I’ve gathered here a curated list of resources that I frequently recommend to research assistants and early-career scholars. These materials cover research workflows, coding tools, and guidance for graduate applications, especially for students from Latin America.
Research Standards & Workflow
Computational Reproducibility Standards
Source: World Bank DIME
Description: A complete guide to reproducible workflows, folder structures, and coding standards.
Link: DIME Standards GitHub
Development Research in Practice
Source: World Bank DIME
Description: Companion to the book Development Research in Practice, with applied guidance for data collection and analysis.
Link: Handbook Site
Stata Tools
ietoolkit
Description: Automates impact evaluation tasks in Stata, including randomization and standardized tables.
Link: Documentation
iefieldkit
Description: Stata commands for managing high-quality survey-based data collection.
Link: Guide
Stata-Latex Tables
Description: Export regression and summary tables to LaTeX from Stata using reproducible code.
Link: GitHub
Stata Visual Library
Description: Gallery of graph templates in Stata for policy reporting and publications.
Link: Library
R Tools and Visualization
R Econ Visual Library
Description: Templates for publication-ready data visualizations in R, especially for applied economics.
Link: Library
Introduction to R for Advanced Stata Users
Source: World Bank
Description: Designed for practitioners shifting from Stata to R for applied research.
Link: Repo
Tidyverse Style Guide
Description: Standards for writing clean and consistent R code in the tidyverse ecosystem.
Link: style.tidyverse.org
RStudio Cheatsheets
Description: Quick-reference sheets for popular R packages, including ggplot2, dplyr, and rmarkdown.
Link: Cheatsheets
Graduate School Resources (for Latin American Students)
Guía EconThaki
Description: A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to applying to PhD programs in economics from Latin America, created by EconThaki.
Link: econthaki.github.io/Guia-PhD-EconThaki
Aplicar Desde Argentina
Description: Detailed advice and country-specific resources for students in Argentina interested in applying to graduate programs abroad.
Link: AplicarDesdeArgentina
Aplicar Desde México
Description: Twitter account sharing application tips, deadlines, and peer support for Mexican students applying to grad school.
Link: @AplicarDesdeMx on Twitter