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Markdown Guide

Opus uses Markdown for document formatting. This guide covers everything you need to know.

What is Markdown?

Markdown is a lightweight markup language that uses plain text formatting. It's designed to be readable as-is while also converting to formatted output (HTML, PDF, Word, etc.).

Basic Syntax

Headings

Use # symbols for headings. More # means smaller headings:

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5

Paragraphs

Just write text. Separate paragraphs with a blank line:

This is the first paragraph.

This is the second paragraph.

Emphasis

*Italic text* or _italic text_
**Bold text** or __bold text__
***Bold and italic***
~~Strikethrough~~

Lists

Unordered lists:

- Item one
- Item two
  - Nested item
  - Another nested item
- Item three

Ordered lists:

1. First item
2. Second item
3. Third item

[Link text](https://example.com)
[Link with title](https://example.com "Title text")

Images

![Alt text](image.png)
![Alt text](image.png "Optional title")

Block Quotes

> This is a block quote.
> It can span multiple lines.
>
> And multiple paragraphs.

Code

Inline code:

Use the `print()` function.

Code blocks:

```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, world!")
```

Horizontal Rules

---

Extended Syntax

Opus supports additional Markdown features beyond the basics.

Tables

| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
|----------|----------|----------|
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   | Cell 3   |
| Cell 4   | Cell 5   | Cell 6   |

Align columns with colons:

| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L    |   C    |     R |

Footnotes

Here is a sentence with a footnote.[^1]

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

Task Lists

- [x] Completed task
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [ ] Another task

Definition Lists

Term
: Definition of the term

Another term
: Its definition

Abbreviations

The HTML specification is maintained by the W3C.

*[HTML]: Hyper Text Markup Language
*[W3C]: World Wide Web Consortium

Academic Extensions

Opus adds features specifically for academic writing:

Citations

According to recent research [@smith2024], the effect is significant.
Multiple citations [@smith2024; @jones2023] support this.

See Citations for full details.

Equations

Inline: $E = mc^2$

Display:
$$
\int_{0}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
$$

See Equations for full details.

Figure References

As shown in @fig:results, the data supports our hypothesis.

![Results graph](results.png){#fig:results}

Cross-References

See @sec:methods for details.

## Methods {#sec:methods}

Tips for Academic Writing

  1. Use headings consistently - Follow your discipline's conventions
  2. Keep paragraphs focused - One idea per paragraph
  3. Use lists for clarity - Break down complex points
  4. Cite as you write - Don't leave citations for later
  5. Preview regularly - Check your formatting looks correct

Next Steps