Biomeasurement

Statistical analysis allows us to attach meaning to data that we have collected; it helps us to understand what experimental results really mean, and to assess whether we can trust what experiments seem to be telling us. Yet, despite being a collection of the most valuable and important tools available to bioscientists, statistics is often the aspect of study most feared by students.Biomeasurement offers a refreshing, student-focused introduction to the use of statistics in the study of the biosciences. With an emphasis on why statistical techniques are essential tools for bioscientists, the book develops students’ confidence to use and further explore the key techniques for themselves.Beginning by placing the role of data analysis in the context of the wider scientific method and introducing the student to the key terms and concepts common to all statistical tools, the book then guides the student through descriptive statistics, and on to inferential statistics, explaining how and why each type of technique is used, and what each can tell us in order to better understand our data. It goes on to present the key statistical tests, walking the student step-wise through the use of each, with carefully-integrated examples and plentiful opportunities for hands-on practice. The book closes with an overview of choosing the right test to suit your data, and tools for presenting data and their statistical analyses.Written by a talented educator, whose teaching has won praise from the UK’s Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, Biomeasurement is sure to engage even the most wary of students, demonstrating the power and importance of statistics throughout the study of bioscience.The eBook offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features and links that offer extra learning support: Find the eBook on VitalSource.Key FeaturesIncludes the best online resources and software support for bioscience students needing to integrate statistics into their studies and apply it in their researchExplains 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 statisticsEmphasises explanations so that students are guided through the key concepts and techniques in a steady, progressive wayEnables students to build confidence in handling actual data through the use of real datasetsIllustrates 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 mannerComes with a strong suite of accompanying online resources for students and teachers including helpsheets and screencasts for using SPSS and R, as well as datasets, and interactive calculation sheets.New to This EditionNew sections giving guidance on sample size choices and their consequencesAn additional ‘Choosing Chart’ for graphs to help explore and communicate dataA new checklist for reporting results in tables and figuresFuller treatment of frequency data and their handling in chi-square tests using SPSSExpanded online support for R and SPSS, including additional example datasets.

Author Biography

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.