Rstandard

Rstandard is a proposed, open standard intended to improve interoperability, reproducibility, and clarity in data analysis workflows conducted with the R programming language. It defines a common framework for organizing projects, recording provenance, packaging code and data, and reporting results in a consistent, machine-readable form. While not universally adopted, Rstandard seeks to complement existing R practices by providing explicit guidance that can be adopted incrementally.

Core concepts include a standardized directory layout (data/, scripts/, outputs/, reports/), a metadata schema describing datasets and analyses, version control practices, and environments that ensure reproducibility (for example, using renv or packrat). It prescribes naming conventions for objects, scripts, and outputs, as well as templates for documentation and tests.

Implementation involves tooling and community guidelines. Supporting tools may include validators that check conformance to the standard, templates for R Markdown reports, and pre-defined CI configurations. The standard emphasizes licensing clarity, data provenance, and traceable analysis steps.

Status and reception: Rstandard is a developing standard with limited formal governance. A community-driven Working Group maintains the specification and collects feedback. Some research groups and institutions experiment with Rstandard-compliant projects, particularly where reproducibility and auditability are priorities. It is related to but distinct from package and project standards already used in R ecosystems, such as CRAN packaging guidelines, R Markdown reporting, and renv-based environments.

See also: R Markdown, renv, CRAN guidelines, data provenance.