Trends in research approaches and gender in plant ecology dissertations over four decades

<p>Dissertations are a foundational scientific product; they are the formative product that early-career scientists create and share original knowledge. Methodological approaches used in dissertations vary depending on the research field. In plant ecology, these approaches include observations, experiments (field or controlled-environment), literature reviews, theoretical approaches, or analyses of existing data (including 'big data'). This dataset was created to examine how the emphasis on each of these categories has changed over time, and whether male and female authors differ in the methods employed. The dissertations used for this study were gathered from the <em>Proquest Dissertations and Theses Global</em> (<a href="https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal)">https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal</a><a href="https://www.proquest.com/pqdtglobal)">)</a> database.</p>