Research Process

Introduction:
The words "endangered species" means any specie, plant or animal, that is in immediate danger of becoming extinct. These species are included in "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species", which is maintained by the World Conservation Union, and is updated every four years. According to the red list, there are approximately 7,850 animal species around the world that are considered either critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable to extinction. The protection of these species and their habitats is crucial to their survival. In this pathfinder, I will research endangered species, causes for their endangerment, and ways in which we can protect these species and their habitats, before they become extinct.


Topic Analysis:

Academic disciplines: environmental studies, natural resources, wildlife preservation

Library of Congress Classification: SF for animal cultures, QH for natural history, QL for zoology.

Useful Keywords and Subject Headings: Endangered species, threatened species, world wildlife foundation, exctinct species, natural resource preservation, wildlife protection, rare species, endangered species list, save endangered species, poaching, extinct species, illegal hunting, wildlife conservation, conservation efforts, threatened species.

Most Important Databases: Internet Public Library, Public Site Search, ProQuest, Google Advanced Search.

Identifying Keywords and Subject Headings: I began only searching the keywords endangered species, and then began branching off from there. Some of the most helpful keywords I used were endangered species, threatened species, save endangered species, and wildlife conservation. These keywords led me to a large number of organizations that focus on saving endangered species. Organizations such as the World Wildlife Foundation seem to be the most interested in protecting endangered species. When I searched for the endangered species list, it was much harder to find, and much more detailed than I thought. The list is very extensive, and there are many levels of status for species, from extinct to least concern.


My Research Process:
Searching the same keywords on different databases brought up a large variety of information. For example, the key phrase "save endangered species" would bring up a large number of web sites or articles on one database, and would bring up very little on another database. I used these keywords and key phrases in different combinations on different databases to find information on my topic. The only real challenge I ran in to was the fact that I did not find as many books about protecting endangered species as I did articles, journals and web sites.

This is a topic that is mostly researched by environmentalists, natural resource specialists, and organizations who’s main goal is to help protect endangered species, and educate the public about these species. This is an on-going topic, because the status of all animal species are constantly changing. Some species are closer to extinction, some are thriving, and some remain about the same in population. Because of this, I was able to find older information as well as current information on endangered species and how to protect them and their habitats.

When I began this project, I thought that most of my information would come from articles about specific animals, and stories about their endangerment. As I have discovered, there are far too many different individual stories to sort through. It is better to research endangered species as a whole, and what can be done to help protect them. Also, I thought I would be able to find a lot of statistical information about these species, but I realized that because there are so many of these endangered species around the world, that was going to be very hard to do. I could search for a list of endangered species in Washington state only, or the United states only, or any other country only, but even these lists are huge. And since I am researching this topic on a global level, it is easier to search the idea of "endangered species" itself. Luckily, I found the IUCN Red List website, with the most current list of the world’s endangered species.

Using the internet as a resource helped me research my topic tremendously. I was able to find not only web sites, but articles from magazines and periodicals, and even streaming video programs about certain endangered species. At the Wenatchee Valley College library, I found not nearly as many books about endangered species as I thought I would. Because of this, the periodical database at the library and the internet at home helped me out a lot.