You Don't Need to Code to Use GitHub

GitHub isn't just for software developers. If you work with any files that change over time, GitHub can help you track changes, collaborate better, and never lose work.

Common Academic Uses

Collaborative Writing

The Scenario: Multiple faculty writing a grant proposal together

Without GitHub:

  • Email chains with "GrantProposal_v23_Bob_edits.docx"
  • "Which version has Sarah's methodology section?"
  • Manually merging everyone's changes
  • Lost work when someone overwrites the wrong version

With GitHub:

  • One document, all changes tracked
  • See who wrote each section
  • Discuss changes before accepting them
  • Complete history of the proposal's evolution

How to Start:

  1. Create a repository called "NSF-Grant-2025"
  2. Upload your initial draft as a markdown (.md) or text file
  3. Invite co-authors as collaborators
  4. Each person edits and commits their changes
  5. Review and discuss through GitHub's interface

Course Material Management

The Scenario: Updating syllabus and lecture notes each semester

Without GitHub:

  • Folders like "Spring2024" and "Fall2024" with duplicate files
  • "What did I change from last year?"
  • No easy way to share with adjuncts

With GitHub:

  • See exactly what changed semester to semester
  • Share materials with other instructors
  • Students can suggest corrections
  • Build on previous years without losing history

How to Start:

  1. Create repository: "PSYC101-Materials"
  2. Organize by folders: /syllabus, /lectures, /assignments
  3. Update each semester with clear commit messages
  4. Tag each semester for easy reference

Research Data Management

The Scenario: Managing research data and analysis over multi-year project

Without GitHub:

  • "Data_Analysis_Final_FINAL_March2024.xlsx"
  • No record of why certain changes were made
  • Difficult to share with collaborators
  • Risk of losing work

With GitHub:

  • Every data cleaning step documented
  • Analysis code tracked and reproducible
  • Collaborate with external researchers
  • Meet reproducibility requirements for journals

How to Start:

  1. Create repository: "Memory-Study-2025"
  2. Organize: /data, /analysis, /manuscripts, /figures
  3. Commit after each significant change
  4. Document your process in README files

Committee Document Management

The Scenario: Policy committee revising university procedures

Without GitHub:

  • Endless email attachments
  • "Who has the latest version?"
  • No clear record of who proposed what
  • Difficult to track changes over time

With GitHub:

  • Central location for all documents
  • Clear history of all proposals and changes
  • Discussion threads for each change
  • Easy to revert unwanted changes

How to Start:

  1. Create organization: "appstate-governance-committee"
  2. Create repository for each policy document
  3. Use branches for proposed changes
  4. Committee reviews and approves through pull requests

Department/Unit Uses

Shared Resources

What: Department handbook, procedures, templates

Benefits:

  • Always access the latest version
  • See when and why changes were made
  • New employees can see evolution of policies
  • Multiple people can maintain documentation

Setup:

appstate-psychology-resources/
├── handbook/
│   ├── faculty-handbook.md
│   └── graduate-handbook.md
├── templates/
│   ├── thesis-template.md
│   └── irb-template.md
└── procedures/
    ├── lab-safety.md
    └── equipment-checkout.md

Annual Reports

What: Tracking department accomplishments and reports

Benefits:

  • Build on previous years' reports
  • Multiple contributors add their sections
  • Track changes in department priorities
  • Never lose historical reports

Personal Academic Uses

Dissertation/Thesis Writing

Benefits:

  • Never lose work to computer crashes
  • Track your daily writing progress
  • Easy to share with advisor for feedback
  • See evolution of your arguments
  • Work from multiple computers seamlessly

Structure:

my-dissertation/
├── chapters/
│   ├── 01-introduction.md
│   ├── 02-literature-review.md
│   └── 03-methodology.md
├── data/
├── figures/
└── references/

Personal Knowledge Management

What: Building your personal "second brain"

Benefits:

  • Collect research notes over years
  • Link between ideas and projects
  • Access from anywhere
  • Never lose important notes

