How to get started with Git for biomedical researchers

/ Anirvan Chatterjee

Learning basic Git is a pretty essential skill for biomedical researchers sharing code—and increasingly, data—with others.

Thankfully, there’s a wealth of helpful guides out there on how to get started. Here are 4 resources we recommend:

  1. Why use Git? Skim “Git can facilitate greater reproducibility and increased transparency in science” by Karthik Ram
  2. Are you a visual learner? Watch Data School’s Git and GitHub videos for beginners
  3. Want to learn by doing, and already have Git on your command line? Begin with Software Carpentry’s self-guided lesson on how to get started with Git
  4. Want to work with others? You’ll probably want to set up a free account on Github (the most commonly used Git hosting/collaboration site) — and if you want to upgrade, you can take advantage of their education discounts