Suboptimal Language Constructs in R

R, initially conceived by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman in the early 1990s, represents a potent language for statistical computing and graphics. As it has matured, R has been widely embraced across disciplines, including bioinformatics, econometrics, and epidemiology. Despite its flexibility and breadth, the permissive design of R has led to widespread use of programming constructs that are potentially error-prone, inefficient, or counter to best practices in software engineering. This paper presents an analysis of some R language constructs that should be avoided due to possible negative impact on reproducibility, performance, or maintainability. Drawing upon primary literature, manuals, and canonical resources, this paper provides recommended alternatives.