UP::[[About this project]] **Last updated**: 2025-05-02 --- > "*Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go*." – E.L. Doctorow *I have a personal reason for writing this book*: I want to encourage more beginners to embrace R, so we can grow and learn together. Many new users shy away from R, thinking it's too complex, but I aim to change that perception. R isn't just for programmers or statisticians; it’s for anyone who wants to engage in **reproducible research**. This is an evolving blueprint for _R for Non-Programmers_. Stay tuned as the story unfolds! ### 1. Why R, Why You, Why Me, Why Now? A conversation that sets the stage—why we’re here and why R is the tool for the curious. First draft completed on 2025-02-04 Polished and updated on 2025-02-05 Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > It’s the best time to learn R even if you are a non programmer ### 2. Starting with Reproducibility in Mind The core theme. Building great habits from the start. First draft completed on 2025-02-04 A spark made me revise this chapter on 2025-03-19, Thanks, Rumi (Yes, the poet!) Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > Beginning with reproducibility in mind is the one thing that makes R learning easier ### 3. I Hate Maths—Can I Still R? Spoiler: Yes, you can. Let’s talk about it. First draft completed on 2025-02-05 Draft improved on 2025-03-19 Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > Work with a cause a need in mind ### 4. A Zen Beginner Approaching coding with a calm, open mindset. First draft on 2025-02-06 Second draft on 2025-03-19 Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > Start small and be open ### 5. Structuring Before Coding—Why and How Beware! The matrix calls for a structure!! First draft laid on 2025-03-19 Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > Start with a structure and maintain it ### 6. Naming Conventions: Where Most Beginners Trip What’s in a name? Everything. First draft on 2025-03-20 Upleveled on 2025-03-27 after reading [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] > Naming can make and break ### 7. Get In and Get Out—Import and Export Your data’s journey: into R and out with insights. Draft improved on 2025-04-02 TNT - to combine with another draft written earlier on the same > Get in and get out. Master it ### 8. Data Cleaning: The Unsung Hero Mastering the basics of wrangling data and preparing it for analysis—like prepping your veggies so you can cook faster and better. Renamed as: [[Before the Stats, Comes the Scrub]] on 2025-04-03 Drafted on 2025-04-03. Improved on 2025-04-04 - added reproducibility through r prelude > You cannot escape cleaning on the long run ### 9. Quick Wins: Exploratory Data Analysis and Descriptives Small victories that build big confidence and getting the glimpse of the data. First draft dated 2025-04-08 Yet to tie this up with reproducibility-the core > Getting a glimpse before you lay hands ### 10. Knitting Your First Results Section in Quarto From analysis to beautifully organized output. > quarto is your beautiful friend First draft written on 2025-05-02 ### Appendix-1. Personal Journeys and Case Studies Stories that inspire and remind you it’s possible. ### Appendix-2. Solutions and Reflections Lessons learned, challenges overcome, and things to take away. ### Post word. R: A Holy Grail? Or just a trusty companion on your data journey? --- ### Change Log | **Date** | **Change** | **Notes** | | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 2025-01-21 | Added section on **Data Cleaning** to the index. | In freewriting today, I figured out this piece was missing. | | 2025-02-04 | Chapter 2 complete | | | 2025-02-05 | Chapter 1 complete | | | 2025-03-19 | Chapter 2 revised | | | 2025-03-27 | 6 chapters revised | thanks to one book [[Nobody Wants to Read Your Sht - Steven Pressfield\|The Book - Nobody wants to read your..]] | | 2025-04-03 | Data cleaning chapter drafted and renamed | Should i rename all that went before? | | 2025-05-02 | Chapter 10 | This seems to complete all my first drafts | ---