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Structure

Brad Cannell edited this page Dec 15, 2023 · 11 revisions

This page contains notes on structure and arrangement of the repository, the textbook, and individual chapters. Please see the Wiki SOP for notes on structuring this Wiki.

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Structure of the repository

This section contains notes on the structure of the textbook repository and how that structure impacts the authoring process.

  • At the top level directory, there is a chapters folder.
  • Each chapter should have a folder inside the chapters folder.
    • The folders should share the name of the chapter as written in the table of contents.
    • We will not number the chapters as we did with Bookdown. When we number the chapters, any changes we make to the chapter order has a cascading effect through the other chapters. Luckily, Quarto makes it easy to set the chapter order in the _quarto.yml file without numbering.
    • Each chapter folder should be totally self-contained. It should contain the Quarto file used to author the chapter, all of the image files used in the chapter, and any other files used to create the chapter contents (e.g., PowerPoint). It was a pain to maintain a separate img folder in Bookdown.

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Structure of the book

Currently, the first half of the book is about using R and the second half of the book is about he second half of the book is about doing epidemiology. In the future, we may want to consider mixing it up a little bit more. For example, we’ve considered moving the Using R for Epidemiology chapter to the very beginning of the book. Additionally, we’ve considered placing the Descriptive Analysis part of the book closer to the chapters on measures of occurrence and measures of association – perhaps even combining them.

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Structure of each chapter

  • Each chapter should be a single contained idea.
  • I don’t think we actually need the pictures at the beginning of the chapters, the main points at the top of the chapter, or the summary at the end of the chapter. I looked at several other books and most of them don’t have these elements. Additionally, the Quarto book comes built-in with a table of contents, of and within, chapters.
  • Incorporate stories and visual aids.
    • Maybe every chapter doesn’t need to include stories. Maybe some chapters can be closer to purely technical guides. Is there some give-and-take there?
    • Try to gather the stories from many different kinds of people.

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Other ideas

  • Example 1. Ideal circumstances
  • Example 2. More realistic circumstances
  • At the end of every chapter:
    • What questions should I be asking myself if I’m considering this design/analysis?
    • Where to turn next?
  • Start and end each chapter with major takeaways. I hate having to flip around the book.
  • If you reference tables or graphics again, show them again. I hate having to flip around the book.

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