Portfolio Development

What: Showcasing your work for tenure/promotion

Benefits:

  • Document your contributions over time
  • Provide evidence of collaboration
  • Show evolution of your work
  • Easy to share with review committees

File Types That Work Best

Great for GitHub

Plain Text Files (.txt, .md, .csv)

  • Can see exact changes line-by-line
  • Easy to merge changes from multiple people
  • Small file sizes
  • Work with GitHub's best features

Markdown Files (.md)

  • Simple formatting (headers, bold, lists)
  • Convert to PDF or HTML easily
  • Perfect for documentation
  • GitHub renders them beautifully

Data Files (.csv, .json)

  • Track changes to datasets
  • See what data was added/removed
  • Good for research reproducibility

Works But Limited

Office Files (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx)

  • GitHub stores them fine
  • Can't see detailed changes (just "file changed")
  • Need to download to view/edit
  • Better to export to plain text when possible

PDFs

  • Good for final versions
  • Can't track internal changes
  • Use for archival purposes

Not Recommended

Large Media Files

  • Videos, high-res images
  • Use cloud storage instead
  • Link to them from GitHub

Markdown Basics for Academics

Since GitHub works best with markdown (.md) files, here's what you need:

# Main Title
## Section Header
### Subsection

**Bold text** for emphasis
*Italic text* for titles

- Bullet point
- Another point
  - Sub-point

1. Numbered list
2. Second item

[Link text](https://www.appstate.edu)

> Block quote for important text

Tip: Write in any text editor, save with .md extension

Converting Existing Documents

From Word to Markdown

Using Pandoc (free tool):

pandoc document.docx -o document.md

Manual conversion:

  1. Save Word doc as plain text (.txt)
  2. Add markdown formatting
  3. Save with .md extension

Preserving Formatting

  • Headers → Use # symbols
  • Bold → Wrap in asterisks
  • Lists → Use - or 1.
  • Tables → Use markdown tables or keep as images

Common Workflows

Weekly Meeting Notes

  1. Create repository: "team-meeting-notes"
  2. Each week, add file: "2025-01-15-meeting.md"
  3. Team members add their updates
  4. Action items tracked across meetings
  5. Searchable archive of all decisions

Collaborative Bibliography

  1. Create repository: "research-group-references"
  2. Organize by topic or project
  3. Members add relevant papers
  4. Comments on paper relevance
  5. Build shared knowledge base

Course Improvement

  1. Students fork course repository
  2. Suggest corrections via pull requests
  3. Add clarifications to confusing topics
  4. Instructor reviews and incorporates
  5. Course improves each semester

Tips for Success

Start Small

  • One simple project first
  • Don't try to convert everything at once
  • Get comfortable with basics

Use Clear Names

  • meeting-2025-01-15.md not mtg.md
  • syllabus-fall-2025.md not syl2.md

Commit Often

  • Save your work frequently
  • Write clear messages about what changed
  • Don't wait until "perfect"

Document Everything

  • Add README files explaining projects
  • Comment on why changes were made
  • Future you will thank present you

When NOT to Use GitHub

  • Quick one-time file shares (use email or Google Drive)
  • Sensitive data (FERPA, HIPAA, PII)
  • Large media files (videos, audio recordings)
  • Real-time collaborative editing (use Google Docs)

Getting Started Checklist

  • [ ] Understand your username: username_appstate
  • [ ] Log into GitHub once to activate account
  • [ ] Read security guidelines (no sensitive data!)
  • [ ] Start with one simple project
  • [ ] Use the web interface first (no software needed)
  • [ ] Invite one collaborator to practice
  • [ ] Don't worry about advanced features yet

Next Steps

Ready to start? → Read Getting Started GitHub Enterprise

Questions about terms? → Check Glossary

Need examples for your field? → Contact your department's IT liaison

Want to learn markdown? → Try markdownguide.org

Remember

GitHub is a tool to make your work easier, not harder. Start with what makes sense for you, and expand as you get comfortable. You don't need to use every feature to get value from it.

Last updated: November 2025