Plotting in R
This week focuses on building and refining data visualizations in R—creating layered plots, using grouping and faceting to explore patterns, and communicating insights clearly through reproducible graphics.
This session will introduce the foundations of data visualization in R using the tidyverse and ggplot2. You will install and configure R and RStudio, learn the basic logic of the data science workflow, and become familiar with core R syntax needed for visualization. Drawing on principles from R for Data Science and Data Visualization: A Practical Introduction, the session will show how to create clear, layered graphics using the grammar of graphics, map data to visual aesthetics, and iteratively refine plots. By the end, you will be able to independently create and customize basic exploratory visualizations.
This session will deepen your skills in creating informative and refined visualizations using ggplot2 in R and introduce approaches to effectively communicate results. It will cover how to manage grouped data and apply faceting to generate small multiple plots that reveal patterns across subsets of a dataset. You will explore how to work with multiple geometric layers (geoms) to build plots incrementally and choose appropriate representations for different data structures. The session will also address communication principles, including labeling, scales, and using R Markdown/Quarto workflows to integrate graphics into reproducible reports for diverse audiences.
Drops on Monday, due the following Sunday