One of the workshops at the Open Science Festival 2023 on July 4th, entitled “Python Introduction for Research Analysis” was hosted by Rabea Müller and Vanessa Scharf. With great enthusiasm, 11 participants took part in this live coding session to expand their knowledge of Python and equip themselves to conduct research analysis. A report on the workshop by Rabea Müller.

The workshop started with an overview of the basics of programming in Python. Participants learned how to link comments and code in the Jupyter Notebook, which enabled them to make the code understandable and comprehensible.

Next, the simple data types in Python were covered, including numbers, strings and booleans. Participants learned how to create, manipulate and combine these data types to perform complex operations. Basic calculations were demonstrated using operators such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Another important aspect of the workshop was the introduction to functions and methods. The participants learned how to use functions of the Python core language and how to apply them to variables. This allows them to organise blocks of code and create reusable sections to make their research analyses more efficient.

A crucial component of data analysis in Python are lists and dictionaries. Participants were introduced to these data structures and learned how to create, add, remove and access elements. This enabled them to effectively manage collections of data in their analyses.

In addition, the workshop covered for-loops and conditional statements. Participants recognised the importance of these concepts for automating tasks and processing large amounts of data. By using loops and conditions, researchers can control complex processes in their code and handle repetitive tasks more efficiently.

The workshop “Python Introduction for Research Analysis” at the Open Science Festival at ZB MED was a great success. The participants expanded their skills in Python and are now able to use this versatile programming tool for their research analyses. The Open Science Festival and ZB MED provided valuable support to advance the participants in their pursuit of open science and digital research.

More information:

• Jupyter Notebook of the workshop: https://doi.org/10.4126/FRL01-006453195 

• If you are interested in more workshops and events on Open Science and research analysis, keep an eye out for upcoming ZB MED events and subscribe to our Newsletter Trainings. We look forward to accompanying you in your scientific discoveries!

• On our YouTube channel you can also find videos and tutorials on these topics. Check out for example our video series ZB MED LAB or download our Whitepaper on Python.

DOI (Digitalausgabe): https://doi.org/10.48664/3sbk-xv40