Reproducible research using minimalist plain text tools

Abstract

For many studies, particularly in the biomedical disciplines such as Epidemiology and biological sciences, a full replication is impossible. Therefore, if research is reproducible such that the data and code are disseminated widely and openly and made available for everyone to review and re-analyse, this may facilitate discovery of new knowledge and verification of claims. There are several barriers to the implementation of reproducible research: one of the identified barriers is the challenge of changing people's mindset of publishing and dissemination of results. We argue that using simple plain text tools and easy dissemination of research, codes, and data may help. In this article, I will discuss the the role and importance of using simple plain text based writing and data analysis tools can benefit dissemination of reproducible research by lowering the barrier to dissemination of robust research and findings. This article is both a discussion paper and a showcase.