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Benefits of Dynamic Documents

'Dynamic Documents' are projects or papers that are developed using prominent tools such as R-markdown or JuPyTer notebooks (the two most prominent tools).
The salient features and benefits of this approach include:
  • Integrated data analysis and reporting means the data analysis (as well as math/simulations) is done and reported in the same space that the results and discussion are presented. This is made possible through the concealment of 'code blocks'.
  • Transparent reporting means you can track exactly what is being reported and how it was constructed:
    • Making the process a lot less error-prone
    • Helping readers understand it better (see 'explorable explanations')
    • Helping replicators and future researchers build on it
  • Other advantages of these formats (over PDFs for example) include:
    • Convenient ‘folding blocks’
    • Margin comments
    • Hoverable notes and links
    • Integrating interactive tools

Better examples, the case for dynamic documents

Also consider...
  • Elife's 'editable graphics'... Brett Viktor?
  • see corrigendum in journals Reinhart and Rogoff error?
  • open science MOOC in R markdown ...
  • OSF and all of their training/promo materials in OS

Reinstein's own examples

Some quick examples from my own work in progress (but other people have done it much better)

Other (randomly selected) examples