Let’s start at the very beginning…
RStudio cheatsheets are a great resource for R users. They provide a one-page reference guide that summarises the main functions in a particular package and how to use them. But they are not very beginner friendly. Cheatsheets assume you have a solid grasp of how to refer to data, variables and parameters in R and can generalise from a sparse template to your own situation. They often only become useful when you already know how to use a package.
In this hackathon, we will work together to create a data analysis walkthrough onesheet, a minimalistic resource designed specifically for R beginners, providing the bare bones of what is required. We borrow the term walkthrough from video gaming, where the player is given guidance that enhances their enjoyment of the game . By keeping the walkthrough to a onesheet that can be printed, the user has the option of saving valuable screen space.
Use the smallest, simplest, most built-in data possible. Think: iris or mtcars. Bore me. (Jenny Bryan in
reprex::dos and donts)
We will aim to instill in our walkthrough a sense of meritget, taking a potentially energy-draining technical task and aiming to make it as accessible and enjoyable as possible for the user.
Our working group has metascience goals in clarifying the definitions of walkthrough and meritget, and delineating this in a manuscript about the data analysis walkthrough onesheet.
R-Studio provides a guide to how to contribute a cheatsheet, which provides an excellent starting point for discussion.