Try to follow how you created formulas in Excel for analysis
Make sure to not inadvertently change any Excel cell values
Redo making of Excel figure(s) (often from scratch)
Remember to copy new figure(s) into Word document
Remember to update values in modified Word document
This process is often tedious and frustrating.
What if there was a better way?
Use R!
What is R?
R is a completely free software package and language for statistical analysis and graphics.
It excels in helping you with
data manipulation
automation
reproducibility
improved accuracy
error finding
customizability
Any downsides?
Learning how to use R
RStudio, R Markdown, & me!
RStudio is a powerful user interface that helps you get better control of your analysis.
It is also completely free.
You can write your entire paper/report (text, code, analysis, graphics, etc.) all in R Markdown.
If you need to update any of your code, R Markdown will automatically update your plots and output of your analysis and will create an updated PDF file.
No more copy-and-paste!
My main responsibility in this position is to help members of the Reed community learn R and help them with their analysis and graphics.