Resources
Guides and reference materials to help you get the most out of your research experience.
Statistical Analysis Guides
Introduction to the statistical tests you'll use most often in ecological research: t-tests, chi-square tests, ANOVA, and regression. Each guide walks through when to use a given test, what assumptions it makes, and how to interpret the output. Includes a decision flowchart for choosing the right test based on your data type and research question.
Coming SoonData Visualization
How to create clear, effective figures and charts for scientific papers. Covers bar charts, scatter plots, box plots, and line graphs with a focus on ecological data. Best practices for axis labels, legends, color choices, and figure captions. Includes examples of common mistakes and how to fix them.
Coming SoonScientific Writing
A practical guide to writing a research paper from scratch. Covers each section—abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion—with concrete advice on what belongs where. Includes common pitfalls in undergraduate scientific writing and strategies for developing a clear, concise academic voice.
Coming SoonUsing R for Ecology
Getting started with R for students who have never programmed before. Covers installing R and RStudio, importing CSV data exported from Borchard Labs simulations, running basic statistical analyses, and creating publication-quality plots with ggplot2. Written for ecologists, not computer scientists.
Coming SoonThesis Writing Guide
Structure and formatting for an undergraduate thesis built around simulation-based research. How to frame your research question in a broader ecological context, build a literature review, present simulation methodology, and turn your results into a coherent argument. Useful for capstone projects and honors theses.
Coming SoonEthics in Research
Responsible conduct of research for undergraduate scientists. Covers data integrity, honest reporting of results, the peer review process, and what it means to be part of a scientific community. Also addresses the ethics of simulation-based research and how it relates to working with live organisms.
Coming SoonMore on the Way
These resources are being developed alongside the simulation platform. Each guide is written with Borchard Labs experiments in mind, so the examples, datasets, and workflows will connect directly to the research you're doing on the platform. If there's a topic you'd like to see covered, let us know.