Customer Reviews

Modern Epidemiology

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Masterly. Rothman and coworkers' 3rd edition of the classic `Modern Epidemiology' is a landmark step in presenting with cohesiveness and clarity traditional + cutting-edge concepts and methods for observational research (and by extension for experimental research on human subjects as well, since problems like unblinding or loss-to-follow-up may reintroduce bias in clinical trials after randomization, with a corresponding need for epidemiological interpretative and analytical tools).
This highly regarded volume has no equal, as it has been not only an authoritative source of information but `the' reference on epi methods for almost a quarter century. For those looking for an introductory level textbook, Rothman's one by Oxford University Press is highly recommended, since the comprehensive `Modern Epidemiology' requires some previous exposure to the concepts and biostatistical methods presented.
The 3rd edition is an encyclopedic effort, brings methodological coherence to a whole new level, is highly readable, and confirms itself as the standard reference on epidemiological and clinical research for many more years to come. An outstanding scholarly achievement.
Definitely a must-have for anyone who needs to learn and apply basic/advanced epidemiological methods rigorously in clinical as well as general population settings.

I borrowed the 2nd edition from a colleague and was so impressed with the book that I ordered it immediately. This book has no equal in terms of content (the word 'encyclopedia' is aptly used in a previous review). The statistical explanations are what really set this book apart from other epidemiological textbooks. The price was surprisingly low compared to other textbooks on the market.

Unfortunately, after receiving the book, I see how they managed to keep the price down. The type is small, the margins are small and the paper is thin. Also, to me (highly subjective), the paper has an unpleasant desiccating feel. Finally, I like to mark up my books with highlighting and notes in the margins -- but this just makes a mess out of this book. Highlighting bleeds through and pencil notations are visible from the opposite side of the page. The 2nd edition was more robust.

Publishers can't win. Most books are too expensive. This (outstanding) book comes in at a great price -- but the compromises are painfully evident.

I am a social scientist, not an epidemiologist, and I found this book to exceptionally good. It is the most current, complete, and clear presentation of methods for causal inference for observational (i.e. non-experimental) studies that I have seen. The things that really set this book apart for me include:

1. It synthesizes contributions by Pearl and Rubin on the foundations of causal inference, and contributes its own perspective via the sufficient cause model. This is truly cutting edge, not to mention impeccably coherent.
2. The first third of the book is on study design, including measurement, sampling, and defining effects. This is just fantastic. Many methods textbooks jump right into approaches to analyzing data with little time taken to discuss how to make the data in the first place. This book provides a major corrective to that tendency.
3. In data analysis, a lot of attention is given to sparse data problems, which again is just great. So many textbooks overlook this problem, which is a huge omission.
4. The data analysis section includes discussion of up-and-coming data mining and non-parametric methods (e.g. BART, boosted regression, etc.) to characterize response surfaces in the service of causal inference. That's amazingly cutting edge for a textbook.
5. The meta-analysis section emphasizes simplicity and provides a very nice list of common errors that should be avoided.
6. The references are to state of the art literature not only in epidemiology, but also in econometrics, education research, and statistics. It's great to see such cross-fertilization across disciplines, and it shows how these various disciplines are converging, it seems, on common analytical tools for causal inference in observational studies.

There are lots of nice examples throughout the book too. For other social scientists out there, I highly recommend this as a primer on state of the art methods for carrying out observational studies.

The third edition of Modern Epidemiology is a wonderful scholarly achievement. It is truly the gold standard among textbooks that deal with epidemiologic methods. There is a lot of new material in this new edition. Some of the sections have been re-arranged to improve the flow and the coherence of the material. I particularly enjoyed the new chapters on causal diagrams and bias analysis. Unlike many of the reference textbooks I own that sit idly on my book shelf, I repeatedly refer to Modern Epidemiology whenever I have a challenging study design or analysis issue. I gain new epidemiologic insights each time I open it.

Modern Epidemiology, 3rd Edition is in all honesty the gold standard for higher level Epidemiology textbooks. The latest edition, with its thinner paper, packs more into a considerably more portable format. Highly recommended for any student or practicing professional interested in Epi methods.

I rate this textbook 5+ star for comprehensiveness ;as an encyclopedia with short explanation about terms and techniques with furthur reading. It is impossible to have everything indept or enough to operate within one book.
However, the comprehensiveness trade off with so small and dense text plus very formal language. I give rate for easy reading only 3.5/5 Overall this book is nice for people who are going to another step from "Epidemioly beyond basic" by S&N

As a PhD student, one of my professors suggested I purchase this book for continued use. It's not an easy read, but it has been very useful.

I rate this book 4 stars not because of contents (5 star for contents), but for the fine print. The font of the book is so samll, like the 10pt font in your word document. My eyes hurt after reading a while. For those only want to use as a refference book, it might be good. For those who try to read the first time, I suggest using the 2nd edition for bigger font.

This is an outstanding textbook, explaining the state-of-the-art thinking in Epidemiology. I am giving it 4 stars, because the book is quite dense and you basically have to read most chapters several times to really understand what they are saying!

It should be the most classic reading material for Epid students. Strongly recommend anyone in field of epid get a copy of this.