Product Description

The first edition of this excellent handbook was extremely well received by both students and lecturers alike. It has helped to simplify the often complex and difficult task of choosing and using the right statistics package.

This is a book for any student or professional biologist who wants to process data using a statistical package on the computer, to select appropriate methods, and extract the important information from the often confusing output that is produced. It is aimed primarily at undergraduates and masters students in the biological sciences who have to apply statistics in practical classes and projects. Such users of statistics do not have to understand either how tests work or how to do the calculations, and these aspects are not covered in the book.

The new edition has been updated to cover the very latest versions of the computer packages described, expanded to include coverage for logistic regression, a more detailed consideration of multivariate analysis, data exploration and further examples of Principle Component Analysis and Discriminate Function Analysis are given.

• New edition will use SPSS 10.0, Minitab 13.1 and Excel 2000.
  
• New simplified version of the Key and flow chart of decisions to reach simple statistical tests.
  
• Section on multivariate techniques expanded to give further examples of PCA and DFA.
  
• Aimed at students using statistics for projects and in practical classes.
  
• Statistical jargon explained through an extensive glossary and key to symbols.
  
• Stresses the importance of experimental design, measurement of data and interpretation of results rather than an understanding of the statistical tests themselves.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47692 in Books
• Published on: 2003-01-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 264 pages

Review
" A student affordable recommended purchase with no equation in sight!" Microbiology Today, Feb 2000

"It would be an interesting experiment (with appropriate statistical tests of course), to see how often a lab copy was used by researchers and academic staff. I suspect it would be rather frequently and with good reason!" Biologist Vol 46 No 4

"In summary, an excellent text with a refreshing viewpoint." TecNews, May 1999

"A valuable handbook for all biologists completing statistical analysis." Sherkin Comment, October 2000

"The first edition of this excellent handbook was extremely well received by both students and lecturers alike. It has helped to simplify the often complex and difficult task of choosing and using the right statistics package. This is a book for any student or professional biologist who wants to process data using a statistical package on the computer, to select appropriate methods and extract the important information from the often confusing output that is produced...The new edition has been updated to cover the very latest versions of the computer packages described, expanded to include coverage for logistic regression, a more detailed considration of multivariate analysis, data exploration and further examples of Principle Component Analysis and Discriminate Function Analysis are given." Ethology, Ecology and Evolution, Volume 15, No 3, September 2003

TecNews, May 1999
In summary, an excellent text with a refreshing viewpoint.

Sherkin Comment, October 2000
A valuable handbook for all biologists completing statistical analysis.

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended.
I became interested in this book when I was an undergraduate because all the PhD students were using it for their work. I soon found out why. More and more science departments across the land are requiring their undergraduates to learn statistics and as a result more and more books on the subject are appearing. This book raises itself from the pack by explain the basic concepts of statistics very well and relating them with useful examples. Consequently it is extremely handy for Biologists like myself who lack a background in mathematics but have to use it all the time to help justify results.

The statistics mystery resolved in one little book.
The check list at the start helps you to decide which test is right to use, something that has always been a problem for non-statisticians. The book then easily takes you through the steps necessary for completing the test, but also, the best bit, it tells you how to do it on a number of stats computer programmes, which if you have access to, saves you gallons of time- fantastic- statistics was a mystery until finding this book.

Great 'Biologist-proof' guide!
Absolutely agree with the review above - This was recomended by Plymouth Uni as the top 'Must Have' book for all things stats.
More detail (if that's your thing!) can be found elswhere, but this book tied all those lectures and other reference books together as to why something is used when it is.

Thank you Mr Dytham!