R is a statistical software that is free, open-source, and can run on most operating systems. This means that anyone in the world with access to a computer and the internet can use it and anyone in the world can contribute to the development of new tools in R.
R can do everything that paid statistical software like SPSS and SAS can do, and often more! Analysis of data on job openings and other metrics shows that R is increasingly included as a desired or required skill, often surpassing traditional closed source software like SPSS and SAS. R is particularly great for data management and developing amazing data visualizations. This workshop is designed to get you started using R.
The work in this workshop is designed to take you about 3 hours to complete from start to finish. The length of the workshop will vary somewhat depending on the speed of your internet connection and your computer experience and comfort level. The activities are divided into:
- Installing R and R Studio
- Learning about the features of R Studio
- Importing and cleaning data in R
- Creating basic tables and figures in R
R is the software and R Studio is the IDE (Interactive Development Environment) that makes R easier to use. Install R before you install R Studio because R Studio will look for R during installation.
First, download and install R:
- Click the download R link on the R Project for Statistical Computing website
- Choose one of the options from the CRAN Mirrors list (it doesn't matter which one!)
- Click on the download that is appopropriate for your operating system, Linux, Mac, or Windows; if you are not given this option, go back to the CRAN Mirrors and try a different one
- Find the link for install R for the first time and click on it
- Click on the the Download R link on the page that opens
- Use the installer that downloads to install R
Second, download and install R Studio:
- Go to the R Studio downloads page
- Click on the DOWNLOAD button under the RStudio Desktop column on the downloads page
- Choose the Download for the operating system you have and click on it
- Use the installer that downloads to install R Studio
Watch a short introduction to the R Studio Interface.
First, download the participant files and save them together in the same folder on your computer:
- Click on the green Code button toward the top of this GitHub page
- Choose Download ZIP
- Unzip the downloaded zip file and save all the files in a single folder on your computer
Second, watch and follow along with this video: https://youtu.be/qIpY3ZyeFuY
If you would like to view the slides from the video separately, they are available here: https://jenineharris.github.io/AHslides/
Watch and follow along with this video: https://youtu.be/z7Q0ean-Q4w
If you would like to view the slides separately, they are available here: https://jenineharris.github.io/AHslides/viz.html
If you were registered for the Academic Hive Bootcamp in March 2021 and would like a certificate of participation for the work you did in the R workshop, submit your completed participant files and your name and email address by April 2, 2021 through this form. The Academic Hive team will email you a certificate for your hard work.
Other places to get more instruction or information on R:
- https://swirlstats.com
- https://tinystats.github.io/teacups-giraffes-and-statistics/index.html
- https://github.com/Joscelinrocha/Learning-R-resources/wiki#wiki-pages-box
- Check out the #rstats hashtag on Twitter and follow the people who tweet about #rstats
- https://community.rstudio.com
- ...and so many more!