Facilitating reproducible research through direct connection of data analysis with manuscript preparation: StatTag for connecting statistical software to Microsoft Word

OBJECTIVES: To enhance reproducible research by creating a broadly accessible, free, open-source software tool for connecting Microsoft Word to statistical programs (R/R Markdown, Python, SAS, Stata) so that results may be automatically updated in a manuscript. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed StatTag for Windows as a Microsoft Word plug-in using C# and for macOS as a native application using Objective-C. Source code is available under the MIT license at https://github.com/stattag. RESULTS: StatTag links analysis file(s) (R/R Markdown, SAS, Stata, or Python) and a Word document, invokes the statistical program(s) to obtain results, and embeds selected output in the document. StatTag can accommodate multiple statistical programs with a single document and features an interface to view, edit, and rerun statistical code directly from Word. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: StatTag may facilitate reproducibility within increasingly multidisciplinary research teams, improve research transparency through review and publication, and complement data-sharing initiatives.