Overview
R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU project which is similar to the S language and environment which was developed at Bell Laboratories (formerly AT&T, now Lucent Technologies) by John Chambers and colleagues. R can be considered as a different implementation of S. There are some important differences, but much code written for S runs unaltered under R.
R is the fastest growing statistical software/language and is rapidly overtaking all others (e.g. SPSS, STATA, & SAS in popularity and use.) It is growing so quickly that it is probably best to use a google search for finding resources to get you started. In spite of this claim, we'll provide a few resources here since the google search can be completely overwhelming. For a view of where it's come from, check out R: Past and Future History (from 1998).
RStudio Desktop is a powerful and productive user interface for R. It’s free and open source, and works great on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Contents
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Product Details
- Product name: R
- Product home page: R Help and support: R ManualsProject for Statistical Computing
- Product name: RStudio
System Requirements
R requires the Windows operating systemruns on *inux, Windows & Mac operating systems and so does RStudio.
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Licensing & Cost Information
This software is R & RStudio are freely available from the publisher. Freely available refers to software which is legally available for no monetary cost to the college or individual. Note that there may still be usage limitations (such as personal use only) set down by the license agreement. We always recommend that you at least skim a license agreement before you agree to its terms.
Regardless of licensing, please place all requests for software through ITS (see below). This way, the college may be able to save significant amounts of money by including the additional license(s) under existing agreements.If you would like to request a copy of this software, please see these instructions|#SWRequest|||||\ below.
Usage Restrictions
This section should remain the the form of three questions and the statement on "non-commercial" use.
- Can I use R/RStudio for research? Yes, but click here for compliance and validation issues
- Is R/RStudio limited to educational use? No
- Is R/RStudio available for personal use? Yes
- This Read the license agreements regarding whether this software is available for non- commercial use only.
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Home Use
You can install R & RStudio for your personal use and even continue to use it after you leave Carleton.
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Where Can I Find R on campus?
R (and RStudio) is available in all refreshing labs and classrooms. For a complete list, see: a list of what's where in the labs. - including the extensive full list of R libraries that are added in the install by ITS!
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How Do I Request R?
Labs and Classrooms
To request this software be installed on a refreshing lab/classroom contact either Rapid Response or Student Computing.
College Owned Equipment
You can install R on college owned (or any) equipment by downloading it from here.
Personal Machines
You can install R on your personal machine by downloading it from here. It is also available for college owned computers via KBOX.
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Getting Started with R (and RStudio)
Through our licensed access to Lynda.com, you can get go through the 2+hour 
"Up and Running with R" and/or try a more detailed (6 hr) look via "R-Statistics Essential Training" (This one includes a bit on RStudio as well. RStudio is a convenient and free interface to R that makes it a bit easier to navigate.) with LinkedIn Learning, you have access to these (and many other LinkedIn Learning courses):
- R for Data Science: Analysis and Visualization
- R Essential Training: Wrangling and Visualizing Data
- R Essential Training Part 2: Modeling Data
Note that you need to login via your Carleton credentials for access to these online courses.
LinkedIn Learning online courses.
See also:
- Laura Chihara's basic handouts for getting started with R: http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/math/resources/rcomputing/
- A wealth of Online Learning opportunities identified by RStudio.
- In particular, read the R Style Guide for advice on how to write readable, maintainable code. (This is how other R users will expect your code to look when you share it.)
- RStudio: Support & Documentation
- A host of wonderful R Cheat Sheets from RStudio (Many of these have been translated into several languages!)
- Open Learning Initiative free course on Probability and Statistics (in which the assignments may be completed using R.) From Carnegie Mellon University. = A general introduction to probability & statistics course so it's good for people who need to brush up on this while learning R.
- A (very) short introduction to R (and Rstudio) = A 12 page pdf.
- QuickR = Helpful place to find examples of commonly used code, especially for data manipulation.
- UCLA's Resources for learning R = This includes an outrageously helpful table of Data Analysis Examples (in multiple languages.)
- CRAN is a network of ftp and web servers around the world that store identical, up-to-date, versions of code and and documentation for R (Manuals).
Avril Coghlan maintains these 3 HTML or PDF "books":
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Who To CallWe should talk about this one. We have a request to include who customers / customer groups (Faculty, students, ITS staff) should go to for support questions. I think the idea is that, if RR get a call from e.g. faculty on the application and RR don't have the answer, the RR staff know who in ITS to ask for the answer. Questions, Tips and TricksThe meat and potatoes of the page. Base content should draw from the all existing Wiki content, as well as Web Help Desk, personal experience and other folks in the department. Content can then be added based on questions that we commonly receive, or questions that arise as the result of curricular assignments. Note: In places where step-by-step instructions are appropriate, I would like them written as numbered steps rather than bulleted or as fluent written English. The latter is impractical for the user to follow. The former makes it easier to track where in the process you are. Using numbers also allows you to use bullets for multiple points within a step if necessary. Technical TroubleshootingThis section should only address (potential) technical problems with the application e.g. Photoshop will not launch because of a licensing error. The content should either be instructions on how to resolve the problem, or who to contact to report and/or resolve the problem. Formatting should be basically identical to Questions, Tips and Tricks, and is likely to have more step-by-ste Some of this information may be restricted. Place a link to that here. A good rule of thumb is this: If you are getting troubleshooting information from a public vendor knowledge base, there isn't any reason to restrict it. If you are getting your information from a password protected knowledge base, or any warez site, it should be protected. Miscellaneous InformationI see this section being used for additional helpful information which may not have a corresponding question, but could be persuaded just to roll it in to Questions, Tips and Tricks. An example of content that might appear under this would be information on Photoshop Plug-ins. There is no specific question associated with it, just an informative paragraph. |
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