Experimental Design for the Life Sciences

Wow, what a beautifully written, humorous and interesting book!Considering the topic, I was expecting something much drier- and indeed I have attempted to read much drier books on similar topics. It reads a bit like a philosophical book as well- analysing the logical thought process behind the conception and design of an experiment.I would recommend this book to anyone, to expand your general knowledge and thinking on all things science, and properly appreciate the effort as well as the limitations behind designing an experiment.

I found this very informative and well-written .I read it straight through as I wanted an overview of the subject to prepare for a course but you could dip in and out easily; it's very well laid out, with clear headings, subheadings, examples and boxed definitions in the margins.If you're at all awed by the topic of experimental design this book will cut it down to size for you.

A must for those dealing with data from biological systems. Etc., etc., etc., etc.,etc., etc. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and so forth.

I needed this for part of my coursework in Uni, as we were having discussion sessions based on it, and I think it is very good quality and outlines important things to consider when designing an experiment. Only down side is that it tends to drag on when explaining a concept - so there are lots of words to read around in order to get a pretty simple explanation - but I suppose if you didn't understand the definition, then the multiple examples given afterwards are helpful.

Arrived on time & in perfect condition due to considerate packaging. It explains the concepts of experimental design in clear, plain English. I would recommend this for life science students.

I like this book because unlike others it does not focus on the statistics of experimental design,instead its easy to read and understand.

I really liked this book.It's easy to read, and can be read at leisure (I find it hard to concentrate on some text books). Its quite small, making it attainable to read the whole book, and it will improve the way you approach experimental design.I'm a PhD student, so have designed a few experiments in the past. This book really pin points what you should be thinking about and why in a clear concise way. Its good at emphasising why you should take time to do certain things, and also what you should do if those things just aren't feasible. It also gives examples to illustrate points.Is it essential? Probably not. I'm sure most people in science are aware of the key concepts, but this book reminds you of them, which is important.Is it helpful? Definitely. It helps focus all the things you know about, but don't quite have a full grasp on.Will it help you design better experiments? I'd say yes, and if, for whatever reason, you can't follow its advice, it will prepare you for the types of criticism you will face.Who is it best suited for? I'd say people doing a life science degree, master's course or beginning a PhD could benefit from this book.

a short and basic introduction to experimental design. it does not talk about cross-sectional/longitudinal studies and other speciifc issues but it gives a good reference list