Study Tips & Tools

New Edition?

Do I REALLY need the NEW edition of the require book?

Using old editions

The official book/lab manual for your course is the title and edition listed in your course syllabus.   

But if you have the previous edition, or a different A&P book or manual altogehter, I recommend using it and see how it works for you. 

Some of the page numbers we refer to in class (and in assignments/syllabi) will be different, as well and figure and table numbers. 

There will be some content that's been updated and some additional figures in the new book.  So they are not "the same."  But they are similar enough that you may be able to make it work for you.

I suggest trying the one you have and if it doesn't work very well, then decide whether it's worth getting a new book.

The lab manual is much trickier, because your instructor may ask you to do the Lab Reports in the manual, and those may not match up well with the current edition. So ask your lab instructor about that.

FYI, there is a copy of the new book and lab manual in the reference area of the SCC library.

Buying a new textbook

When purchasing a new textbook, here are some things to remember:

• You will be using using your A&P textbook frequently for TWO semesters
  
  
  • You can therefore think of the book as "half price" because you'll be using it for TWO courses—not just one
    
    
  • You'll be getting even more mileage from the book because you'll also be using it for your lab class
    
    
• If you're going into any health or athletic program, you will be using your textbook more that you imagine in later courses
  
  
  • That's because A&P is the foundation for all clinical, practical, and theoretical courses in the health and human science fields
    
    
  • So you'll want a CURRENT and STURDY copy to get you through the next several years of study
    
    
• You're also going to use the A&P book in your profession
  
  
  • So you'll want a sturdy copy with YOUR notes in it to refer back to as you begin your chosen career
    
    
  • An A&P book is usually the first book of a health practitioner's professional library
    
    
• There are many reasons to pay a few dollars extra for a NEW book (rather than a used book)
  
  
  • You want a sturdy copy (see the tips above)
    
    
  • You don't want incorrect notes and highlights in your book to throw you off
    
    
  • You want the current information to use in your A&P course and in your later courses—and in your career (things really do change rapidly in the human sciences)
    
    
  • You want all the pieces that come with the book—access to resources on the Evolve website, the Brief Atlas, the Quick Guide to the Language of Science and Medicine, etc.
    
    
    • These pieces are often missing from a used textbook, and then you end up spending more in the long run when you need these pieces
      
      
• Consider a new book an investment in your future
  
  
  • Because SCC is supported by taxes and our tuition is so low, the price of textbooks will seem disproportionately high—but they are important and necessary tools for your learning (now AND later)
    
    
  • Your A&P book will be the first book of your professional library you will use in your career