Plain Text is a text written in a simple text editor without needing WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) functionality. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Markdown: an often-used, widely available, easy-to-read and write markup syntax for plain text. You will also learn how to use Pandoc, a commonly available command line tool that converts plain text into several formatted file types: PDF, .docx, HTML, LaTeX, slide decks, and more. The goal of the workshop is to enable you to write (scientific) articles in Markdown, including the use of references and figures.
Learning outcomes
-
Be able to explain the benefits of Sustainable Authorship in Plain Text.
-
Be able to write text in Markdown, including the use of the most common forms of formatting.
-
Be able to add citations to scientific articles in their Markdown text.
-
Be able to convert a text written in Markdown to other formats, such as PDF and .docx, using Pandoc.
-
Be aware of the possibilities of integrating this way of writing and publishing with related tools, such as version control, and bibliographic tools.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of the command line/Unix shell is beneficial but not absolutely necessary.
Target audience
Researchers at all stages of their careers interested in learning about authoring in plain text.
Required Materials
Users need a laptop with a general-purpose plain text editor, e.g., Atom (all platforms) and Notepad++ (Windows only), and a command line terminal. Participants will have to install Pandoc, and preferably also LaTeX.
Instructions will be provided in advance.