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The FAIRification of research in real-world evidence: A practical introduction to reproducible analytic workflows using Git and R
  • Jannick Weberpals,
  • Shirley Wang
Jannick Weberpals
Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Shirley Wang
Brigham and Women's Hospital Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics
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Abstract

Transparency and reproducibility are major prerequisites for conducting meaningful real-world evidence (RWE) studies that are fit for decision-making. Many advances have been made in the documentation and reporting of study protocols and results, but the principles for version control and sharing of analytic code in RWE are not yet as established as in other quantitative disciplines like computational biology and health informatics. In this practical tutorial, we aim to give an introduction to distributed version control systems (VCS) tailored towards the FAIR ( Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible) implementation of RWE studies. To ease adoption, we provide detailed step-by-step instructions with practical examples on how the Git VCS and R programming language can be implemented into RWE study workflows to facilitate reproducible analyses. We further discuss and showcase how these tools can be used to track changes, collaborate, disseminate and archive RWE studies through dedicated project repositories that maintain a complete audit trail of all relevant study documents.
13 Jul 2023Submitted to Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety
13 Jul 2023Submission Checks Completed
13 Jul 2023Assigned to Editor
13 Jul 2023Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
30 Aug 2023Reviewer(s) Assigned
09 Nov 2023Editorial Decision: Revise Minor