3 Common R Mistakes Beginners Make and How to Fix Them
Learning R can be exciting, but beginners often make mistakes that slow progress or break code. Here are three of the most common mistakes and how to fix them.
1. Not Installing or Loading the Right Packages
Many beginners try to use functions from a package without installing or loading it first. For example:
ggplot(data, aes(x, y)) + geom_point()
This will throw an error if ggplot2 is not installed or loaded.
How to fix it:
install.packages("ggplot2")
library(ggplot2)
Tip: Always check which package a function belongs to before running it.
2. Confusing Assignment Operators
R uses <- for assignment, but beginners sometimes use = incorrectly, leading to unexpected results:
x = 5 y <- 10 x + y
While = can work in some cases, <- is the standard for assignments.
How to fix it:
x <- 5 y <- 10 z <- x + y
Tip: Use = only for function arguments, e.g., mean(x = c(1,2,3)). Consistency is key.
3. Ignoring Data Types and Structure
R treats different data types differently. Mixing them up can cause errors:
x <- c("1", "2", "3")
sum(x)
This will fail because x is a character vector, not numeric.
How to fix it:
x <- as.numeric(x) sum(x)
Tip: Use str(your_data) to quickly inspect your dataset.
Bonus Tip: Use RStudio’s Help Features
- Press Ctrl + Space for autocomplete
- Use ?function_name to see documentation
- Check your environment and console for warnings