markdown

Markdown Notation

Markdown is a great tool for formatting text. Below, we describe common notation and examples, many of which you may use when writing an asar-based stock assessment report.

Summary

Basic Syntax

Element	Markdown Syntax
Heading	# H1 ## H2 ### H3
Bold	**bold text**
Italic	*italic*
Bold & italic	*** bold italic***
Blockquote	> blockquote
Ordered list	1. Item #1 2. Item #2 3. Item #3
Unordered list	- Item #1 - Item #2 - Item #3
Code	`code`
R code chunk	```{r} <br> ```
Horizontal rule	—
Link	[Text](https://www.example.com)
Image	
Image in code chunk	`knitr::include_graphics(“path/image.png”)

Extended Syntax

Element	Markdown Syntax
Markdown table	| Syntax | Description | |———-|——-| | entry 1 | description | | entry 2 | description |
Footnote	Sentence with a footnote. [^1] [^1]: This is a footnote.
Heading Labels	### Heading A {#sec-nameA}
Reference heading label	@sec-nameA
Strikethrough	~~Strikethrough~~
Task list	- [x] Task a - [ ] task b - [ ] task c
Subscript	F~msy~
Superscript	X^2^
Comment out text	<!--- text here ---
in-text email or URLs	<www.example.com> ````example@noaa.gov`````

Math

Two helpful things to know about writing mathematical expressions with R markdown:

1. R markdown supports LaTex-style mathematical expressions.
2. In-line expressions are surrounded by one set of dollar signs ($) while equations that are on their own line (“block” expressions) are surrounded by two sets. For instance, $1+1=2$ is rendered as $1+1=2$ while $$1 + 1 = 2$$ is rendered as: $$1+1=2$$

Superscript

To write a superscript, use a caret (^) before a value. For instance, $b^2$ renders as $b^2$.

Subscript

To write a subscript, use an underscore (_) before a value. For instance, $b_2$ renders as $b_2$. For longer subscripts, enclose the text in curly brackets ($b_{12345}$ renders as $b_{12345}$)

Symbols

Many symbols can be written by adding a backslash (\) before a symbol name. For instance:

• $\pi$ renders as $\pi$
• $\beta$ renders as $\beta$
• $\mu$ renders as $\mu$
• $\sigma$ renders as $\sigma$
• $\overline{b}$ renders as $\overline{b}$
• $|b|$ renders as $|b|$
• $\sqrt{4+i}$ renders as $\sqrt{4+i}$

Greek Letters

Generalized notation - $\alpha$

Greek Letter Spelling	Lowercase	Capital
alpha	$\alpha$	A
beta	$\beta$	B
gamma	$\gamma$	$\Gamma$
delta	$\delta$	$\Delta$
epsilon	$\epsilon$	E
zeta	$\zeta$	Z
eta	$\eta$	H
theta	$\theta$	$\Theta$
kappa	$\kappa$	K
lambda	$\lambda$	$\Lambda$
mu	$\mu$	M
nu	$\nu$	N
omicron	$\omicron$	O
rho	$\rho$	P
sigma	$\sigma$	$\Sigma$
tau	$\tau$	T
upsilon	$\upsilon$	$\Upsilon$
chi	$\chi$	X
psi	$\psi$	$\Psi$
iota	$\iota$	I
xi	$\xi$	$\Xi$
pi	$\pi$	$\Pi$
phi	$\phi$	$\Phi$
omega	$\omega$	$\Omega$

Fractions

To make a fraction, write \frac before your numerator and denominator, both of which are enclosed in curly brackets ({ }). For instance, $\frac{7}{8}$ renders as $\frac{7}{8}$.

Equations and combinations

Lots of these special symbols can be combined into complex terms and equations. For instance:

• $R^2_{adj}$ renders as $R^2_{adj}$

• $y = ax^2 + bx + c$ renders as $y = ax^2 + bx + c$

• $\frac{\theta^{10}}{2a} \le \frac{5c^4}{b_{min}}$ renders as $\frac{\theta^{10}}{2a} \le \frac{5c^4}{b_{min}}$

• $SBPR_f = \sum_{a} N_a m_a w_a$ renders as $SBPR_f = \sum_{a} N_a m_a w_a$

  • Note: when sums are rendered in-text, like the one above, the bounds will appear next to the summation. When rendered as a block equation, the bounds will appear as expected, like this: $$SBPR_f = \sum_{a} N_a m_a w_a$$

Further guidance

Check out Overleaf’s LaTeX reference guide to mathematical expressions for more guidance writing mathematical text.

Markdown Syntax

Code Chunks

To add a piece of code into the text directly, encase R code within a pair of back ticks (`). For example, `params$region` will render like this:

Show the code

params$region

The above example shows how one would incorporate the region parameter into a sentence in a markdown or quarto file. In google docs, this notation formatted to green and the font roboto mono.

If we define the parameter of region as NWFSC, the phrase “my region is `params$region` would render as”my region is NWFSC”.

Other ways to incorporate markdown notation include:

In-line calculations

• \r 2+2\ would render as 4.

Code Chunk Options

The following are some of the ways you can tell quarto to evaluate code:

Execute options	Actions
echo	true, false
warning	true, false
eval	true, false, […]
output	true, false, asis
warning	true, false
error	true, false
include	true, false
cache	true, false, refresh
freeze	true, false, auto

References

asar comes with a default .bib file which contains example references, but users are encouraged to replace it or expand upon it with their own .bib files for references in their report. To references an article or other references from the file within the test use the following notation:

“The dynasty fell within the year 1206, leaving the Vikings in a state of unrest (@Biddle_1992).”

renders as

“The dynasty fell within the year 1206, leaving the Vikings in a state of unrest (Biddle and Kjølbye-Biddle (1992)).”

The citation will format according to Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences standards and include the citation in 07_references.qmd. This default citation style is set in the skeleton file’s YAML (csl: support_files/cjfas.csl). You can change the citation style by substituting the “cjfas.csl” file.

A good rule of thumb to follow is that references are cited use the @ symbol followed by the first author’s last name then the publication year. This is not always the case, so it is advised that users check their bib file for the proper citation or use the Visual editor that provides a convenient drop down with a list of suggested citations base on author name, year, or keyword from the title.

Combinations

A lot of the notation in this document can be combined for a highly customizable document. For example, you can bold or italicize a link by surrounding the notation to insert a link by asterisks (*):

Italicized link

*[NOAA Fisheries](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov)* renders as NOAA Fisheries

Bolded link

**[NOAA Fisheries](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov)** renders as NOAA Fisheries

Acknowledgments

This content was sourced and adapted from the Markdown Guide Markdown Cheat Sheet, a helpful resource for the markdown language.

References

Biddle, Martin, and Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle. 1992. “Repton and the Vikings.” Antiquity 66 (250): 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00081023.