1 What is RPubs?

RPubs is a free web hosting service for R Markdown documents. It allows you to: - Publish R Markdown files as professional HTML documents - Share a permanent public URL - Build a portfolio of your work - Demonstrate reproducible research practices

Example: https://rpubs.com/muntasir_masum/review_552

2 One-Time Setup

2.1 1. Create an RPubs Account

  1. Go to https://rpubs.com/ in your web browser
  2. Click “Register” (top right corner)
  3. Choose a username (will appear in your URLs)
    • Example: john_smith or jsmith_ualbany
    • Keep it professional and simple
    • No spaces or special characters
  4. Enter your email address
  5. Create a strong password
  6. Click “Register”
  7. Check your email for a confirmation link
  8. Click the confirmation link to activate your account

✓ Success! Your RPubs account is ready

2.2 2. Connect RStudio to RPubs

  1. Open RStudio
  2. Click Tools menu (top menu bar)
  3. Select Global Options…
  4. Click “Publishing” in the left sidebar
  5. Click the “Connect…” button
  6. A window will appear - select “RPubs”
  7. A web browser window opens automatically
  8. Log in with your RPubs username and password
  9. Click “Authorize” to allow RStudio to publish
  10. Return to RStudio when finished
  11. You should see “Authorized” confirmation

✓ Success! RStudio is now connected to your RPubs account

3 Publishing Your First Document

3.1 Step 1: Prepare Your R Markdown File

Make sure your document has: - A title and author name in the YAML header - Output format set to html_document

Example YAML header:

---
title: "EPI 553: Assignment Title"
author: "Your Name"
date: "2026-01-20"
output:
  html_document:
    theme: flatly
    toc: true
    toc_float: true
---

3.2 Step 2: Render to HTML

  1. Open your R Markdown file (.Rmd) in RStudio
  2. Click the “Knit” button (top toolbar)
    • Keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Shift+K
  3. Wait for the document to render
  4. Your HTML document appears in the Viewer pane (bottom right)

⚠ Troubleshooting: If Knit fails, check for errors in the console below and fix them before publishing

3.3 Step 3: Publish to RPubs

  1. After successfully rendering, look for the blue “Publish” button in the Viewer pane (top right)
  2. Click the “Publish” button
    • Alternative: Click ▼ next to Knit → “Publish Document”
  3. A dialog box appears with options

3.4 Step 4: Configure Your Publication

In the “Publish” dialog:

  1. Account: Should show “RPubs”
  2. Title: Enter a descriptive title
    • Example: EPI 553: Week 1 Setup Checklist - Smith
  3. Slug: Enter a short URL identifier
    • Example: epi553_week1_setup_smith
    • Only letters, numbers, underscores, hyphens
    • No spaces
  4. Review your information
  5. Click “Publish”

3.5 Step 5: View & Share Your Published Document

  1. Your browser opens automatically with your published document
  2. Copy the URL from the address bar
  3. Save this URL for submission to Brightspace
  4. Test that the document looks correct
  5. Share with others if desired

✓ Success! Your document is now published on RPubs!

4 Updating Your Published Document

You can update a published document anytime:

  1. Make changes to your R Markdown file
  2. Click Knit to render the updated HTML
  3. Click Publish again
  4. Keep the same Slug (URL name)
  5. Click “Publish” to update
  6. Your RPubs document is now updated

Note: The URL stays the same, but the content updates

5 Best Practices

5.1 Naming Conventions

Use consistent naming patterns: - epi553_week1_lastname - epi553_hw1_lastname - epi553_finalproject_lastname

Benefits: - Easy to find in your RPubs profile - Professional appearance - Shows organization

5.2 Professional Presentation

In your R Markdown file: - Include your full name as author - Add the course number in the title - Include the date the work was completed - Use clear section headings - Add descriptive comments in code - Explain your analysis results

5.3 Privacy & Professionalism

⚠ Important: RPubs documents are PUBLIC

  • Only publish work you’re comfortable sharing with anyone
  • Never include confidential or sensitive information
  • Keep your username professional
  • Your username appears in every URL you publish

6 Submission to Brightspace

6.1 For EPI 553 Assignments

  1. Publish to RPubs (following steps above)
  2. Copy your RPubs URL
  3. Go to Brightspace → EPI 553 → Assignments
  4. Find the assignment submission area
  5. Submit your HTML file to Brightspace (required)
  6. Paste your RPubs link in the comments (optional but encouraged)
  7. Add any notes about your work
  8. Click Submit

Summary: - ✓ HTML file uploaded to Brightspace (required) - ✓ RPubs link in comments (recommended)

7 Troubleshooting

7.1 Common Problems & Solutions

7.1.1 “Publish button is greyed out”

Cause: Document didn’t render successfully

Solution: 1. Check console for error messages 2. Fix any R errors 3. Click Knit again 4. Publish button should appear

7.1.2 “Cannot connect to RPubs”

Cause: Authorization issue

Solution: 1. Go to Tools → Global Options → Publishing 2. Click “Connect” again 3. Re-authorize RPubs access 4. Try publishing again

7.1.3 “Document failed to publish”

Cause: Various possible issues

Solution: 1. Check your internet connection 2. Ensure document size is reasonable (<25MB) 3. Remove any problematic characters from the slug 4. Try again in a few minutes 5. Email Dr. Masum if problem persists

7.1.4 “What’s my RPubs username?”

Solution: 1. Go to https://rpubs.com/ 2. Log in 3. Your username appears in the URL: https://rpubs.com/yourusername 4. Look at your profile page

9 Questions?

About RPubs Publishing: - RPubs FAQ: https://rpubs.com/about - Dr. Masum’s Office Hours: Tues & Thurs, 10:20-11:30 am - Yiming Wang’s Office Hours: Mon & Wed, 11:30 am - 4:30 pm

Your RPubs Profile: - Your profile URL: https://rpubs.com/yourusername - Shows all documents you’ve published - Good to share with employers or on your resume!

Happy Publishing! 🚀

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