Research and Academia Books

very very good. Very good for class. Thorough information. Useful.

A book that helps students make sense of research methods. The book uses clear examples, summary tables, end-of-chapter glossaries that define key terms and explain the relationships between terms, and a very simple writing style. In addition, students and professors can access free computerized tutorials as well as web pages for each chapter by going to the book's home page at http://spsp.clarion.edu/RDE3/Start/RDE3start.html

So you want to learn how to set up a psychological inquiry but you don't exactly know how to go about it? Well, this book is pretty good at helping you along. It takes the time to walk you through the "do" and the "don't" that comes with gathering useful data, and it actually keeps a pace that isn't too slow and it isn't to fast, and it doesn't make drastic leaps and expect you to keep up. It actually starts a ground level, showcasing what is good and what isn't when it comes to research topics, and sets in motion a process that walks you through the objects an experiment should set out to achieve. This expands as the book focuses, and walks you through Set-Up Chapters 1-5), Simple Experiments (Chapter 6, Multiple-Group Experiments (Chapter 7), Factorial Designs (Chapter 8), Within-Subjects Designs (Chapter 9), how to read and evaluate your data, and how to pull it all together and write your research proposal/ reports.

The book itself is very user friendly, and it takes a lot of the sting out of statistics. Too often a book is written from a point of view that reads like an archaic tome, and too often people are frightened by it and chased off by the thoughts dry literature attempts to express. That's why I like this book, because it takes ideas and boils them down to a simplistic form, allowing a person that really doesn't understand the subject to walk with the author as the experiments build. That isn't to say that all the processes are without fault, mind you, because a lot of experimentation leads to hitting brick walls and readjusting your trajectory so you can succeed. The book tries to teach you ways to keep from doing that, however, much like a driver's manual tries to show you the road before you hit the highway.

If you're looking into the subject, its good stuff and would explain alot of the statistics you get hit with everyday. If you're looking at it as a student, it can teach you about generating concepts. Note that you should be using it should in collaboration with a statistics package (I'm currently using SPSS to gather my empirical data, but the program used isn't as important as having one so you can understand how factors actually "plug in") and the APA manual (5th edition, currently) if you're doing a project or simply want to know how to draft a proposal.
Ah, the joys of scientific postulation.

the order matched the product description perfectly and i got my book in 2 days as promised. i was left extremely satisfied with my purchase.

This text is easy to read, easy to understand and therefore not intimidating as far as Stats Texbooks go.

This book is a good but it truly does not cover biostatistics as well as Clinical Epidemiology by Fletcher or Designing Clinical Research by Stephen Hulley. I think that the other two books are a better buy for your buck. This book is well written but very specific in whom it will appeal to--namely those users who need assistance in the use of the computerized statistical packages.

The book was brand new and arrived very promptly! The only thing I would caution you when buying this book, is that is does NOT include the CD with it...so research a little further before purchasing. Overall, great experience and a great book!

This book really helped to simplify much of the statistical information that I received in class. I warn that some chapters are more digestible than others but overall it is a good book for someone who is likely to struggle in a statistics class.

If you're just starting your doctoral work and are terrified, buy this book. If you're already writing your dissertation and are stalled, buy this book. If you're a thesis advisor seeking to add another work to the canon on dissertation writing, buy this book. Joan Bolker has a ton of experience working with students; she has seen it all. Her tone combines "C'mon don't be a wuss, you can DO this," with the caring concern of any good mum. She gives the reader tips for working through all the worst possible moments of thesis writing and she covers a range of topics not specifically related to the writing but to all the other considerations: choosing your committee and then working with them; dealing with interruptions; life after the disseration, and more. I particularly like the chapter entitled "The Best Dissertation is a Done Dissertation." I think this is a terrific book.

When iread this book,i really enjoyed it especially if you are planning to start your thesis and the instructions r very clear and short.

Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis

I give this book as a gift to each of my new PhD students because my experience is that the students simply don't understand the process. I came upon it a couple years ago, and the feedback from the students has been overwhelmingly positive. I haven't personally read it, but the students (who, after all, are the ones it is aimed at), recommend it highly.

