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for_members [2019/07/12 17:10] – [General guidelines for conducting research in the Oncinfo Lab] adminfor_members [2019/10/23 20:01] – [General guidelines for conducting research in the Oncinfo Lab] admin
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 ==== General guidelines for conducting research in the Oncinfo Lab ==== ==== General guidelines for conducting research in the Oncinfo Lab ====
  
-  - To join the Oncinfo Lab, you need to: \\ a) Be __organized and disciplined__, otherwise your efforts will be fruitless and lost even if you make important discoveries. Other lab members will enjoy working with you if your code is clean and you can clearly talk about your project. \\ b) __Hard working__, otherwise even a genius will not get to anywhere if they do not move. \\ c) __Talented__. Nobody knows everything that is needed to do multidisciplinary research.You should be able to learn many things that you were not thought in courses, and find novel solutions for small and big challenges that you face because you are the first person who is working on your specific study.  \\ d) __Knowledgeable__  \\+  - To join the Oncinfo Lab, you need to: \\ a) Be __organized and disciplined__, otherwise your efforts will be fruitless and lost even if you make important discoveries. Other lab members will enjoy working with you if your code is clean and you can clearly talk about your project. \\ b) __Work hard__, otherwise even a genius will not get to anywhere if they do not move. \\ c) Be __talented__. Nobody knows everything that is needed to do multidisciplinary research.You should be able to learn many things that you were not thought in courses. You often need to find novel solutions for small and big challenges that you face because you are the first person who is working on your specific study. \\ d) Be __knowledgeable__  because we are not interested in reinventing the wheel. \\ The above items are ordered based on importance. The most critical one is **discipline**.
   - All Google docs that need to be edited by lab members should be put in Oncinfo [[https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#folders/0B5Cpru0UXP0adTZTckg3aEd4SEE|folder]]. They should be kept confidential. Send your gmail address to Habil to get access to this folder. Remind him to add you his Oncinfo Google group. Then, create a subfolder with your name there, and create a google doc in your subfolder. Copy all items from this "For members" page to that google doc, and write "**Done**", "**Todo**", "**Skip**" in front of each item.   - All Google docs that need to be edited by lab members should be put in Oncinfo [[https://drive.google.com/?tab=mo&authuser=0#folders/0B5Cpru0UXP0adTZTckg3aEd4SEE|folder]]. They should be kept confidential. Send your gmail address to Habil to get access to this folder. Remind him to add you his Oncinfo Google group. Then, create a subfolder with your name there, and create a google doc in your subfolder. Copy all items from this "For members" page to that google doc, and write "**Done**", "**Todo**", "**Skip**" in front of each item.
 +  - If you have a lab computer, add the tag number written on the back of the laptop, your name, and the date you start using it in the [[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A6ouCCPov5VXt7xBCdTh7Cwc6jtPJGGJlekmGnKL5JY/edit#gid=441648294|table]] of computers.
   - Pass the online training courses required by the University e.g., conflict of interest, safety, etc.   - Pass the online training courses required by the University e.g., conflict of interest, safety, etc.
   - All experiments and analysis are done on Unix. That is a __real__  Unix system like Linux, OS X, etc., NOT a virtual machine. Start with a [[http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/|tutorial]] for beginners or the [[http://nebc.nerc.ac.uk/downloads/courses/Bio-Linux/bl8_latest.pdf|introduction]] to Bio-Linux.   - All experiments and analysis are done on Unix. That is a __real__  Unix system like Linux, OS X, etc., NOT a virtual machine. Start with a [[http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Teaching/Unix/|tutorial]] for beginners or the [[http://nebc.nerc.ac.uk/downloads/courses/Bio-Linux/bl8_latest.pdf|introduction]] to Bio-Linux.
