A movement ecology paradigm is proposed to unify organismal movement research. Movement is fundamental to life, influencing ecosystems and human activities. Despite advances in movement research, a general unifying framework is lacking. This article introduces a conceptual framework integrating movement mechanisms, processes, and empirical studies to study movement across all organisms. The framework considers four components: internal state (why move?), motion capacity (how to move?), navigation capacity (when and where to move?), and external factors. It aims to unify movement studies, complement existing paradigms, and provide a basis for hypothesis generation. Recent advances in tracking technology enable high-resolution movement data, but challenges remain in analyzing these data. The framework addresses four key questions: why move, how to move, when and where to move, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of movement. It also highlights the need to understand the interplay between movement mechanisms and environmental factors. The framework is applied to various movement types, including foraging, migration, and dispersal. It integrates biomechanical, cognitive, random, and optimality paradigms. The framework provides a theoretical basis for studying movement, linking movement patterns to underlying processes. It also addresses the need for interdisciplinary approaches to movement research, combining biomechanics, cognition, and ecology. The framework aims to unify movement research, providing a comprehensive understanding of movement patterns and their ecological and evolutionary significance. It also highlights the importance of considering movement in ecological and evolutionary contexts, and the need for further research to address gaps in understanding movement mechanisms and their consequences. The framework is expected to facilitate the development of new methods and tools for studying movement, and to contribute to the broader understanding of movement in ecological and evolutionary contexts.A movement ecology paradigm is proposed to unify organismal movement research. Movement is fundamental to life, influencing ecosystems and human activities. Despite advances in movement research, a general unifying framework is lacking. This article introduces a conceptual framework integrating movement mechanisms, processes, and empirical studies to study movement across all organisms. The framework considers four components: internal state (why move?), motion capacity (how to move?), navigation capacity (when and where to move?), and external factors. It aims to unify movement studies, complement existing paradigms, and provide a basis for hypothesis generation. Recent advances in tracking technology enable high-resolution movement data, but challenges remain in analyzing these data. The framework addresses four key questions: why move, how to move, when and where to move, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of movement. It also highlights the need to understand the interplay between movement mechanisms and environmental factors. The framework is applied to various movement types, including foraging, migration, and dispersal. It integrates biomechanical, cognitive, random, and optimality paradigms. The framework provides a theoretical basis for studying movement, linking movement patterns to underlying processes. It also addresses the need for interdisciplinary approaches to movement research, combining biomechanics, cognition, and ecology. The framework aims to unify movement research, providing a comprehensive understanding of movement patterns and their ecological and evolutionary significance. It also highlights the importance of considering movement in ecological and evolutionary contexts, and the need for further research to address gaps in understanding movement mechanisms and their consequences. The framework is expected to facilitate the development of new methods and tools for studying movement, and to contribute to the broader understanding of movement in ecological and evolutionary contexts.