An Intuitive, Interactive, Introduction to Biostatistics

Reviewed by Andrew McCall, Associate Professor of Biology, Denison University on 6/19/25

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

It is important to note that this text is basic and does not go into theory or many calculations. This is different from many other Biostatistics texts, and the text could serve as an important resource for students who need a broad conceptual understanding of how modern statistics work. In addition, the text is geared towards those who will work as clinicians. The authors clearly point this out in their introduction, but it bears repeating.

Although the scope is limited, this text is good at explaining the essential concepts of statistics. The language is simple and clear, and the figures support the text. I especially liked the clear and detailed description of the interquartile range - students often get confused about what this is, but this text would help with their understanding.

In the online version, there is an appropriate and clear index that you can use to navigate the material. There is no formal glossary, but definitions are highlighted in boxes for each chapter.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

The material is accurate and reflects how modern statistics are used and interpreted.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The text is relevant to modern statistical analysis and covers the basics that do not become obsolete. It appears that additional chapters can be added without much tinkering. For example, practice problems could easily be added at the end of each chapter or embedded in the chapter text.

Clarity rating: 5

This is a great strength of the text. It is easy to understand and is conversational in tone. I can imagine that students or users will find it accessible and engaging. There are clear definitions of jargon in each chapter, as it is impossible not to include some ‘statistics-speak’ when writing such a text.

Consistency rating: 5

Everything is consistent in style and easy to follow.

Modularity rating: 5

The modules are self-contained and there are no large blocks of text. I can imagine that an instructor would have few problems cutting and pasting chapters or sections of chapters into another resource or class assignment. One thing I’m not sure about is whether the embedded exercises could be lifted from the text and put into something like a Google doc or webpage.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

Excellent here.

Interface rating: 5

The interface is simple and understandable to students. The embedded exercises work well online, and the index works well to jump from one section to another.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

I noticed a few spelling mistakes throughout. AI might be able to find these quickly.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally neutral and the examples are not insensitive or offensive. The cases mentioned are very general in which races, ethnicities, and backgrounds are not highlighted and aren't necessary to understand the concepts.

Comments

This is a fine resource for folks beginning to learn statistics and those training to be clinicians. It could be used as a stand-alone text or as a supplement or introduction to more complex topics. The embedded applets are very easy to understand and even fun! Students can actually see statistical inference and estimation in real time, which is much more useful blocks of text. I would use this resource for my course on data analytics to help first-year students understand and apply statistical thinking.

I was especially impressed by the section on clinical trials (3.3) under the ‘Study Design’ chapter/module. I don’t normally teach this material, but it would be very useful for students training to work in healthcare. For example, I wasn’t aware of all of the biases that could be introduced in studies working with human subject data. Because many of my students are on the ‘pre-health’ track, I could easily use this section in my Biostatistics course.

Reviewed by Aylin Marz, Associate Professor, Norfolk State University on 5/31/23

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The book is comprehensive for an introductory biostatistics course in health sciences. The breadth and the depth of the covered topics are appropriate for the upper undergraduate health science students. The book is also comprehensive for a lower undergraduate level course for biology majors or as a supplement to upper undergraduate biology majors laboratory courses.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

There are no issues with the accuracy of descriptions or examples provided within the text.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is basic statistics and therefore will remain relevant for a long time after its publication date of 2023. Any updates on content would include examples and exercises. The book is sufficiently modular for such future updates to occur easily.

Clarity rating: 5

The text is written in a clear and concise manner. There are definitions of the key terminology and concepts provided in separate sections that helps with clarity.

Consistency rating: 5

The text is consistent in its use of terminology, set of examples provided, as well as the organization of ideas and content within each chapter.

Modularity rating: 5

The text is divided into chapters each of which is divided into multiple consecutive sections.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The organization of topics into chapters and sections within each chapter follow a logical order starting with easier concepts and building onto more difficult ones that rely on an understanding of the earlier concepts.

Interface rating: 3

The text part of the book has no interface issues in the online or in the pdf version. Text and figures display properly and are organized well for both online and pdf content. However, the simulation Applet that is embedded in the book and is needed for all Exercises does not work and gives and error message in the online format of the textbook in every exercise in every chapter. The simulation Applet does not pop up in the pdf version so it does not work in that version of the book either. If the issue is a technical one it needs to get fixed. If the issue is lack of guidance on how to make the Applet work, that guidance needs to be provided. The idea of having the simulation exercises is excellent but the current interfaces are not working for this simulation Applet.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The text is culturally neutral.

Comments

This is an excellent book that clearly explains some complex topics in a way that students can understand. The examples are really good and relevant. The simulation Applet (once it is fixed) will provide a wonderful way of experimenting to help students better understand and master the statistics concepts described.