   - [[http://www.r-project.org/|R]] is primarily used for statistical analysis and other scripting purposes in Oncinfo Lab. [[https://www.coursera.org/course/rprog|This]] is a good online course on R which takes about 1 month to complete. A couple of days should be enough to read [[http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.pdf|this]] good guide for starters to get the basis ideas, or cover the [[http://www.r-tutor.com/r-introduction|introduction]] section from R-Tutorial. [[https://www.datacamp.com/|DataCamp]] facilitates reading about R and running examples at the same time using a browser . Those who know R to some extend can use the book Bioinformatics with R {{:bioinformatics-r-cookbook.pdf|Cookbook}}  or [[http://adv-r.had.co.nz/|Advanced]] R by Hadley Wickham to gradually learn more as they proceed in a project. The next step after learning R is to learn [[http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v12/n2/full/nmeth.3252.html|Bioconductor]] .   - [[http://www.r-project.org/|R]] is primarily used for statistical analysis and other scripting purposes in Oncinfo Lab. [[https://www.coursera.org/course/rprog|This]] is a good online course on R which takes about 1 month to complete. A couple of days should be enough to read [[http://cran.r-project.org/doc/manuals/R-intro.pdf|this]] good guide for starters to get the basis ideas, or cover the [[http://www.r-tutor.com/r-introduction|introduction]] section from R-Tutorial. [[https://www.datacamp.com/|DataCamp]] facilitates reading about R and running examples at the same time using a browser . Those who know R to some extend can use the book Bioinformatics with R {{:bioinformatics-r-cookbook.pdf|Cookbook}}  or [[http://adv-r.had.co.nz/|Advanced]] R by Hadley Wickham to gradually learn more as they proceed in a project. The next step after learning R is to learn [[http://www.nature.com/nmeth/journal/v12/n2/full/nmeth.3252.html|Bioconductor]] .
-  - Using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emacs|Emacs]] as a powerful, general purpose, text editor is encouraged ([[http://www2.lib.uchicago.edu/keith/tcl-course/emacs-tutorial.html|tutorial]]). In terminal, you can start it by typing emacs even in an SSH session. On Ubuntu you can simply install Emacs using Software Center, or by Package Synaptics, or by the following command: sudo apt-get install emacs. On OS X, you can install [[https://emacsformacosx.com/|Emacs]] For MAC OS X, which is better than Aquamacs. Another option is [[https://vigou3.gitlab.io/emacs-modified-macos/|Emacs Modified for macOS]], which supports [[https://ess.r-project.org/|ESS]] and [[https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/|AUCTeX]]. You can customize your emacs by editing .emacs file. Feel free to copy some, but not all, commands from Habil's .emacs file for [[https://www.dropbox.com/s/pdt6fbho57k421d/emacs_UTosx2018?dl=0|macOS]]. As of 2019, his favorite packages include: tabbar, tabbar-ruler, rainbow-delimiters, idle-highlight-in-visible-buffers-mode, auto-highlight-symbol, auto-complete-auctex, and auto-complete.+  - Using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emacs|Emacs]] as a powerful, general purpose, text editor is [[https://robertamezquita.github.io/post/2017-04-07-my-emacs-setup/|encouraged]] ([[http://www2.lib.uchicago.edu/keith/tcl-course/emacs-tutorial.html|tutorial]]). In terminal, you can start it by typing emacs even in an SSH session. On Ubuntu you can simply install Emacs using Software Center, or by Package Synaptics, or by the following command: ''sudo apt-get install emacs''. On OS X, you can install [[https://emacsformacosx.com/|Emacs]] For MAC OS X, which is better than Aquamacs. A less recommended option is [[https://vigou3.gitlab.io/emacs-modified-macos/|Emacs Modified for macOS]], which supports [[https://ess.r-project.org/|ESS]] and [[https://www.gnu.org/software/auctex/|AUCTeX]]. You can customize your emacs by editing .emacs file. Feel free to copy some, but not all, commands from Habil's .emacs file for [[https://www.dropbox.com/s/pdt6fbho57k421d/emacs_UTosx2018|macOS]]. As of 2019, his favorite packages include: tabbar, tabbar-ruler, rainbow-delimiters, idle-highlight-in-visible-buffers-mode, auto-highlight-symbol, auto-complete-auctex, auto-complete, and ess.
   - Using proprietary file formats is not professional when you are sharing information (e.g., your CV) with others. The pdf and png formats are OK and portable. Use Google Docs instead of .docx, and Google Presentation instead of .ppt.   - Using proprietary file formats is not professional when you are sharing information (e.g., your CV) with others. The pdf and png formats are OK and portable. Use Google Docs instead of .docx, and Google Presentation instead of .ppt.
   - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsofH466lqk|This]] video illustrates transcription ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_(genetics)|wikipedia]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MfSYnItYvg|video 2]]), more videos on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEWOZS_JTgk|gene expression]] ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression|wikipedia]]), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYf_rPWUdY|translation]] ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLEDd-PSTQ|detailed]]), etc.   - [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsofH466lqk|This]] video illustrates transcription ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcription_(genetics)|wikipedia]], [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MfSYnItYvg|video 2]]), more videos on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEWOZS_JTgk|gene expression]] ([[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_expression|wikipedia]]), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYf_rPWUdY|translation]] ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bLEDd-PSTQ|detailed]]), etc.
   - All members should know about central [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology|dogma]] of biology which is almost enough biological knowledge to start the majority of projects [[:dogma.pdf?media=dogma.pdf|pdf]]]. Familiarity with some basic concepts such as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exon|exon]], intron, etc. is helpful. Watch [[https://www.dnalc.org/resources/3d/|animations]] from DNA Learning Center.   - All members should know about central [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_dogma_of_molecular_biology|dogma]] of biology which is almost enough biological knowledge to start the majority of projects [[:dogma.pdf?media=dogma.pdf|pdf]]]. Familiarity with some basic concepts such as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exon|exon]], intron, etc. is helpful. Watch [[https://www.dnalc.org/resources/3d/|animations]] from DNA Learning Center.
   - Any file or data on this wiki that has restricted permissions, such as some paper pdfs or drafts, should not be shared with nonmembers unless authorized by the PI.   - Any file or data on this wiki that has restricted permissions, such as some paper pdfs or drafts, should not be shared with nonmembers unless authorized by the PI.
 +  - For future reference, please add the link to your presentations and drafts on the [[https://oncinfo.org/drafts|drafts]] page. At a minimum, please include: the author, the date, the audience, and the subject.
   - All members should read and follow [[http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000424|Bill's]] guidelines, and organize their files and folders accordingly and to some extend. Start by making a "~/proj" directory in your home folder that will eventually contain a subfolder for each project you are working on. Major subfolders must have a readme file for example to describe where the data is coming from. Your code folder must include a runall.R script that sources other scripts. Avoid sourcing scripts in other scripts except for the runall because then following and debugging the pipeline would be difficult.   - All members should read and follow [[http://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000424|Bill's]] guidelines, and organize their files and folders accordingly and to some extend. Start by making a "~/proj" directory in your home folder that will eventually contain a subfolder for each project you are working on. Major subfolders must have a readme file for example to describe where the data is coming from. Your code folder must include a runall.R script that sources other scripts. Avoid sourcing scripts in other scripts except for the runall because then following and debugging the pipeline would be difficult.
   - Your code and documents should be stored in a Bitbucket repository like [[https://bitbucket.org/habilzare/genetwork|https://bitbucket.org/habilzare/genetwork]]. Sign up for an [[https://bitbucket.org/account/signup/|account]] and add your photo. Do NOT sign in using your Google account. Only then, send your username to Habil. If you are new to Bitbucket, take [[https://guides.co/g/bitbucket-101/11146|Bitbucket 101]]. You can [[https://confluence.atlassian.com/bitbucket/use-the-ssh-protocol-with-bitbucket-cloud-221449711.html|avoid]] having to manually type a password each time you pull using ssh. To add a key, click on your photo at the top right corner of Bitbucket page, Bitbucket settings, SSH keys, Add key. This trick is not appropriate for TACC clusters because we should not change our .ssh folder there. On the cluster, use https to clone instead of ssh. Do NOT mess up with other's git folders on the cluster. You should //only//  clone, pull, and push in your own home or work directory. Do NOT skip this step. Before changing anything in a repository, read and abide to the conventions described in the main readme file.   - Your code and documents should be stored in a Bitbucket repository like [[https://bitbucket.org/habilzare/genetwork|https://bitbucket.org/habilzare/genetwork]]. Sign up for an [[https://bitbucket.org/account/signup/|account]] and add your photo. Do NOT sign in using your Google account. Only then, send your username to Habil. If you are new to Bitbucket, take [[https://guides.co/g/bitbucket-101/11146|Bitbucket 101]]. You can [[https://confluence.atlassian.com/bitbucket/use-the-ssh-protocol-with-bitbucket-cloud-221449711.html|avoid]] having to manually type a password each time you pull using ssh. To add a key, click on your photo at the top right corner of Bitbucket page, Bitbucket settings, SSH keys, Add key. This trick is not appropriate for TACC clusters because we should not change our .ssh folder there. On the cluster, use https to clone instead of ssh. Do NOT mess up with other's git folders on the cluster. You should //only//  clone, pull, and push in your own home or work directory. Do NOT skip this step. Before changing anything in a repository, read and abide to the conventions described in the main readme file.
