London: SAGE Publications, 2012. Quarto, paperback, black and white photographs and illustrations, tables, graphs.

This book takes students on a journey of statistical discovery using the freeware R, a free, flexible and dynamically changing software tool for data analysis that is becoming increasingly popular across the social and behavioural sciences throughout the world. The journey begins by explaining basic statistical and research concepts before a guided tour of the R software environment. Next the importance of exploring and graphing data will be discovered, before moving onto statistical tests that are the foundations of the rest of the book (for e.g. correlation and regression). Readers will then stride confidently into intermediate level analyses such as ANOVA, before ending their journey with advanced techniques such as MANOVA and multilevel models.
Although there is enough theory to help the reader gain the necessary conceptual understanding of what they're doing, the emphasis is on applying what's learned to playful and real-world examples that should make the experience more fun than expected. Like its sister textbooks, Discovering Statistics Using R is written in an irreverent style and follows the same ground-breaking structure and pedagogical approach. The core material is augmented by a cast of characters to help the reader on their way, hundreds of examples, self-assessment tests to consolidate knowledge, and additional website material for those wanting to learn more (at www.sagepub.co.uk/fieldandmilesR). Given this book's accessibility, fun spirit, and use of bizarre real-world research it should be essential for anyone wanting to learn about statistics using the freely-available R software.