As I have developed as a scientist I’ve become more engaged in open, reproducible science, and now I think it’s the only way to go. There are so many free tools and resources available, and instruction and access are getting easier all the time, thanks to groups like RStudio, rOpenSci, GitHub, Software Carpentry, and many others. I think there are two main obstacles for scientists to become programmers and use these tools: exposure and confidence. But once scientists are exposed to the power and beauty of these tools, they will gain confidence through practice and soon they will be using them for all aspects of their workflow, from reading in ‘untidy’ spreadsheets to displaying interactive graphics online. And it will happen sooner than you think.
I’ve found the following blogs and articles to be really valuable as I’ve become a data scientist.