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   - If you are unfamiliar with prior, posterior, and likelihood, read about [[http://%5Bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_inference|Bayesian inference]].   - If you are unfamiliar with prior, posterior, and likelihood, read about [[http://%5Bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayesian_inference|Bayesian inference]].
   - To use ref.bib bibliography in bibtex, do the following: \\ a) cd proj \\ b) git clone [[mailto:git@bitbucket.org:habilzare/refs.git|git@bitbucket.org:habilzare/refs.git]] \\  c) At the bottom of your LaTeX document, write: \\  \bibliography{\detokenize{~/proj/refs/refs}} \\  d) To add a new entry, find the appropriate format using "Google Scholar Button" (see above, click on the quotation mark at the to right, and then BibTeX at the bottom) copy the entry and see if it is already in the refs.bib file. If not, add it in "**its right location"**  (i.e., key are alphabetically ordered) and push. Use the key with the \cite command in your LaTeX file. To compile, use pdflatex, bibtex (without .tex), and pdflatex *2.   - To use ref.bib bibliography in bibtex, do the following: \\ a) cd proj \\ b) git clone [[mailto:git@bitbucket.org:habilzare/refs.git|git@bitbucket.org:habilzare/refs.git]] \\  c) At the bottom of your LaTeX document, write: \\  \bibliography{\detokenize{~/proj/refs/refs}} \\  d) To add a new entry, find the appropriate format using "Google Scholar Button" (see above, click on the quotation mark at the to right, and then BibTeX at the bottom) copy the entry and see if it is already in the refs.bib file. If not, add it in "**its right location"**  (i.e., key are alphabetically ordered) and push. Use the key with the \cite command in your LaTeX file. To compile, use pdflatex, bibtex (without .tex), and pdflatex *2.
-  - Please cc Habil on any email that is related to scientific or logistic aspects of your research in the lab, your career development activities, and communications among lab members on issues related to the lab. When you send an email to multiple people, mention the primary addressee at the top. It helps drawing the attention of the addressee, and also shows your respect to others who do not need to read your whole message. Usually using "reply-to-all" is preferred on emails with multiple recipients.+  - Please cc Habil on any email that is related to scientific or logistic aspects of your research in the lab, your career development activities, and communications among lab members on issues related to the lab. When you send an email to multiple people, mention the primary addressee at the top. It helps drawing the attention of the addressee, and also shows your respect to others who do not need to read your whole message. Usually using "reply-to-all" is preferred on emails with multiple recipients. When possible, reply to the previous email on a topic and avoid creating another thread unnecessarily, which will complicate future references.
   - As employees of UT Health, we can get facilitated appointments with UT Health primary care physicians (call: 210-450-9090).   - As employees of UT Health, we can get facilitated appointments with UT Health primary care physicians (call: 210-450-9090).
   - If you are considering ultimately getting jobs in computation biology or bioinformatics, have a look at postings at the [[http://bioinformatics.org|bioinformatics.org]] website __within the first week__  after joining the lab. For academic positions, see the Nature Jobs and Science Careers websites. Read the articles on "[[http://oncinfo.org/how_to|How to]] rescue US biomedical research from its systemic flaws?" if you are, or want to be, a PhD student.   - If you are considering ultimately getting jobs in computation biology or bioinformatics, have a look at postings at the [[http://bioinformatics.org|bioinformatics.org]] website __within the first week__  after joining the lab. For academic positions, see the Nature Jobs and Science Careers websites. Read the articles on "[[http://oncinfo.org/how_to|How to]] rescue US biomedical research from its systemic flaws?" if you are, or want to be, a PhD student.