21. Reproducible workflows

Griffin Chure gave a guest lecture on reproducible workflows and using version control software to facilitate them. He inspired us to do this because “Everything you do as a scientist is for other people to use.”

Guidelines for reproducible research

He gave five guidelines to keep in mind when conducting research.

  1. Reproducibility starts from project inception, not completion.

  2. Draft the layout of your analysis, even if you don’t know how it will change.

  3. Document as you go along, not when your colleague wants to use your code.

  4. Separate your code by what it does, not when you’d use it.

  5. Sunlight (UV) is the best disinfectant. Work in the open unless legally forbidden.