The Student Room Group

Best degree level biology books

Anyone?
Are you asking about textbooks or other kinds of books (e.g. non-fiction novels about biology)?
Campbell's Biology has very good coverage and actually very good detail for a general Biology textbook. I'd definitely recommend it
Original post by HarisMalik98
Campbell's Biology has very good coverage and actually very good detail for a general Biology textbook. I'd definitely recommend it


I was looking at Campbell’s actually, do you think the tenth edition will be good or the study guide?
Original post by The-judge-16
I was looking at Campbell’s actually, do you think the tenth edition will be good or the study guide?


Just get whatever the latest edition is. If you can't afford the latest edition then previous versions are fine I doubt there is too much difference.

Mines is the tenth edition I think and its called:

Biology: A Global Approach, Global Edition
Original post by The-judge-16
Anyone?

everyone swears by the Campbell, but the smart money is on the academic papers (review papers i.e secondary literature is good)
Original post by A Rolling Stone
everyone swears by the Campbell, but the smart money is on the academic papers (review papers i.e secondary literature is good)


Academic papers are the pinnacle of factually correct science. But for a first year student academic papers are probably a bit daunting and can be hard to come across, analyse and find the correct information you need - since they're normally written using complex terminology and concepts.

At least with a textbook it's all in the one place and written in a more coherent and student-friendly way. Definitely when you progress to later years then academic papers should become near enough the majority of your source material for specific detailed knowledge, but the first years are typically quite general.

Just my opinion.
Original post by The-judge-16
Anyone?


To be completely honest, you’d be better moving on from books to journal articles.

At both my previous Unis you’d be graded down for referencing text books over journal articles.

However, can’t go wrong with Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Original post by HarisMalik98
Academic papers are the pinnacle of factually correct science. But for a first year student academic papers are probably a bit daunting and can be hard to come across, analyse and find the correct information you need - since they're normally written using complex terminology and concepts.

At least with a textbook it's all in the one place and written in a more coherent and student-friendly way. Definitely when you progress to later years then academic papers should become near enough the majority of your source material for specific detailed knowledge, but the first years are typically quite general.

Just my opinion.


of course that's correct, but review papers are surprisingly easy to read! it's the primary literature that i'd avoid in first year
Original post by A Rolling Stone
of course that's correct, but review papers are surprisingly easy to read! it's the primary literature that i'd avoid in first year


Good point.

I agree above that if it's for referencing then Defos use academic papers rather than textbooks. But if you're just wanting to understand a concept better then textbook is fine for that.
Original post by HarisMalik98
Just get whatever the latest edition is. If you can't afford the latest edition then previous versions are fine I doubt there is too much difference.

Mines is the tenth edition I think and its called:

Biology: A Global Approach, Global Edition


how much background knowledge would you say is needed in order to attempt Campbell?

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