BCB744 Introduction to R

1 Welcome

This section organises the Introduction to R material for BCB744 into a single sequence, from first contact with RStudio through data handling, plotting, mapping, and tidy workflows.

Use the detailed module page for timetable, assessment, and broader module context:

• BCB744 Module Overview
• Intro R Self-Assessment

1.1 What This Section Does

The Introduction to R block is designed to get you working fluently in R rather than memorising isolated commands. The focus is on reproducible workflow, careful handling of data, and producing clear figures and outputs that support scientific work.

By the end of this section you should be able to:

• navigate RStudio and manage project-based work;
• import, inspect, and transform common tabular datasets;
• write and render Quarto documents;
• produce figures and maps with ggplot2; and
• organise data using tidy data principles.

1.2 Chapter Sequence

The chapter sequence moves from:

1. getting started in R and RStudio,
2. working with data and Quarto,
3. graphics and mapping, and
4. tidy data workflows and recap.

1.3 Suggested Route Through the Material

Start here if you are new to R:

1. R and RStudio
2. Working With Data and Code
3. R Markdown and Quarto
4. Data Classes and Structures in R
5. R Workflows

Then move into visualisation and communication:

1. Graphics With ggplot2
2. Faceting Figures
3. Brewing Colours
4. Mapping With ggplot2
5. Mapping With Style

Then complete the data workflow block:

1. Mapping With Natural Earth and sf
2. The Fiji Earthquake Data
3. Tidy Data
4. Tidier Data
5. Tidiest Data
6. Synthesis
7. R Without Training Wheels

1.4 Assessment and Practice

Use these pages alongside the chapters:

• Intro R Self-Assessment
• Example 1
• Example 2
• Self-Assessment Form

1.5 Relationship to Biostatistics

The Intro R material prepares you for the biostatistics block by giving you the practical tools needed to read data, inspect distributions, visualise patterns, and document your analyses clearly.

• Go to BCB744 Biostatistics