R For Dummies

Master the programming language of choice among statisticians and data analysts worldwide

Coming to grips with R can be tough, even for seasoned statisticians and data analysts. Enter R For Dummies, the quick, easy way to master all the R you′ll ever need. Requiring no prior programming experience and packed with practical examples, easy, step–by–step exercises, and sample code, this extremely accessible guide is the ideal introduction to R for complete beginners. It also covers many concepts that intermediate–level programmers will find extremely useful.

• Master your R ABCs get up to speed in no time with the basics, from installing and configuring R to writing simple scripts and performing simultaneous calculations on many variables
• Put data in its place get to know your way around lists, data frames, and other R data structures while learning to interact with other programs, such as Microsoft Excel
• Make data dance to your tune learn how to reshape and manipulate data, merge data sets, split and combine data, perform calculations on vectors and arrays, and much more
• Visualize it learn to use R′s powerful data visualization features to create beautiful and informative graphical presentations of your data
• Get statistical find out how to do simple statistical analysis, summarize your variables, and conduct classic statistical tests, such as t–tests
• Expand and customize R get the lowdown on how to find, install, and make the most of add–on packages created by the global R community for a wide variety of purposes

Open the book and find:

• Help downloading, installing, and configuring R
• Tips for getting data in and out of R
• Ways to use data frames and lists to organize data
• How to manipulate and process data
• Advice on fitting regression models and ANOVA
• Helpful hints for working with graphics
• How to code in R
• What R mailing lists and forums can do for you

Learn to:

• Use R for data analysis and processing
• Write functions and scripts for repeatable analysis
• Create high–quality charts and graphics
• Perform statistical analysis and build models

Andrie de Vries is a market research consultant specializing in surveys, statistical analysis, and strategy.

Joris Meys is a statistician and R programmer with the faculty of bio–engineering at the University of Ghent.