Introduction to ggplot2

A focused, practical introduction to creating clear and informative data visualisations in R using the ggplot2 package. Participants learn how ggplot2 uses the grammar of graphics to build plots from data, aesthetic mappings and graphical layers. They then apply this framework to explore relationships, distributions, differences between groups and the composition of categorical data.

Using the built-in mpg dataset throughout, participants progressively create and refine scatterplots, density plots, histograms, boxplots and bar charts. The workshop also covers adding labels, using facets, improving readability and saving completed plots. The emphasis is on selecting and constructing visualisations that answer a particular question and communicate results clearly.

This workshop focuses on data visualisation and does not cover statistical analysis.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Explain how data, aesthetic mappings and geometric objects combine to form a ggplot2 visualisation.