A Study Guide to Epidemiology and Biostatistics (5th Ed), Richard F. Morton, J. Richard Hebel, and Robert J. McCarter, Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2001. 208 pages, $ 35.00.

A Study Guide to Epidemiology and Biostatistics provides a user-friendly manual for students who are beginners in the field of epidemiology. In addition to providing background material on biostatistics and epidemiology, the book also strives to train students in how to read critically the health sciences literature. The intended audience for this book is quite broad, ranging from undergraduates to medical students, but the book's approach-with heavy emphasis on exercises and self-assessment quizzes-provides-a-welcome opportunity for all students to put their knowledge into practice before proceeding to further chapters. This guide is not designed to stand on its own as an epidemiology textbook, and it does a good job of referring the reader to appropriate readings in other textbooks.

The book's 17 chapters provide information on all of the basics of epidemiology of biostatistics. Sub-topics are kept to a minimum; in fact, most chapters are quite brief (often 4-5 pages). Tables and figures are plentiful and will greatly assist students who are visual learners. One downfall, though, is that many of the examples used in the book are quite old (e.g., publications from the 1950s-1970s). The public health and medical literature is voluminous, and more recent examples would not be difficult to find; in addition, students likely would respond better to more current (and, therefore, relevant to them) examples.

Two unique features of this book are the end-of-chapter exercises and the 3 self-assessment exercises. Each of these tools allows students to do some critical thinking, which will greatly increase their understanding of the subject matter. The 3 self-assessments divide the book into thirds, and students are instructed not to proceed to further into the book until they have received a satisfactory score on each. Another bonus of the book is that students have the option of quizzing themselves on-line, using Aspen Publishers' Web site.

All of the information contained in the book is scientifically and mathematically accurate. The reading style is appropriate, and the authors go out of their way to present concepts simply (a great advantage for math-phobic students). One potential flaw, though, is that no particular concept is explored in great detail. For a lower-level (undergraduate, community college) course, this approach may be fine. Advanced students in public health or medicine may find this book useful as a pre-course primer; however, the requisite depth of information found in a graduate epidemiology course would cause most of this book's content to be covered within just a few lectures.

Now in its 5th edition, A Study Guide to Epidemiology and Biostatistics is a useful resource for students with minimal understanding of epidemiology; certainly, the book should be recommended for some students, particularly undergraduates struggling with these research concepts. For more advanced students, this guide provides a user-friendly review (and clear reading, unlike some other epidemiology texts' muddled prose).