# PSY 652 Project

This is the working project for PSY 652 labs. You'll use this folder all semester.

## Folder tour

```
PSY652_project/
├── PSY652_project.Rproj   ← open this first; it anchors your working directory
├── README.md              ← you are here
├── data/                  ← course datasets (.Rds), plus the .xlsx and .sav files you add in later labs
├── programs/              ← your .qmd lab notebooks and .R scripts live here
├── documentation/         ← your own project documentation (data provenance, your codebook) + references.bib
└── output/                ← finalized deliverables (project charts, PDFs, reports)
```

**Why this layout matters.** Keeping source data, working code, documentation, and output in separate folders is the way real research projects stay organized. It also plays well with the `here` package: as long as you open `PSY652_project.Rproj` first, every path in your code can be written relative to this root (e.g., `here("data", "nsduh_20092019.Rds")`) and will work on any computer.

## Getting started

1. Double-click `PSY652_project.Rproj` — it opens the project in RStudio and sets this folder as the working directory.
2. In the Files pane, open the lab notebook for the current week (e.g., `programs/m02_lab.qmd`). Each of the first few labs ships as its own notebook; `programs/lab_template.qmd` is a clean skeleton you copy to start each new lab from Module 6 on, and `programs/lab_template_annotated.qmd` is the same skeleton with a comment on every line — an annotated reference you read but do not edit.
3. The M02 lab walks you through opening the project, rendering a notebook, and backing everything up to GitHub.
