Statistics in a Nutshell

A Desktop Quick Reference

By Sarah Boslaugh, Dr. Paul A. Watters
July 2008
Pages: 476
Series: In a Nutshell
ISBN 10: 0-596-51049-7 | ISBN 13: 9780596510497
Press Release
(3) (Average of 2 Customer Reviews)

Description

Need to learn statistics as part of your job, or looking for help to pass a statistics course? Statistics in a Nutshell is a clear and concise introduction and reference for anyone with no previous background in the subject. You get a firm grasp of the basics before moving into increasingly advanced material. Each chapter presents you with easy-to-follow descriptions illustrated by graphics, formulas, and plenty of solved examples.
Full Description

Need to learn statistics as part of your job, or want some help passing a statistics course? Statistics in a Nutshell is a clear and concise introduction and reference that's perfect for anyone with no previous background in the subject. This book gives you a solid understanding of statistics without being too simple, yet without the numbing complexity of most college texts.

You get a firm grasp of the fundamentals and a hands-on understanding of how to apply them before moving on to the more advanced material that follows. Each chapter presents you with easy-to-follow descriptions illustrated by graphics, formulas, and plenty of solved examples. Before you know it, you'll learn to apply statistical reasoning and statistical techniques, from basic concepts of probability and hypothesis testing to multivariate analysis.

Organized into four distinct sections, Statistics in a Nutshell offers you:

Introductory material:

Different ways to think about statistics
Basic concepts of measurement and probability theory
Data management for statistical analysis
Research design and experimental design
How to critique statistics presented by others

Basic inferential statistics:

Basic concepts of inferential statistics
The concept of correlation, when it is and is not an appropriate measure of association
Dichotomous and categorical data
The distinction between parametric and nonparametric statistics

Advanced inferential techniques:

The General Linear Model
Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and MANOVA
Multiple linear regression

Specialized techniques:

Business and quality improvement statistics
Medical and public health statistics
Educational and psychological statistics

Unlike many introductory books on the subject, Statistics in a Nutshell doesn't omit important material in an effort to dumb it down. And this book is far more practical than most college texts, which tend to over-emphasize calculation without teaching you when and how to apply different statistical tests.

With Statistics in a Nutshell, you learn how to perform most common statistical analyses, and understand statistical techniques presented in research articles. If you need to know how to use a wide range of statistical techniques without getting in over your head, this is the book you want.

Featured customer reviews

Re: Not a "Nutshell" book and riddled with errors, June 29 2009
Submitted by Sarah Boslaugh |

[Respond | View]

We are sorry that Statistics in a Nutshell did not meet your expectations. It is meant to be a handbook for people who need an introduction to the world of statistics or who had a class years ago but need to remind themselves of what they learned. It's not a guide to research design (which is where you would expect to find information about "which test to use when"). The errors have been corrected in a reprint edition which will be available on August 5.

Not a "Nutshell" book and riddled with errors, April 28 2009

Rating:

Submitted by dyoung [Respond | View]

I had high hopes for this book. The world really needs a reference guide for those of us who have had exposure to statistics in college, but often don't remember which tool to turn to (t-test? F-test? Chi-square? a non-parametric test? I don't remember which to use when!). It would have been perfect to provide handy reference tables for which tools to look into in various circumstances, along with the assumptions that must be met to use that tool and a reference to a page number where the tool is briefly explained with some examples. I would have been happy to use this to get me started and then google for more detailed information.

This isn't that book. There are no handy reference tables (of any sort) in this book.

Despite the "Nutshell" title, this book is written as if it is a linear, beginner primer on statistics.
I could be OK with that if it were a good beginner primer on statistics. Instead, the authors seem to assume that "Nutshell" in the title is a license to cut corners in their explanations, leaving the beginning reader confused.

The worst part is that the book is riddled with errors. If you're trying to follow the examples and learn from them, you're never sure if you just don't understand or if this is yet another typo/error. Chapter 8 on t-test is so full of computation errors and typos that I doubt it was ever proof-read.

Excellent stat reference book, March 05 2009

Rating:

Submitted by ueberhund [Respond | View]

While many of the “Nutshell” books assume you already know the subject and simply need a reference book, Statistics In A Nutshell takes a decidedly different approach. While this book assumes you understand basic math concepts, it does not assume you have any prior background in statistics. It then proceeds to cover nearly every fundamental concept taught during an introductory statistics course.

While many introductory statistics courses go through basic descriptive statistics and move through more advanced concepts like ANOVA or liner regression, I found that this book also covered such concepts as non-parametric tests, design of experiments, and the general linear model. Certainly, these concepts are not covered in as much depth as say a college-level courses dedicated to non-parametric statistics. However, the concepts are there, and the authors provide enough information to make the discussion valuable.

The last few sections of the book discuss the use of statistics in a variety of professions, including manufacturing, business, medical, and education fields. Individuals who may not feel comfortable with their math skills can take comfort in the fact that the book provides a section on basic math skills, however, those who may be mathematically challenged may argue with the term “basic”.

All in all, I think this is an excellent book for individuals who are looking to implement the scientific method and statistics in their business. The author provides sound explanations of the concepts and plenty of figures and tables to explain difficult concepts. I’d highly recommend this book for the reader who is not afraid of a little math and wants to understand statistics and statistical concepts.

Read all reviews

Media reviews
"...a book worth having for anyone who must deal with numbers and statistics. The truth is we all deal with numbers and statistics in our everyday lives."
-- Tom Hrach, Memphis PC Users Group, The Bridge, January/February 2009, Volume 25, Number 1

"Statistics in a Nutshell is excellent on presenting analytical methods, and gives details on techniques not well covered in other books. "
-- Jerry Pournelle, Chaos Manor

"...an excellent book that actually delivers more than it promises and would be a worthy desktop addition to anyone who works with statistics on an at least semi-regular basis."
-- Neil Davis, Amazon.co.uk

Read all reviews

See larger cover

"...a book worth having for anyone who must deal with numbers and statistics. The truth is we all deal with numbers and statistics in our everyday lives."
--Tom Hrach, Memphis PC Users Group, The Bridge, January/February 2009, Volume 25, Number 1