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Research methodology and biostatistics.

The one list every PhD scholar needs whatever the subject — the coursework semester is examined on it, and the thesis is written out of it.

10Titles listed
6Worked right through
12Coursework credits
Every subjectWhere it is used
The compulsory semester

Why this list is separate

Under the 2022 regulations every scholar clears at least 12 credits of coursework before the research phase begins, and the compulsory content is the same across departments: study design, sampling, quantitative and qualitative method, biostatistics, and Research and Publication Ethics. The same books then carry you through the protocol defence, the analysis and the writing, which is why scholars buy these rather than borrow them.

How this list is used

Research methodology and biostatistics

Every Indian PhD scholar sits a mandatory coursework paper in research methodology and biostatistics in the first year, and these are the books that paper is set from. Kothari and Sundar Rao are the two most commonly prescribed in Indian universities; Mahajan is the medical-faculty equivalent and the source of most viva questions on sample size and tests of significance. The heavier Western texts - Daniel, Bland, Gordis - get pulled off the shelf later, when the thesis actually needs a test justified or a study design defended. Field and Day-and-Gastel belong to the writing-up phase and stay useful long after the coursework exam is over.

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. Research Methodology: Methods and Techniquescore readingC. R. Kothari and Gaurav Garg · New Age International · 4th edition (2019)The text most Indian PhD coursework papers are set from; the sampling, hypothesis-testing and report-writing chapters are the examinable ones.
  2. Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approachescore readingJohn W. Creswell and J. David Creswell · SAGE Publications · 6th edition (2023)Used when the coursework asks for a written proposal - the chapters on purpose statements, research questions and choosing a design are what get followed.
  3. Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for BeginnersreferenceRanjit Kumar · SAGE Publications · 5th edition (2019)The gentler companion to Kothari; its eight-step model is what scholars use to structure a first synopsis.
  4. Introduction to Biostatistics and Research Methodscore readingP. S. S. Sundar Rao and J. Richard · PHI Learning · 5th edition (2012)The short Indian biostatistics text prescribed in most medical and life-science coursework; worked example by example rather than read.
  5. Mahajan's Methods in Biostatistics for Medical Students and Research Workerscore readingBratati Banerjee · Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers · 10th edition (2024)Read for sample size, tests of significance and vital statistics; the solved exercises are the source of most coursework viva questions.
  6. Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health SciencesreferenceWayne W. Daniel and Chad L. Cross · Wiley · 11th edition (2018)The heavier reference for when a thesis needs regression, ANOVA or a non-parametric test explained and justified properly.
  7. An Introduction to Medical StatisticsreferenceMartin Bland · Oxford University Press · 4th edition (2015)Kept for reading published trials critically and for the chapters on confidence intervals and survival analysis.
  8. Gordis Epidemiologycore readingDavid D. Celentano, Moyses Szklo and Youssef Farag · Elsevier · 7th edition (2024)Study design, bias, confounding and measures of association - read before writing the methods chapter of a thesis or protocol.
  9. How to Write and Publish a Scientific PaperreferenceBarbara Gastel and Robert A. Day · Cambridge University Press · 9th edition (2024)Worked through section by section while drafting a first paper; the IMRaD chapters and the guidance on answering reviewers are the parts that get used.
  10. Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statisticscore readingAndy Field · SAGE Publications · 6th editionThe practical bridge from statistics to software - kept open beside SPSS while running the thesis analysis, menu step by menu step.

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The coursework semester

What it examines

Every scholar completes coursework before the research phase proper begins, normally one semester, carrying a minimum of 12 credits. The compulsory content is research methodology - study design, sampling, quantitative and qualitative methods, and biostatistics - together with a Research and Publication Ethics course covering plagiarism, authorship, predatory publishing and citation practice. Medical institutes add subject-specific credits set by the department and, for clinical and community projects, sessions on institutional ethics committee submission, informed consent documentation and CTRI trial registration. A minimum of 55 per cent in the coursework is required before you can proceed, and the Research Advisory Committee can prescribe extra credits where a candidate is crossing disciplines, which is common when an MSc Nursing or MPT graduate joins a molecular laboratory. Candidates entering directly from a four-year bachelor's degree carry a heavier credit load than master's entrants. Thereafter you appear before the Research Advisory Committee each semester with a written progress report and a presentation, and the committee is the body that finalises the topic, approves the design and formally records progress.

By subject

Your subject list sits alongside this one

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Frequently asked

Research methodology and biostatistics — questions

Which research methodology books are used for PhD coursework in India?

Kothari and Creswell for method, Sundar Rao and Richard, Daniel and Bland for biostatistics, Park's and Gordis for epidemiology, and a scientific-writing text for the thesis. All are listed on this page with the current edition.

What does the coursework semester examine?

Research methodology, meaning study design, sampling, quantitative and qualitative methods and biostatistics, together with a Research and Publication Ethics course covering plagiarism, authorship, predatory publishing and citation practice.

Do I need a statistics book if I use SPSS or R?

Most scholars keep both: a statistics text for choosing and defending the test, and a software guide for running it. The list here includes both kinds.

Is this list the same for every subject?

Broadly yes. The coursework content is common across departments, so this list sits alongside your subject list rather than replacing part of it.

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.