Writing code that works is one thing. Writing code that is clear, reusable, and easy to maintain is another.

In research and data analysis, it’s not enough to get results once. Your code should be structured in a way that allows you—and others—to understand it, reuse it, and confidently run it again in the future. Good coding practices are what make the difference.

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to write clean, readable, and reusable code. We’ll cover practical best practices such as organizing your projects effectively, structuring scripts and functions logically, writing meaningful comments, and documenting your work so it remains understandable over time.

We’ll also introduce tools like Git and GitHub to help you manage changes, collaborate efficiently, and keep your code under control.

Developing good habits may take a little extra effort at first—but it will save you time, reduce errors, and make your work more professional and sustainable in the long run.

Let’s move from code that just works to code that works well.

This workshop, which takes place over two mornings, will take you from setting up your project to publishing your code. In the first half of the workshop, you will reorganize your project into a good (folder) structure, enable version control using Git and GitHub, and improve the quality of your code and scripts. In the second half of the workshop, you will improve the documentation of your code and project, address software dependencies, licensing, and (optionally) publish your code in a repository and obtain a DOI.  

By the end of the workshop, you will have made steps in making your project more efficient and reproducible for yourself and others. You will leave the workshop familiar with techniques and tools for managing and publishing code, preparing you to continue working in line with open science and FAIR Software principles.   

 Prerequisites  

• This workshop is aimed at participants with intermediate knowledge of programming. The concepts covered in the workshop can be applied to most programming languages, though we primarily address R and Python in terms of examples and tools.  

• You are required to bring a project to the workshop. This does not need to be a complex project; even one script (and some associated data) will be sufficient - as long as there is room for reworking and improvement.  

• The workshop is open to participants from Utrecht University (UU) and UU-affiliated organizations (for example, UMC Utrecht) only.  

 Workshop preparation  

Participants will be required to do some installation and set-up prior to the workshop, so please be prepared to set aside 1-2 hours for this. The instructions will be emailed approximately one week before the workshop. Optional walk-in hours and drop-in calls will be available before the workshop to provide help with if needed.  

2 day workshop, each from 9:00-13:30h

Location: Bestuursgebouw Van Lier en Eggink room BG 024
 

If you have any questions, please contact us via info.rdm@uu.nl.