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PhD · Pharmacology

Pharmacology — PhD reading list.

The advanced references a doctoral scholar in Pharmacology works from, and what each one is for.

All 22 subjects
8Titles listed
5Worked right through
3–6 yrsProgramme length
12Coursework credits
The subject

Pharmacology as a research subject

ScopeExperimental and clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, toxicology, pharmacogenomics, pharmacovigilance, clinical trials methodology and drug repurposing.
Who can registerMD Pharmacology, MSc Medical Pharmacology, MPharm (Pharmacology), MBBS, MSc life sciences, PharmD.
How you get inEither the fellowship route — CSIR-UGC NET, ICMR, DBT-BET, DST-INSPIRE — straight to interview, or the institute entrance test, half research methodology and half pharmacology.
CourseworkOne semester, at least 12 credits: research methodology and biostatistics, plus Research and Publication Ethics, before the research phase proper begins.
How this list is used

Reading for Pharmacology

Goodman & Gilman is the volume a pharmacology scholar is expected to have read properly rather than consulted, and it is where the guide will send you when a drug-class question comes up in the comprehensive. Rang & Dale and Katzung carry the day-to-day course work, Golan supplies the pathophysiology framing that a mechanism-based thesis needs, and KD Tripathi is the copy used for the MBBS teaching the scholar is simultaneously doing. Experimental work is governed by the methods volumes: Vogel decides the assay design and the animal model, and Kulkarni is what the actual protocol and dose calculations are written from before the IAEC file goes in. Meyler's is the department reference pulled off the shelf for adverse-reaction and interaction data in any pharmacovigilance or safety chapter.

Titles are tagged core reading — the ones scholars work right through — or reference, the ones they look things up in. Editions are given where the current edition is what you want to buy.

  1. Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeuticscore readingLaurence L. Brunton and Björn C. Knollmann (eds.) · McGraw Hill · 14th edition (2023)The standard reference read properly for the pre-PhD comprehensive and cited throughout the thesis.
  2. Rang & Dale's Pharmacologycore readingJames M. Ritter, Rod J. Flower, Graeme Henderson and others · Elsevier · 10th edition (2023)The mechanism-first read-through used for course work and for framing the introduction chapter.
  3. Katzung's Basic & Clinical Pharmacologycore readingTodd W. Vanderah (ed.) · McGraw Hill · 16th edition (2024)The prototype-drug text scholars revise from and use to build seminar and journal-club material.
  4. Principles of Pharmacology: The Pathophysiologic Basis of Drug Therapycore readingDavid E. Golan and others (eds.) · Wolters Kluwer · 4th edition (2016)Read when the thesis argues from disease mechanism to drug target rather than from drug class.
  5. Essentials of Medical Pharmacologycore readingK. D. Tripathi · Jaypee Brothers Medical PublishersThe copy used for the MBBS teaching a scholar carries alongside the PhD, and for quick Indian-formulary checks.
  6. Drug Discovery and Evaluation: Pharmacological AssaysreferenceFranz J. Hock (ed.) · Springer · 4th edition (2015)Vogel's assay compendium, used to pick the screening model and justify it in the protocol.
  7. Handbook of Experimental PharmacologyreferenceS. K. Kulkarni · Vallabh PrakashanThe bench manual Indian pharmacology labs write their animal-experiment protocols and dose calculations from.
  8. Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs: The International Encyclopedia of Adverse Drug Reactions and InteractionsreferenceJeffrey K. Aronson (ed.) · Elsevier · 16th edition (2015)The department set consulted for adverse-reaction and interaction evidence in any safety or pharmacovigilance chapter.

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Alongside the subject list

The two lists every scholar also needs

Whatever the subject, the coursework semester is examined on research methodology, biostatistics and publication ethics, and the bench work runs on a handful of protocol volumes. Both lists are kept separately so you are not buying them twice.

Research methodology & biostatistics Laboratory methods & instrumentation Entrance routes Where it is offered
Other PhD subjects

Also on the site

All 22 subjectsAnatomyPhysiologyBiochemistryPathologyMicrobiologyCommunity Medicine and Public HealthBiotechnologyMolecular MedicineBiophysicsMedical Physics
Related on the site

Pharmacology at postgraduate level

DNB Pharmacology booksMD Pharmacology books

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Frequently asked

PhD Pharmacology — questions

Which books does a PhD scholar in Pharmacology read?

The 8 titles on this page, of which 5 are worked right through and the rest are kept as references. Most scholars own two or three and use the department copy for the others.

Who can register for a PhD in Pharmacology?

MD Pharmacology, MSc Medical Pharmacology, MPharm (Pharmacology), MBBS, MSc life sciences, PharmD.

What does a PhD in Pharmacology cover?

Experimental and clinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, toxicology, pharmacogenomics, pharmacovigilance, clinical trials methodology and drug repurposing.

Is the coursework examined?

Yes. One semester of at least 12 credits, assessed before the research phase begins, covering research methodology, biostatistics and Research and Publication Ethics.

Can you print this reading for me?

We print from the PDF you send us. Send the file on WhatsApp with your page count and whether you want colour, black and white or mixed, and we print, bind and deliver anywhere in India. We do not supply copyrighted book files.