Biomeasurement

Description

A refreshing, student-focused introduction to the use of statistics in the study of the biosciences. Emphasising why statistical techniques are essential tools for bioscientists, Biomeasurement removes the stigma attached to statistics by giving students the confidence to use key techniques for themselves.

• The introductory biological statistics text with the best online resources and software support for bioscience students needing to integrate statistics into their studies and apply it in their research.
• Explains why statistics are needed, how to choose and carry out statistical analyses, and how their results can be interpreted.
• Focuses on the application of statistics as a valuable research tool, avoiding detailed treatment of the mathematical basis of statistics.
• Emphasises explanations so that students are guided through the key concepts and techniques in a steady, progressive way.
• Enables students to build confidence in handling actual data through the use of real data sets.
• Illustrates the use of the techniques in published research work through 'Literature Links', which highlight the importance of statistics in real-world science and demonstrate how to report results in a professional manner.
• The book comes with a strong suite of accompanying online resouces for students and teachers including helpsheets and screencasts for using SPSS and R, as well as data sets, and interactive calculation sheets

New to this edition

• New sections giving guidance on sample size choices and thei consequences
• An additional 'Choosing Chart' for graphs to help explore and communicate data
• A new checklist for reporting results in tables and figures
• Fuller treatment of frequency data and their handling in chi-square tests using SPSS
• Expanded online support for R and SPSS, including additional example datasets

About the Author(s)

Dawn Hawkins, Reader, Department of Life Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University

Dr Dawn Hawkins is Reader in the School of Life Sciences at Anglia Ruskin University. She has over 20 years' experience in curriculum development and teaching whole organism biology and statistics in higher education. Her textbook is based on the quantitative modules that she teaches to undergraduate and postgraduate bioscientists. As well as the use of statistics in the biosciences, her research interests also include the behaviour, ecology and conservation of animals in East African ecosystems.

Table of Contents

1:Why am I reading this book?
2:Getting to grips with the basics
3:Describing a single sample
4:Inferring and estimating
5:Choosing the right test and graph
6:Overview of null hypothesis significance testing
7:Tests on frequencies
8:Tests of difference: two unrelated samples
9:Tests of difference: two related samples
10:Tests of difference: more than two samples
11:Tests of relationship: regression
12:Tests of relationship: correlation
13:Introducing the generalized linear model: general linear model
14:More on the generalized linear model: logistic and loglinear models
Appendix I How to enter data into SPSS
Appendix II Statistical tables of critical values
Appendix III Summary guidance on reporting statistical results
Appendix IV Statistics and experimental design

Reviews

"Review from previous edition Biomeasurement does a wonderful job of keeping the biology the focus of analysis, and highlighting the fact that statistics is simply another useful tool to help biological understanding." - Dr Shane Richards, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, University of Durham, UK

"This book represents the best I have seen for teaching undergraduate biologists statistics." - Dr Chris Venditti, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, UK

"It demystifies and clarifies topics that students can normally find confusing and challenging. It is a must for biologists!" - Dr Maria G. Tuohy, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway

"This book was a blessing when I got it for my first year, and I'm still finding it helpful in my second year! It is so easy to navigate; you can read it cover to cover if you are very confused, or just dip into the topics you need. I would definitely recommend it to any students doing a bioscience degree which involves statistical elements." - Bethany Richmond, student at the University of Warwick

"As a student with limited mathematical ability, new to statistics who believed I would not be able to pass this module, I read this book chapter by chapter prior to my weekly lectures and everything fell into place without a struggle. A 100% necessary purchase. A 100% necessary read. The book is appealing and very easy to navigate. I have tried to read other statistics books aimed at beginners but this was the only book which I clearly understood." - Julie Carter, student at Anglia Ruskin University

Additional Resources

Digital formats and resources

Biomeasurement is supported by online resources and is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats.

The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks
The online resources to accompany the book include:

For students:

· Screencast walkthroughs for SPSS and R.
· Online glossary and flashcard glossary.
· Data sets, for use in statistical analysis software packages.
· Help sheets offering concise guidance on key techniques and the use of statistical analysis software packages.
· Interactive calculation sheets to help students carry out key statistical tests quickly and easily in Excel, without the need for other software.
· Full-text versions of Literature Link articles from OUP Journals.

For registered adopters of the book:

· Additional exercises, to supplement those in the book, and suggested tutorial assignments.
· Figures from the book, available for download.
· PowerPoint presentation outlines for each chapter.