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. 2017 Oct;24(5):101-105.
doi: 10.21315/mjms2017.24.5.11. Epub 2017 Oct 26.

Sample Size Calculation in Animal Studies Using Resource Equation Approach

Wan Nor Arifin  1 , Wan Mohd Zahiruddin  2
Affiliations

Sample Size Calculation in Animal Studies Using Resource Equation Approach

Wan Nor Arifin et al. Malays J Med Sci. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Animal research plays an important role in the pre-clinical phase of clinical trials. In animal studies, the power analysis approach to sample size calculation is recommended. Whenever it is not possible to assume the standard deviation and the effect size, an alternative to the power analysis approach is the 'resource equation' approach, which sets the acceptable range of the error degrees of freedom (DF) in an analysis of variance (ANOVA). The aim of this article is to guide researchers in calculating the minimum and maximum numbers of animals required in animal research by reformulating the error DF formulas.

Keywords: animal research; research design; sample size.

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