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Basic method of medical research, A. Indrayan (AITBS Publishers, New Delhi) 2006. 367 pages. Price: Rs.225/ISBN 81-7473-335-3
Research is being given increasing emphasis at University postgraduated course, and also in many service organization. In the field of health also, research is encouraged and actively promoted by several medical and health institutions for creating evidence-base for health practice. Students in postgraduate medical, nursing or allied paramedical courses invariably are required to carry out a research project and submit their thesis or dissertation. Therefore, there is a great need to provide guidance and support to the researchers in basic research methods.
Many books have appeared in print over the past decade on Research Methods, especially in the field of health, and catering to a variety of health practitioners and students. The present book is a relatively short book with 376 pages, including 57 pages of glossary and index. There are 11 chapters, beginning with steps in the research process and ending with presentation of results. Except for a couple of chapters, the book deals essentially with biostatistical methods, both descriptive and inferential. According to the author, an attempt is made to provide the reader with a very "comprehensive" view of the subject, using a conversational style. While interesting , this can be rather difficult for someone not very fluent in English to cull out the essence from a lot of explanations. Further, the author uses a rather unconventional approach in introducing biostatistical concepts into research methodology, which are not always logical or step-wise. The boxes in each chapter are...