Discussion Papers: Closed
R is a widely-used, open source programming language and statistical environment. Users are able to contribute add-ons to R functionality in a standardised way by developing new software ‘packages’. However, identifying which packages are most useful for a specific task can be challenging, particularly for evidence synthesis (ES) projects which typically include a number of discrete tasks, many using packages that may have been designed for other purposes. Consequently, a valuable tool for future researchers (and hackathons) would be a ‘map’ of available software packages, showing how those packages apply to ES. This would help guide new users through effective workflows, as well as identifying parts of the evidence synthesis process that are currently well supported in R, or conversely, in need of further software development. This project is currently in the data collection phase, wherein participants systematically search for R packages of potential value to ES projects and catalogue their findings in a structured way. The intended output is an academic article describing our findings, linked to a live database of R packages, the functions they contain, and the specific ES tasks that they each solve.