Using R_Markdown

how_to
Author

Ian Waters

Published

July 8, 2020

R Markdown Introduction

Description

R Markdown is a authoring framework that allows for reproducible documentation of data science within the context of R Studio. This is an introduction designed to teach you how to use R Markdown in a few minutes. Further info and some of the examples used below can be found here: http://rmarkdown.rstudio.com

Format

R Markdown allows you to incorporate text, inline code, code chunks, and results into a single document. You can then create html pages, pdfs, word docs, and other file formats discussed below.

Using R Markdown

Installing

To install R Markdown, you can navigate to tools -> install packages -> rmarkdown in R Studio. Alternatively, you can run the console command: install.packages(“rmarkdown”)

Creating a File

To create a new R Markdown file, go to file -> New File -> R Markdown. There, you can create a blank file or choose a template. R Markdown files are plain text files with the .Rmd extension. If this is your first time using R Markdown, we suggest using the .html template by entering a Title and Author Name and clicking Ok.

Text Formatting Tips

Text written in R Markdown uses the Markdown syntax. There are a number of annotations that will result in formatted text upon file rendering. A helpful reference guide can be found here and can be accessed by going to Help -> Markdown Quick Reference
Below are some formatting examples that you can try. You can preview using the Knit button in the toolbar, which will be discussed in further detail below.
*italic* or _italic_
**bold** or __bold__
superscript^2^ and subscript~2~
~~strikethrough~~
code blocks can be made with “``”

line breaks require two or more spaces at the end of the line
links: [text for link](www.rstudio.com)
# Example Header for largest header, add more # for smaller headers. Note: you must include the space after the # or it will not format correctly
For further syntax tips (including lists, images, etc…), take a look at the reference documents linked above.

Code Chunks

You can incorporate code chunks into your R Markdown files using:
* The button in the toolbar
* Ctrl + Alt + I (OS X: Cmd + Option +I)
* Chunk delimiters like below

Reuse

© HakyImLab and Listed Authors - CC BY 4.0 for Text and figures - MIT for code