R in Action, Second Edition

Part 2. Basic methods

In part 1, we explored the R environment and discussed how to input data from a wide variety of sources, combine and transform it, and prepare it for further analyses. Once your data has been input and cleaned up, the next step is typically to explore the variables one at a time. This provides you with information about the distribution of each variable, which is useful in understanding the characteristics of the sample, identifying unexpected or problematic values, and selecting appropriate statistical methods. Next, variables are typically studied two at a time. This can help you to uncover basic relationships among variables and is a useful first step in developing more complex models.

Part 2 focuses on graphical and ...