to do this):
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Energy.govSearch here (or any .gov site) to find information about the benefits and drawbacks of various forms of energy.
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International Energy Agency's Energy System PageThe IEA describes the different types of energy and fuel, describes energy uses, and provides helpful data.
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University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems: EnergyThe University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems has developed since 2001 a growing set of factsheets that cover topics including energy, water, food, waste, buildings, materials, and transportation systems. Check to see how the University of Michigan discusses your energy source.
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U.S. Energy Information AdministrationCheck out Learn About Energy to find simple and authoritative info about the different sources of energy.
Here are some places to look for visual sources of data for your lab.
You can also try searching for your chart/graph/map by remembering this basic Google formula: energy source + topic (if you're investigating something specific) + format. So, for example, you could search for solar power + growth + infographic.
Remember that you will want to evaluate the graph/map/infographic you choose!
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National Renewable Energy Laboratory Data and Tools for Renewable Energy ResourcesNREL, a laboratory from the US Department of Energy has created a number of maps and other tools for different forms of energy. Use this site to to find graphics about your form of energy
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EPA Power ProfilerThis is the EPA website discussing how clean the energy you use is.
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EPA EGRID MapsCheck Out the Maps Available on the Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database website
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Gale eBooksSearch for your energy source and environment to see what you can discover about your energy source.
Using SIFT to Evaluate Websites
The SIFT strategy, designed by Mike Caulfield, is a good way to test the information you find to make sure it is accurate and authoritative. SIFT involves the following steps:
- Stop!
- Investigate the Source
- Find Better Coverage
- Trace claims, quotes, media to the original context
Stop
Before you read the information, ask yourself what you know about the topic (what information would you expect to see?) and the website that published it. What is the website’s mission? What type of information would you expect to see covered? This step is especially important to follow when the headline, image, or lead sentences of an article provoke a strong emotional reaction.
Investigate the Source
Begin by asking if the individual author of your work is an expert in some way. This might include education, life experience, or in the case when the information you find does not have an individual author, looking at the group that takes responsibility for a website. (For example, the Environmental Protection Agency does not generally list individual authors of content on its pages, but given that experts in environmental sciences work there, the information found on its pages can be assumed to be reliable. See their page on clean energy programs as an example.)
If you cannot easily find information about your author on the source you’re using, search for more information using Google or another search engine. Most professional authors will have a website where they list their education, experience, and the focus of their work.
Find Better Coverage
If you are quoting something that might be questionable such as a website that might be biased, or one that doesn’t have a clearly labeled author or corporate author, or one that has information that might be out of date, look for the information you need in a trusted source such as a newspaper, scholarly article, government website, or other place where information is put together by trusted professionals? If so, use that source instead. (If you’re ever hesitant about whether or not your information is too old, speak with your professor about the right date range for your topic.)
Trace claims, quotes, media to the original context
If the source you are evaluating has images, quotations, or claims from other sources, try to find them in their original context. You can follow a citation, search Google for recognizable text, or even right click on an image in order to search Google other places the image might be published. This will help you to determine if your original source is accurately representing the image, claim, or quotation, or if they are not providing truthful information.
Learn More
You can find more about SIFT as a technique for evaluating information on Caulfield's website. You can also look at the COD Library's guide to evaluating information.
Cite
Want some more concrete help with citations? Try the following:
- Google Scholar can create citations for articles. Click the quotation marks below the article information after doing a search.
- COD Library's guide to APA citations
- Purdue OWL's guide to APA citations and paper format
Want software to create citations for you? Check out the database below:
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NoodleTools
NoodleTools allows you to find, organize and store your research citations all in one place. Create complete Works Cited and Bibliographies with the click of a mouse, and keep notes and ideas related to your work all in one place. Available in browser and mobile app.
Create an account with your COD email to access this resource.
