"Sixteen chapters, interspersed with extremely useful, detailed examples of thesis research, describe clearly and comprehensively the intellectual, practical, and societal milieu in which ecological research is conducted."

--Choice

A strikingly original treatise encompassing nearly the entire scope of the creative scientific process...This broad and erudite text will benefit anyone involved in ecological research faced with the problem of devising testable and meaningful research questions...this is not a book that should be kept on the shelf; rather it should be owned, read thoroughly, discussed, and consulted frequently by every graduate student and ecological researcher...should be required reading by anyone planning an ecological research project, or planning to advise one."

--Ecology

"If I could slip one book through a time warp, back to the 1970s when I was first trying to 'do' science, this would be the one...Curious minds will find no better use for $50...This book is simply a clear and readable exposition on the nature of science and research and how one can join the wonderful search for knowledge."

--Forest Science

Cambridge University Press Web Site, October, 2002

Scientists tend to take the thought processes that drive their research for granted, often learning them indirectly by observing their supervisors and colleagues. This book emphasizes the advantages of being explicit about these thought processes and aims to help those undertaking ecological research to develop a critical attitude to approaching a scientific problem and constructing a procedure for assessment. The outcome is a text that provides a framework for understanding methodological issues and which assists with the effective definition and planning of ecological research. As such, it represents a unique resource for anyone embarking on their research career. It also provides a valuable source of information for those more experienced researchers who are seeking to strengthen the methodology underlying their studies or who have an interest in the analysis of research methods in ecology.

Preface
Acknowledgements

1. Component processes of ecological research

Part I. Developing an Analytical Framework:

2. Five processes of research planning
3. Conceptual and propositional analysis for defining research problems
4. Development of a research plan
5. How theories develop and how to use them
6. The art of measurement and experiment
7. Methods of reasoning in research
8. Assessment of postulates
9. Individual philosophies and their methods

Part II. Making a Synthesis for Scientific Inference:

10. Properties and domains of ecological concepts
11. Strategies of scientific research in ecology
12. Use of mathematical models for constructing explanations in ecology

Part III. Working in the Research Community:

13. Scientific research as a social process
14. Values and standpoints and their influence on research

Part IV. Defining a Methodology for Ecological Research:

15. The methodology of progressive synthesis
16. Criticisms and improvements for the scientific method in ecology

Appendix for instructors
Glossary
List of references
Author index
Subject index.