How to use this book

We begin with a short orientation. In this chapter we set out the daily cadence, the chapter template, and the conventions used throughout, so that the reader knows what to expect.

The daily cadence

Each day has the same shape:

  • Lecture content (~1 hour). Read the chapter, working through the examples in your own R session as you encounter them. Do not skip the examples; the chapter is designed to be read with R open.
  • Homework (~2 hours). Five to eight problems, with worked solutions at the end of the chapter. Attempt each problem before checking the solution.

The cadence assumes one chapter per day for five consecutive days. The boot camp may be compressed (two chapters per day across two-and-a-half days) or expanded (one chapter per week across a month) depending on the student’s other commitments; we leave the choice to the reader, since it depends somewhat on one’s other obligations.

Chapter template

Each chapter follows a five-section template, and we shall keep to it consistently:

  1. Learning objectives. A bulleted list of what the student should be able to do by the end of the day.
  2. Lecture. The substantive content for the day, with inline examples to run.
  3. Worked example. A small but realistic biomedical example that uses the day’s content end to end.
  4. Homework. Problems organized from easier to harder.
  5. Solutions. Worked solutions to all homework problems. Read only after attempting the problem.

We note that there are no quizzes, no examinations, and no tests in this book. That is, self-assessment proceeds entirely through the homework solutions.

Conventions

The visual cues used throughout the book are described on the Conventions page. This book is R-first; the style follows tidyverse conventions, which we have found to be relatively straightforward to read:

  • The native pipe |> is used throughout (not %>%).
  • Assignment uses <- (not =).
  • Variable names use snake_case.
  • Code lines are wrapped at 78 characters.

Companion volumes

After the boot camp, the reader may wish to continue; the four follow-on volumes are at:

The end of Chapter 5 lists which companion volume picks up which thread.