How to Do Ecology: A Concise Handbook - Third Edition

by Richard Karban

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

Genres: Science, Ecology, College, Nonfiction

232 pages, Paperback

Published August 1, 2023

Reviews

[phoebe]

required reading for my field ecology lab! could have been so much worse tbh

[Cassy Maart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really helpful textbook about what to expect working in the field of ecology. Also lots of tips on how to write journal articles that I can come back to!

[skylaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

#great and informative i just read the part i should’ve read after i already did my presentation

[Sarah Schaeffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted a better picture of what ecologists do in their everyday work. This book did not disappoint. I'm going to have to reread it multiple times to remember all of the complex technical information it presented, but it was very accessible and I never once felt like I was failing to understand it.

[Juniperus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Required reading from my lab. Glad to be reading this in my first year of grad school. Probably has advice that would be useful to researchers in any field, if you are okay with all of the examples being ecological in nature.