An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R – Supporting Materials

These pages provide all the supplementary materials required to turn the workbook An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R into a practical statistics course for use by individuals and educational establishments. It will take around twelve to fifteen hours to complete, and by the time you have finished it, you will have gained the basic skills required to do your own statistical analysis with R. These materials can also be adapted to create shorter courses by adjusting which exercises are included and how far you work through each one. To go straight to the start of this course, click here.

If you would prefer to complete a more detailed live distance-learning or in-person version of the course that includes a certificate of attendance and completion, and is led by one of the authors of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R, click here to find out when the next one is scheduled.

How Much Does It Cost?

All the videos and other materials provided on these pages are free-to-access, for both individuals and educational establishments. This means this course can be completed either individually or as part of a class. However, you will need to purchase a copy of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R in order to be able to complete it as this book contains all the detailed instructions for the practical exercises that will be done during the course. As a result, we suggest that any educational establishments that use these materials in their classes set this book as a required text. This also helps us because the associated sales of the book give us the necessary funds to allow these supporting materials to be made available, free-of-charge, for everyone.

If you work for an educational establishment and you would like to host these materials on your organisation’s own website so your students can use them as part of in-person, remote-learning or online practical sessions, please click here to find out how you can do this.

Where Can the Workbook be Purchased From?

The ISBN for An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R is 978-1-909832-07-7. The recommended retail price is GBP 22.99, USD: 29.99 and Euro: 27.99. It can be purchased from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, and other local Amazon sites, as well as from all other good bookshops. Alternatively, you can order it directly from us using the options below.


Purchase Options



Wholesalers and retailers can also order this book through the Ingram Content Group, and bulk orders can be arranged directly with the publishers by emailing info@pictishbeastpublications.com.

Introduction To The On-demand Online Course

Overview: This section provides you with information on how this course works, background information about what R is and how it works, and how to download and install both R and RStudio (which is a third-party interface that makes R easier to use). It also provides links to the five sessions which make up this on-demand online course based on the exercises provided in An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. Duration: This introduction will take approximately one hour to complete (including downloading and installing both R and RStudio.

Part One – How Does This Course Work?

This video provides an introduction to how the course works, including an introduction to the instructions for the practical exercises provided in An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. If you cannot see the video in the space below, click here to open a pop-out video viewer for it. Running Time: 6 minutes 6 seconds.



Part Two – What is R and How Does it Work?

This video provides an introduction to R, including what it is, where you can download it from, how you can use it, the structure of R code and the special terms you need to know to be able to use it. It is based on the information in Chapters One and Two of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. If you cannot see the video in the space below, click here to open a pop-out video viewer for it. Running Time: 7 minutes 24 seconds.



Part Three – How to Download and Install R and RStudio

This video provides information on how to download and install both R and RStudio. It is based on the information in Chapter Two of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R. If you cannot see the video in the space below, click here to open a pop-out video viewer for it. Once you have watched this video, you should read Chapter Two for more information about both packages, including how to use them. Running Time: 3 minutes 52 seconds.



Part Four – Links to the Five Practical Sessions that Make Up this Course

Once you have watched the above introductory videos and read the recommended sections of An Introduction to Basic Statistics for Biologists using R, you can move on to the practical exercises in this on-demand online course. These are divided into are five sessions, one based on each of the five chapter in the book, which contain the instructions for practical exercises (Chapters Three to Seven). Links to each of these sessions are provided below.

  1. Session One – Preparing Biological Data for Statistical Analysis using R: This session will take approximately two hours to complete. You can access it by clicking here.
  2. Session Two – Creating Graphs from Biological Data using R: This session will take around two to three hours to complete. You can access it by clicking here.
  3. Session Three – Assessing and Transforming the Distribution of Biological Data using R: This session will take approximately two hours to complete. You can access it by clicking here.
  4. Session Four – Using Statistical Analysis to Compare Data from Different Groups in R: This session will take around three to four hours to complete. You can access it by clicking here.
  5. Session Five – Using Correlations and Regressions to Analyse Biological Data in R: This session will take around two to three hours to complete. You can access it by clicking here.