A Guide to Sample Size for Animal-based Studies 1st Edition

A Guide to Sample Size for Animal-based Studies: Ethical Experimental Design

This book is an innovative, thorough, and accessible reference work that addresses the critical need to "rightsize" animal-based experiments. It provides a straightforward, systematic approach to sample size estimation based on the fundamentals of statistical thinking, helping researchers navigate the design trade-offs necessary to simultaneously minimize animal use and produce scientifically rigorous and reliable results.

Key Features

• Ethical Framework (3Rs): The book addresses the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement, which comprise the ethical framework for humane animal-based studies, ensuring experiments are both ethical and scientifically valid.
• Step-by-Step Guidance: It offers step-by-step guidance in diverse methods for approximating and refining sample size, ensuring a clear and systematic process for experimental design.
• Specialized Research Topics: It provides detailed treatment of research topics specific to animal-based research, including pilot, feasibility, and proof-of-concept studies.
• Data and Study Types: The book covers sample size approximation methods for different types of data (binary, continuous, ordinal, time to event) and different study types (description, comparison, nested designs, reference interval construction, and dose-response studies).
• Practical Examples and Code: Includes numerous worked examples, using real data from published papers, together with SAS and R code, to facilitate application in research.
• Broad Audience: A must-have reference for preclinical and veterinary researchers, as well as ethical oversight committees and policymakers.