HackMD Guidelines

Zetong Li (CC-BY)

Please share this HackMD to demo how to work with HackMD.

HackMD documents are collaborative documents (like a Google docs) where multiple people can write simultaneously. Open Life Science will use these documents for taking shared notes.

Notice the panel on the top right - Click the Edit button

Now see this panel on the left of your screen, we have explained below how to use them

(opens in new tab)

  • To edit this document click the pencil symbol (FIRST box in the top left hand corner - see the image below)
  • To view this document rendered into nicely formatted version, click the eye symbol (SECOND box in the top left hand corner - see the image below)
  • For this document we recommend using the double view (click on the symbol in between the pencil and eye symbols).
    • You will be able to type in the left hand box and view the rendered version in the right hand box.

:pencil: Markdown for styling what you write!

This particular platform for collaborative documentation is called HackMD, where MD stands for Markdown. Markdown is a nice and easy way to format a plain-text into publishable document.

By using simple syntax (mostly symbols) you can create rich formatting. For example, use hash (#) (or multiple hashes) for creating headers.

Header 1 (top header)

Header 2 (second level header)

Header 3 (third level header)

Use asterisk (*) followed by a blank space for creating bullet points:

  • item 1
  • item 2

Use numbers (1.,2.,3. etc.) followed by a blank space for numbered list:

  1. item 1
  2. item 2

Italics words and sentences can be written by using asterisk in the beginning and end of a word or sentence (without any space), like this:

Italics This is an italicised sentence

  • Use double asterisks (**) for Bold to emphasise word and sentences
  • Use three asterisks for bold and italics in the same sentence

To add a web link:

  1. write a text in square brackets which you want to link out
  2. add the link (URL) in the round brackets, like this: [Your text](your link)

To link to another part/section of the document

  1. write a text in square brackets which you want to link
  2. in the round brackets, start with a hash symbol followed by the name of the header in the file you want to link to by Putting-a-line-between-all-words, like this: [your text](#your-header)

To add images

  1. start with an exclamation mark
  2. write an image title inside the square brackets
  3. provide a web link for the image in the circular brackets, like this: ![Image title](web link to the image) example: MarkDown Cheatsheet