Join the R Penn Group (NEW)
The R Penn Group (RPG) presented by the Research Data & Digital Scholarship team at Penn Libraries is an initiative that meets to discuss, learn, and collaborate on topics and projects related to statistics, mapping, data wrangling, visualization, and analysis with R programming language through hands-on problem-solving.
We meet on every 2nd Thursday of the month (Feb 2 | March 2. | April 13.) from 12PM-1PM at the Collaborative Classroom (Room 113, Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center) for open-ended exploration of the ways in which the R programming language can enhance our academic pursuits. We look forward to seeing you there! All skill levels are welcome.
Workshops at Penn Libraries
Interested in learning more about a particular software or tool? Check out our upcoming workshops
Accessing R and RStudio
Several options are available for software access:
- R is available for free download from the R Project. R Studio provides a user-friendly interface for R. To run RStudio, R needs to be downloaded first.
- RCloud is an environment for collaboratively creating and sharing data analysis scripts. If you are unable to download R for any reason, this might be a good option.
- Anaconda is a distribution of the R programming language for scientific computing. R can be installed through the Anaconda computing environment.
- If you are on campus, lab computers with R are available at Van Pelt and other libraries, as well as the Undergraduate and Graduate Data Analysis Labs in McNeil Building.
Penn Libraries x Dataquest
Penn Libraries has negotiated a campus-wide premium license for Dataquest, the scaffolded online learning platform with a full catalog of interactive courses; skill paths such as data visualization, machine learning, and data scraping and career paths using Python, R, PowerBI, and Tableau. You learn by doing, completing exercises and getting immediate feedback directly in the browser. To activate your premium account, please complete the form below.
Getting Started with R
R is a popular open-source language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. These are some resources to help you get started learning R.
- RStudio for the Total BeginnerBasic video provides a good orientation to the R interface.
- swirlInteractive package for R. Provides basic introduction to the essentials for working with the language.
- R Software for Business GuideProvides quick start guides for using R and several workshop recordings including a basic introduction.
Workshop Recordings
- Network Visualization with RCreate network visualizations using R. (RDDS Workshop).
- What’s Going On in this Graph? Environmental Data Visualization Literacy Workshop With RLearn techniques for creating compelling graphs and telling better stories. (RDDS Workshop)
- Interactive Web Visualization with RShinyInterested in building an interactive dashboard? R Shiny lets you present your visualizations to an audience to interact with. (RDDS Workshop)
- Reading ICPSR Data into RInstructions for importing data from other statistical software packages into R.
Resources for Learning R
- UCLA's Advanced Research Computing R GuideIncludes various learning modules and data analysis examples. Includes "Introduction to R Seminar".
- R for Data ScienceOnline R markdown textbook co-authored by leading Tidyverse developer Hadley Wickham
- LinkedIn Learning This link opens in a new windowLearning platform provides 18 training courses for learning R.
- GeeksforGeeksA manual for R Programming, provides detailed instructions on Input/Output, Control Flow, Data Structures, Error Handling, Data Visualization, Statistics and more.
- W3 Schools: R TutorialA detailed R manual, includes basic R tutorial, Data Structures, Statistics, Graphics and some examples.
- Analytics Using RTextbook by Margie Rosenberg from the Wisconsin School of Business that covers the major features of R.
- R Tips: 16 How To'sA book down manual that includes 16 R tips, such as “how to explore a ‘new’ data set”, “How to create contingency tables”, “how to tally”, “how to join two data tables”, “how to plot data”, “how to create a dynamic report”, “how to learn Shiny”, and “how to check code efficiency”.
- The R JournalOpen access, refereed journal of the R project for statistical computing. It features articles covering topics that might be of interest to users or developers of R.
- The R ManualsOnline manuals from the R Project.
- R Resources in Penn Libraries CatalogPenn Libraries has many books and ebooks that will help you master R.
Statistical Software Assistance at the Library
Appointments are available with our statistics software consultant for R, Stata, SPSS, and Python. Make an appointment via the Penn Libraries Technology Consultation Appointment page : select "Stata, R and Other Statistical Software" for available appointments.
Data Packages
The R community has developed numerous programs that add functionality to R. Below are a few popular and useful packages.
- TidyverseCollection of R packages including ggplot2 for graphics, dplyr for data manipulation, and many more.
- QuandlTime-series datasets from over 400 sources.
- rOpenSci PackagesR wrappers for data APIs.
- WDI PackageAccess the World Bank's World Development Indicators.