R Markdown Reflection

Author : David Sanchez
Date : November 17 2025

For this assignment, I got a chance to actually work inside an R Markdown file instead of just hearing about it. I learned that Markdown syntax is pretty simple once you get used to it using # for headings, *...* for italics, **...** for bold, and dashes for lists. It feels more like “plain text with meaning” than a traditional word processor. I also experimented with LaTeX math, which let me write equations directly in the document using $...$ for inline math and $$...$$ for bigger, centered formulas.

One thing I really liked was how code chunks and narrative sections work together. I can explain what I’m doing in regular sentences, then put a code chunk right underneath and show the results or a plot. When I knit the document, the code runs and the output appears in the final report automatically, so I don’t have to copy and paste results from the console. It makes the whole workflow feel more organized and reproducible.

I did run into a couple of challenges while authoring and knitting. At first, I forgot that any plain text inside a code chunk has to be commented out, which caused errors when I tried to knit. I also had to be careful with backticks and chunk headers, because one missing “` can break the entire document. After fixing those small mistakes, the knitting process made more sense, and I could see how powerful this format is for combining analysis and explanation.

You can see my R Markdown file and the rendered output here:
My GitHub Repository