Essential Statistics for Bioscientists

Dive into the most common statistical tests and software packages used for scientific data analysis and interpretation.

In Essential Statistics For Bioscientists, experienced university and bioscientist Dr Mohammed Meah delivers easy access to statistical analysis and data presentation. It is a great resource for students in the field of life and health sciences to conceptualize, analyze, and present data. This book uses three popular and commonly used statistics softwares-Microsoft Excel, Graphpad Prism, and SPSS-and offers clear, step-by-step instructions for essential data analysis and graphical/tabular display of data.

Beginning with fundamental statistics terminology and concepts, including data types, descriptive statistics (central and spread of data), exploratory statistics (graphical display) and inferential statistics (hypothesis testing and correlation), the content gradually builds in complexity, explaining which statistical test is best suited and how to perform it.

• A thorough introduction to basic statistical terms and building up to an advanced level of statistical application- ideal for those new to study of statistics
• Extensive application of three popular software packages- Microsoft Excel, Graphpad Prism and SPSS
• Numerous hands-on examples of performing data analysis using Microsoft Excel, Graphpad Prism, and SPSS
• Considers the limitations and errors of statistical analysis
• Essential reading for those designing and planning a research project in Biosciences

Perfect for undergraduate students in the life and health sciences, Essential Statistics For Bioscientists will also earn a place in the libraries of anyone studying medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, pharmacy, and dentistry requiring a refresher or primer on statistical fundamentals.

The book starts from a basic level, explaining the main terms in statistics, and builds in complexity, allowing readers to dip into the areas they are more familiar with. It also shows how to use three of the most common statistics software programs. It does not assume any prior knowledge of statistics. Hence, it is of use to undergraduate and graduate student in biosciences, medicine and health sciences who need to develop an understanding for statistical usage in experiments.

It is not comprehensive in its coverage: the focus is on the most commonly used stats, so that bioscience students gain tools with the most relevant application to their studies.

The reader should be able to answer the following questions from use of this book:
* What is the meaning of statistical terms used to describe central or middle data of a sample ? E.gs mean, mode, median
* What is the meaning of statistical terms used to describe variation in data? E.gs Range, variance, standard deviation
* What is a null and alternative hypothesis?
* What is a significant difference?
* What sort of data do I have? E.g nominal or continuous
* What is my study design?
* What sample size do I need?
* What are the descriptive stats for the sample data?
* Is the sample data normally distributed?
* How do I show my data is normally distributed?
* How do you decide on which statistical test to use?
* How do you do a paired (related groups) t test?
* How do I do a non-parametric test -- e.g. Wilcoxans
* How do you do an unpaired (independant groups) t test?
* How do you do a non-parametric test (e.g. Mann-Whitney)
* How do you do a 1 way Anova (analysis of variance) test?
* How do you do a repeated measures 1 way Anova?
* How do you do 2 way Anova?
* What is correlation and regression?
* How do I use Microsoft Excel software to do statistical analysis?
* How do I use SPSS software to do statistical analysis?
* How do I use Prism software to do statistical analysis?
* How do I plot graphs with error bars?