Analyze Data: R and RStudio

• R / RStudio is a free software environment and coding language that is often used for statistical analysis and graphing data.
• R is the base software application, RStudio is additional software that makes working with R easier.
• R / RStudio supports a wide range of data tasks, including: data manipulation, data cleaning, data analysis (descriptive and inferential), and data visualization.
• The R documentation provides information on packages, functions, and more. A great place to start if you have little-to-no R / RStudio experience is the Introduction to R manual. If you want to search for information on a specific package, you may use the RDocumentation website or type ?NAMEOFPACKAGE (where NAMEOFPACKAGE is the package name, i.e., ?sum) in the RStudio console.

• R / RStudio is available on the library public computers for use by University of Guelph students, staff, and faculty during library hours.
• Download R here. R is open source (i.e., free) software. There are different versions for R, Mac, and Linux.
• Download RStudio here. RStudio is also open source (i.e., free) software. RStudio is not required to use R, but you must have R before you can use RStudio.
• The capabilities of R can be extended through the use of community developed packages. You can find an extensive list of available packages on the Available CRAN Packages By Name webpage.
• If you need help installing R / RStudio on your computer you can either drop by the IT Help Desk located on the first floor of the library or contact CCS Help Services.

The RDocumentation website referenced earlier is a great place to start when you are looking for help on how to use certain packages or functions. This guide contains step-by-step help (and screenshots) for a few common R / RStudio tasks, including:

• How to use RStudio: The basics
  • The interface
  • Importing data
  • Installing packages
  • Computing variables
  • Saving data
• How to use RStudio: Descriptive statistics
  • Descriptives
  • Frequencies and crosstabs