communicate.qmd

# Communicate {#sec-communicate-intro .unnumbered}

```{r}
#| echo: false

source("_common.R")
```

So far, you've learned the tools to get your data into R, tidy it into a form convenient for analysis, and then understand your data through transformation, and visualization.
However, it doesn't matter how great your analysis is unless you can explain it to others: you need to **communicate** your results.

```{r}
#| label: fig-ds-communicate
#| echo: false
#| fig-cap: |
#|   Communication is the final part of the data science process; if you
#|   can't communicate your results to other humans, it doesn't matter how
#|   great your analysis is.
#| fig-alt: |
#|   A diagram displaying the data science cycle with
#|   communicate highlighed in blue.
#| out.width: NULL

knitr::include_graphics("diagrams/data-science/communicate.png", dpi = 270)
```

Communication is the theme of the following two chapters:

-   In @sec-quarto, you will learn about Quarto, a tool for integrating prose, code, and results.
    You can use Quarto for analyst-to-analyst communication as well as analyst-to-decision-maker communication.
    Thanks to the power of Quarto formats, you can even use the same document for both purposes.

-   In @sec-quarto-formats, you'll learn a little about the many other varieties of outputs you can produce using Quarto, including dashboards, websites, and books.

These chapters focus mostly on the technical mechanics of communication, not the really hard problems of communicating your thoughts to other humans.
However, there are lot of other great books about communication, which we'll point you to at the end of each chapter.