Introduction 3

Icons Used in This Book

Icons are the little graphics in the margins of this book, and are used to draw your

attention to certain kinds of material. Here’s what they mean:

This icon signals information especially worth keeping in mind. Your main take-

aways from this book should be the material marked with this icon.

We use this icon to flag explanations of technical topics, such as derivations and

computational formulas that you don’t have to know to do biostatistics. They are

included to give you deeper insight into the material.

This icon refers to helpful hints, ideas, shortcuts, and rules of thumb that you can

use to save time or make a task easier. It also highlights different ways of thinking

about a topic or concept.

This icon alerts you to discussion of a controversial topic, a concept that is often

misunderstand, or a pitfall or common mistake to guard against in biostatistics.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the abundance of information and guidance related to using biosta-

tistics for analysis of research data that we provide in this book, you get access to

even more help and information online at Dummies.com. Check out this book’s

online Cheat Sheet. Just go to www.dummies.com and search for “Biostatistics For

Dummies Cheat Sheet.”

Where to Go from Here

You’re already off to a good start! You’ve read this introduction, so you have a

good idea of what this book is all about. For a more detailed list of topics, take a

look at the Contents at a Glance. This drills down into each part and shows you

what each chapter is all about. Finally, skim through the full-blown Table of Con-

tents, which drills further down into each chapter, showing you the headings for

the sections and subsections of that chapter.