If you are interested in a personal novel this may be the choice for you. I found the content disorganized, the content not as useful as A Dissertation Journey/Roberts. My agenda was looking for help in organizing my ideas, my sources, my paper prep. I was also hoping for some guidance in how to use school resourses (people) for guidance in my thesis. This book, Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen... was not for me.This is what I recommend (based on my agenda): The Dissertation Journey: A Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Planning, Writing, and Defending Your Dissertation

This book will not help advanced students of statistics, but then, advanced students of statistics would not need to read a book entitled "Statistics for the Terrified." For people who truly panic when they see terms like "ANOVA" or "chi-square," this book will come in handy. The book explains basic statistics concepts in easy-to-understand language.

In this small book the author managed to explain statistical concepts in the way that no other book that I looked at could do on hundreds of pages. You will definitely learn a great deal of statistics. The author does not overwhelm, is consistent with his presentation, and EXPLAINS. That final touch, simple explanation (in the language anyone can understand) is what's missing from all other books.

Great choice and don't worry about the typos. When was the last time you picked a perfectly edited book?

this is a fabulous book for non-mathematicians - if you are working working on a PhD in physics or mathematics then you will not need it but if you are business school major who want to try out little un-authenticated statistics then try this book - I am serious this is a easy to read book - it does not go into details but skims the tops extremely well and we know that the cream is in the top (lol)

For those of us with mathmatical weakness, an understandable work on basic statistical methods is a godsend. Having found myself in a graduate level econometrics course, Statistics For the Terrified is rarely out of reach. All too often statstics manuals, texts and instructors speak in tounges not always understood by the uninformed. However, Stats for the Terrified allows the reader to look up concepts and terminolgy and actually understand the explanations. The authors use few formulas to explain concepts, and when mathmatical equations are a necessity, the methods are explained in such a way that the Greek symbols and letters make sense. Indeed, regardless of field, Statistics for the Terrified is helpful in any work which requires statistical anaylysis.

I have taught a basic statistics class at the college level nearly twenty times. Since the students who take the class range from the math major to the nursing and psychology majors, I have seen a great deal of math anxiety. However, I cannot say that I have ever seen a student terrified. Anxious, yes, terrified no. Therefore, when I cracked open this book, my presupposition was that the title is overstated for effect.
That opinion was not changed as I read through the book. It covers all of the topics one considers essential to basic statistics, and to do statistics, one must be able to handle mathematical formulas. The authors place a great deal of emphasis on the fact that mathematical formulas are abbreviations. This is essential to understanding them, as at times mathematics is a very compact language.
While there is a bit more light-heartedness in this book than in other statistics books, I really do not see where it will relax the severely anxious student. In the end, the greatest hurdle to being able to do statistics is realizing that it is a hurdle that can be leapt over. No amount of cutesy dialog or cartoons can substitute for clear explanations of what the symbols mean. Some of my non-traditional students have told me that they find barely relevant cartoons to be a distraction at best and an annoyance at worst. I have no plans to adopt this book as a textbook or ever recommend it for self-study. The explanations are too brief and there are not enough worked examples.

This is a book that was written in response to the initial flurry of "unlimited horizon" books about the possibilities of genetic engineering. I had read about 3 of them with increasing boredom, and was delighted to find one that actually took a more critical attitude than bland techno-boosterism. It is about the investment community, the drug approval process, and the difficulties of harnessing basic science for profit.

As such, it is a very useful book, though certainly has been superceded by others in the field.

This was the first time I used Amazon to buy my textbooks. A picture of the 9th editions was advertised. When I received the book it was the 8th ediiton. I was under the impression I was recieving the correct item.

The book was in great shape. There were no missing pages and the cover was all shinny, like brand new.

Most books on quantitative psychology are long and overly technical. This one seems to explain the math gently and without disregarding the contextual explanations of how empirical research is done. Also, the authors are very conscious of the limitations of science and avoid, quite successfully, giving the impression that numbers always reflect reality. If you want to be able to understand those cryptic studies that appear in scientific journals, get this book! It also has several good references for obtaining more information while performing empirically based research, yourself.