How to Use This List
This list of free, online resources for R is organized, first by medium (e-book/website, video, event/community space, etc), and then by subject. It was compiled by data scientists working in the public health and social science spheres for professionals seeking to grow their R skills.
Many thanks to all of the authors, organizers, and contributors in the R world, who have taught us all so much! If you have a resource you’d like to propose we add, please message me on LinkedIn.
Free Online E-Books & Websites
Introductory
R for Data Science - the bible; if you’re new to R and the tidyverse, start here!
The Epidemiologist R Handbook - great introductory resource and reference tailored for applied epidemiology and public health
To save yourself time, get comfortable referencing R package documentation! Most common packages have fantastic, easily accessible online documentation that provide details on how to use them. For example, I use stringr functions with regular expressions all the time and reference that page constantly. I can almost guarantee you that at least half of your R journey will be learning how to answer your own questions using the internet!
Statistical Techniques with R
Tidy Modeling with R - goes deeper into modeling with tidymodels packages
Handbook of Regression Modeling in People Analytics - “a starting point for a practical learning of regression methods,” focused on people analytics
Meta-Analysis Learning Information Center - introduction to using R for meta-analysis
Biostatistics for Biomedical Research - “aimed at exposing biomedical researchers to modern biostatistical methods and statistical graphics, highlighting those methods that make fewer assumptions, including nonparametric statistics and robust statistical measures”
Exploring Complex Survey Data Analysis Using R - “A Tidy Introduction with {srvyr} and {survey}”
If you’re working with large data sets that take time to read in, trying using vroom() to read them in much faster!
Working with Qualitative Data
Text Mining with R: A Tidy Approach - the basics of NLP with R, a great place to start
Data Visualization
Many of the other resources listed include sections on data visualization. However, the below may provide some additional inspiration:
The R Graph Gallery – Help and inspiration for R charts
Tidy Plots for Scientific Papers • tidyplots
shinylive- create and deploy Shiny apps without a server!
Free Online Videos
Posit::conf(2024) talks - varying topics, but inspiring and super informative
Free Online Events & Community Spaces
One of the best ways to keep growing in your R skills is to engage with other useRs! There are many conferences and events, both virtually and free or in-person, depending on your preferences and budget! You can also add this into your daily routine by connecting with or following others useRs on LinkedIn, BlueSky, or other social media of your choice! I have learned so much via examples other brilliant useRs have shared.
TidyTuesday - weekly exercises with associated Slack; post your results with #TidyTuesday!
Posit’s Data Science Hangout - weekly call, Thursday at noon EST
Free Online Courses
Many online courses are free or low-cost, such as Coursera’s Statistical Analysis with R for Public Health Specialization. Also, we suggest you consider what free resources you might be able to access through your connections or community. For example, veterans and military spouses can often get a free year-long account on Coursera or Udemy through their programs.