The Comprehensive Markdown Formatting Manual

Markdown is a lightweight markup language created to format plain text into semantic HTML. Because it is written in human-readable plain text, your writing remains portable, clean, and permanently future-proof.

This guide provides an exhaustive, step-by-step reference for every formatting element supported by this website and the CMS Studio.

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1. Text Styling: Bold, Italics & Strikethrough

Inline formatting allows you to emphasize words, highlight key terms, or denote citations without writing HTML tags.

How to Make Text Bold

To make words bold, wrap them in two asterisks (**) or two underscores (__) with no spaces between the symbols and the text:

**This sentence is bold.**
__This sentence is also bold.__

Rendered output: This sentence is bold.

How to Make Text Italic

To italicize words, wrap them in a single asterisk (*) or single underscore (_):

*This word is italicized.*
_This word is also italicized._

Rendered output: This word is italicized.

Combining Bold and Italics

To make words both bold and italicized simultaneously, wrap them in three asterisks (***):

***This text is both bold and italicized.***

Rendered output: This text is both bold and italicized.

Strikethrough

To put a horizontal line through text (useful for revision tracking or humorous corrections), wrap the phrase in double tildes (~~):

~~This outdated claim was revised.~~

Rendered output: This outdated claim was revised.

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2. Code: What is a Codeblock and How to Create One?

In technical and academic writing, code styling formats text in a fixed-width (monospace) font. This prevents curly quotes, keeps exact spacing, and distinguishes computer code or linguistic forms from prose.

There are two primary types of code formatting: Inline Code and Fenced Codeblocks.

Inline Code

Inline code is used inside a sentence to refer to a filename, a keyboard command, a variable, or a short linguistic morpheme.

How to type it: Wrap the word in a single backtick symbol (`). The backtick key is located in the top-left corner of standard keyboards, just beneath the Escape key:

The file is saved in `src/content/posts/` on your computer.
Run the command `npm install` in your terminal.

Rendered output: The file is saved in src/content/posts/ on your computer.

Fenced Codeblocks (Multi-line)

A codeblock is an isolated, boxed region formatted with monospace text, syntax highlighting, and preserved line breaks. It is ideal for code snippets, configuration files, terminal commands, or multi-line data tables.

How to create a codeblock:

1. Type three consecutive backticks (```) on a new line.
2. Immediately follow the backticks with a language name (e.g., bash, javascript, typescript, html, python, json, or markdown). This triggers colorized syntax highlighting.
3. On the subsequent lines, type or paste your code.
4. Close the codeblock with three consecutive backticks (```) on their own line.

```javascript
function calculateReadingTime(text) {
  const words = text.trim().split(/\s+/).length;
  const minutes = Math.ceil(words / 200);
  return `${minutes} min read`;
}
```

Rendered output:

function calculateReadingTime(text) {
  const words = text.trim().split(/\s+/).length;
  const minutes = Math.ceil(words / 200);
  return `${minutes} min read`;
}

If you do not want syntax highlighting (for example, when displaying raw text or ASCII diagrams), specify text or leave the space after the backticks blank:

```text
Root Directory:
  ├── public/
  │   └── images/
  └── src/
      └── content/
```

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3. Headings & Document Structure

Headings create a hierarchical outline for your article. In Markdown, headings are created using the hash symbol (#). Always insert a space between the # and your heading text.

# Heading 1 (Article Title - Reserved)
## Heading 2 (Major Section)
### Heading 3 (Subsection / Subtopic)
#### Heading 4 (Minor Subhead)

Studio Convention: In the CMS Studio, avoid using # Heading 1 in the article body. The website template automatically renders your title from the frontmatter metadata. Start your article sections with ## Heading 2.

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4. Blockquotes and Pullquotes

Blockquotes are formatted with an elegant vertical accent bar on the left margin, indenting the quoted passage to distinguish it from the author’s narrative.

How to type a blockquote: Start the line with a greater-than symbol (>) followed by a space:

> "A dictionary without grammatical context is like an anatomical chart without circulation."
> -- Traditional Research Maxim

Rendered output:

“A dictionary without grammatical context is like an anatomical chart without circulation.” – Traditional Research Maxim

Multi-paragraph Quotes

To format quotes spanning multiple paragraphs, place a > on the blank line between paragraphs:

> First paragraph of the quoted statement.
>
> Second paragraph continuing the thought.

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5. Lists: Unordered, Ordered & Nested

Bullet Lists (Unordered)

Use a hyphen (-) or an asterisk (*) followed by a space:

- Tibeto-Burman language family
- Morphological typology
- Interlinear glossing

Numbered Lists (Ordered)

Use numbers followed by a period and a space:

1. Write draft locally in browser storage.
2. Verify visual appearance in Preview.
3. Publish live to repository.

Nested Sub-lists

To create an indented sub-list, press Enter, then indent the sub-item with two or four spaces:

- Linguistic Modules
  - Morphosyntax
  - Phonology & Tone
- Historical Documentation
  - Oral narratives
  - Archival records

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6. Tables

Markdown tables are formatted using vertical pipes (|) to separate columns and hyphens (-) to separate the header row from the content.

Alignment Syntax

Colons (:) in the delimiter row determine text alignment:

• Left-aligned: :---
• Center-aligned: :---:
• Right-aligned: ---:

| Morpheme | Grammatical Gloss | Category | Alignment |
| :--- | :---: | ---: | :--- |
| **ka-** | 1SG.SUBJ | Prefix | Left |
| **-pi** | FEM | Suffix | Center |
| **-in** | ERG | Case | Right |

Rendered output:

Morpheme	Grammatical Gloss	Category	Alignment
ka-	1SG.SUBJ	Prefix	Left
-pi	FEM	Suffix	Center
-in	ERG	Case	Right

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7. Hyperlinks & Image Embeds

Text Hyperlinks

Wrap the clickable text in square brackets [text], followed immediately by the destination URL in parentheses (url):

Read the [Research Archive](/research) or review [About](/about).

Image Embeds

Image syntax is identical to link syntax, but starts with an exclamation point (!):

![Descriptive alternative text for accessibility](/images/posts/literary-manuscript.webp)

Rendered output:

• The brackets [...] contain the alt text (read by screen readers and search engines).
• The parentheses (...) contain the image file path (typically /images/posts/your-file.webp).

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8. Horizontal Dividers & Breaks

To separate thematic sections, type three hyphens on their own line with blank lines above and below:

First section text.

---

Second section text.

Rendered output: A subtle, clean horizontal rule spanning the content column.