This book is about doing research, not about the results obtained. Those engaged on their first research may have had plenty of preparation about the techniques and results of prior research related to their proposed study, but may have limited knowledge of the actual strategies employed or pitfalls encountered by others who have conducted successful field and survey studies. In this book, a number of researchers with experience of working on problems including environmental stresses, population genetics, parasitic vectors and vital records describe obstacles encountered and successful strategies used in their own studies and in those of others. One learns to do research by trial and error, but accounts by experienced investigators can supplement what one learns from mentors and fellow students.
