RMarkdowns

RMarkdowns refers to documents created with the R Markdown framework, a tool in the R ecosystem that blends narrative prose with executable code to produce reproducible analyses and reports. They fuse markdown formatting with embedded code, enabling researchers and analysts to document methods, results, and interpretations in a single, executable file. The plural form highlights that many such documents can be produced and maintained within a project.

Each RMarkdown document is written in plain text with a .Rmd extension and typically contains a YAML metadata header, human-readable text, and code chunks. The code chunks, written in languages such as R (and other languages supported by knitr), are executed when the document is rendered, and their results are integrated into the final output along with any plotted figures or tables. Inline code expressions allow dynamic values to appear directly in the narrative.

Rendering uses the knitr package to execute code and weave results into the document, combined with pandoc to convert the processed content into various final formats. Common outputs include HTML, PDF, Word documents, and presentations such as HTML slides or Beamer beamer slides. The output type is specified in the YAML header, with options like html_document, pdf_document, word_document, ioslides_presentation, or beamer_presentation. R Markdown documents can also incorporate parameters, caching, and templates to streamline repetitive reporting and ensure consistency across reports.

Typical uses of RMarkdowns include reproducible data analyses, data visualization narratives, research reports, and teaching materials. They support narrative text interleaved with code, results, and graphics, promoting transparency and reproducibility. Requirements include Pandoc and, for PDF output, a LaTeX distribution; many users rely on RStudio for an integrated authoring and rendering environment.