The essential insider’s guide for ecologists at all career stages—now completely updated and expanded Most books and courses in ecology focus on facts and concepts but do little to explain the process of research. How to Do Ecology provides nuts-and-bolts advice for organizing and conducting a successful research program. This fully updated and expanded edition explains how to ask and answer your own research questions using compelling study design and appropriate stats. Ecology doesn’t take place exclusively outdoors, so the book shares invaluable insights on topics such as identifying your goals, developing professional relationships, reading efficiently, and organizing a field season. Because the currency in ecology is publications, it also suggests effective ways to communicate your ideas through journal articles, oral presentations, posters, and grant proposals. This incisive handbook makes explicit many of the unstated rules that ecologists follow and serves as a practical resource for meaningful conversations about ecology. This new edition includes: Expanded emphasis on collecting and interpreting observational data An innovative new workshop for generating and evaluating creative research questions Helpful tips on developing the skills most important to students, navigating your career path, writing efficiently, and more

Most books and courses in ecology cover facts and concepts but don't explain how to actually do ecological research. "How to Do Ecology" provides nuts-and-bolts advice on organizing and conducting a successful research program. This one-of-a-kind book explains how to choose a research question and answer it through manipulative experiments and systematic observations. Because science is a social endeavor, the book provides strategies for working with other people, including professors and collaborators. It suggests effective ways to communicate your findings in the form of journal articles, oral presentations, posters, and grant and research proposals. The book also includes ideas to help you identify your goals, organize a season of fieldwork, and deal with negative results. In short, it makes explicit many of the unspoken assumptions behind doing good research in ecology and provides an invaluable resource for meaningful conversations between ecologists.

This second edition of "How to Do Ecology" features new sections on conducting and analyzing observational surveys, job hunting, and becoming a more creative researcher, as well as updated sections on statistical analyses.