Semester Project
Documentation using Github Issues
Announcement 📣
Next steps are focused on setting up a clean, reproducible workflow and making progress visible over the semester.
1) Create a GitHub repository 🔒
Each group must create a PRIVATE GitHub repository for the semester project.
Requirements
- Repository is PRIVATE (not public)
- Repository includes all group members as collaborators
- Invite the instructor as a collaborator:
Instructor GitHub username: adriancorrendo
IMPORTANT: you need to use RStudio on your local machines (not PositCloud) for editing the repository files and pushing to the remote version of the repo. If you need help with GitHub, please check with the instructor as soon as possible.
2) Use GitHub Issues to document weekly progress ✅
Once the repository is created, start an Issues workflow. Issues are how you will document progress and responsibilities during the semester.
What to do
- Create a set of Issues that reflect your project tasks, for example:
- “Import raw data + check structure”
- “Define data dictionary (variable definitions + units)”
- “Data cleaning: missing values + outliers”
- “Wrangling: merge files / reshape tables”
- “EDA: key plots + summary tables”
- “Modeling plan + first model”
- “Draft report outline (Quarto)”
- “Finalize results tables/figures”
- “Import raw data + check structure”
- For each Issue, include:
- a short description of what needs to be done
- a checklist of subtasks (optional but recommended)
- notes on decisions made (e.g., what cleaning rules you used)
- a short description of what needs to be done
Assign responsibility 👤
GitHub lets you assign an Issue to someone.
- Use Assignees to indicate who is responsible for that Issue.
- You can also add labels (e.g.,
data-cleaning,analysis,writing,bug).
Weekly expectation 📅
Every week, your repository should show progress: - closing at least one Issue or
- moving an Issue forward with comments, commits, or partial deliverables
Even small steps count (e.g., “created data dictionary draft”, “import script created”, “renamed variables”, “EDA plots started”).
3) Everyone must commit + push at least once (and ideally weekly) 🔁
All members must contribute to the repository by:
- making at least one commit with a meaningful message
- pushing to GitHub
Use the course GitHub lesson as your guide: https://adriancorrendo.github.io/plnt6530/coding/week_02/03_versioncontrol.html
Commit messages matter ✍️
Use clear messages like: - “Import raw dataset and save as CSV”
- “Clean variable names and define units”
- “Add EDA plots for yield and defoliation”
- “Create Quarto report skeleton + outline”
4) Schedule 30-minute office hours before end of February 🗓️
Each group must schedule a 30-minute meeting with the instructor to discuss: - scope and feasibility
- data plan and cleaning steps
- analysis plan
- reproducibility workflow and repo organization
Meeting format: - In-person or Zoom (both OK)
To schedule: email the instructor at
acorrend@uoguelph.ca
Please include: - your group name
- 2–3 possible time windows
- whether you prefer in-person or Zoom