How big of a deal are editions of books?

Editorial Team / Admin · Aug 31, 2020

If it were one edition behind, that would be one thing. But three editions? That’s a lot of missing years and a lot will likely have changed since then.

I just looked up the publication date. 8th edition was published in 2010. Combined with what is already out of date by the time the authors finish writing, the book is printed and distributed to end users, you’re likely looking at 15 year old info.

Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP · Sep 3, 2020

3 editions is probably not a great idea. If it was math or something that is always standard, that would be different. I wouldn't go back more than one edition for anything medical.

I once used a book that was one edition behind. Let me tell you, I was surprised how much they changed it. Not only did they rearrange the chapters, which wasn't too much of a big deal. It just didn't follow the order of the old book. BUT, it actually pulled out some articles in the book and replaced them! Imagine my surprise when the instructor assigned questions on the "new" article and it wasn't in my old edition. Luckily, somebody in the class shared their E-Copy w/ me and I was able to read the article.

Sue Demonas, BSN, MSN, PhD, RN · Sep 6, 2020

Older editions of a textbook can make it difficult to follow the class reading assignments and have accurate information to use when studying for your exams. Make every effort to get the required edition of the book.

Page numbers will be different and likely chapters will be different as well. New information is generated constantly and the most current edition will reflect the most current trends in practice, which is what NCLEX will test.

When books are published, they represent state of the art information. It will take around 6 months to a year for a book to be printed and distributed, making the information a little dated when published. An edition that is 10 years old is not something that I'd use to guide my nursing practice.