Why we use Markdown

We use Markdown to format content on the University website.

With Markdown, you can structure your web pages so they're accessible to everyone by creating things like:

• headings
• tables
• links
• lists

Creating accessible content

As a public sector body, we're legally required to make the content on our website as accessible as possible. The government checks our content to make sure it complies with the internationally recognised guidelines from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

Find out more about accessibility or contact beta-content@bath.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Characters we use in formatting

• Hash symbol: #
• Asterisk: *
• Underscore: _
• Square bracket: [ ]
• Round bracket: ( )
• Vertical bar, also known as Pipe: |
• Angle bracket: >
• Dash: -
• Hard return: ↵ Enter
• Caret: ^

Headings

Read about creating headings in Typecase.

New paragraphs

To start a new paragraph, use two hard returns at the end of a line.

Line breaks

To add a single line break (for example, if you're formatting an address in body copy), use two spaces and a hard return at the end of the line.

Bold and italics

Using bold and italics is not always accessible because:

• screen readers don't identify bold or italics, which makes it meaningless for people who can’t see the text
• large sections of bold and italics text are difficult for dyslexic people to read

Before you use bold or italics, consider using headings to highlight important information or reorder sentences so the key information comes first.

Bold

Use two asterisks either side of a word to make it bold.

You should only use bold sparingly on a page to highlight individual words. Do not make whole sentences, paragraphs, or headings bold.

Italics

Use a single underscore either side of a word to italicise it.

Links

Read about creating links in Typecase.

Lists

Read about creating lists in Typecase, including bullet points, numbered lists, and nested lists.

Featured quotes

To highlight a quotation, put an angle bracket in front of the quoted text. This will create a block quote on the page.

On most content types, you should add the name of the person speaking either before or after the quotation. For example:

Albert Einstein said:

> We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.

Block quotes on Campaign, Case Study and Event pages

On a Campaign, Case Study or Event page, include single quotation marks after the angle bracket and around the quoted text.

Add the name of the person speaking after the quotation. To do this add:

• an em dash after the quoted text (on a PC, hold Alt and type 0151 on the number pad; on a Mac, hold Alt and Shift, then type -)
• the name and credentials of the person speaking after the em dash
• ** to both sides of the name and credentials to make them bold

For example:

> 'We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.' — **Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist**

Tables

Read about creating tables in Typecase.

Superscript

Use superscript if you need to:

• reference work in your academic writing
• write mathematical or scientific symbols
• add references for marketing claims, for example, 'the majority of our undergraduates¹ choose a placement or to study abroad'

To add a superscript character, use a caret (like this ^) followed by the reference number or symbol.

If you're adding a reference that connects to a footnote, put square brackets around the number and caret to link the reference and the footnote. Find out more about creating a footnote.

Don't use superscript for writing dates. This can confuse people who use English as a second language so just use the number, for example, '7 December'.

Adding an inline image

If you need to add an image of a signature to a Corporate Information page with the Letter subtype, use:

![alt text](https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1931/30160165487_4aedf1e14c_m_d.jpg)

Add:

• alternative (alt) text to the square brackets
• the Flickr URL for the smallest version of the image in the round brackets

To comply with accessibility legislation, you must add alt text to describe the image to people using assistive technology.

Find out more about using images on the website.

Don't use inline images on other content types.

Escaping formatting characters

If you need to use a character in your content that's usually reserved for formatting, placing a backslash (\) in front of the character will allow it to display properly.