In academic and technical writing, references and footnotes are common tools for providing context.
Markdown has some capabilities for including references and notes (though honestly it’s not one of its strongest points, they can be useful if you write this type of document).
References in Markdown
References in Markdown are useful for managing long or complex links and improving text readability.
Markdown allows you to define link references in one part of the document and then reference them in the text. Sometimes this can be useful for handling multiple links and keeping the document clean.
To do this, first, we define the URL with the link in a reference section (for example). We use an identifier in brackets, like this [1]:
Now, we can reference this link anywhere in our document using the identifier. Like this,
The concept of [Markdown][1] is essential for technical documentation.
[1]: https://www.luisllamas.es
In this example, the text “Markdown” links to the URL defined at the end of the document using the identifier [1].
When rendered, [Markdown][1] would appear as a normal link.
The best Markdown course you can find.
But having all the URLs in one place, instead of inserted in the document. Which can be an advantage in certain types of documents. In others, it will be a disadvantage, honestly. So whether to use it or not will depend on your needs and workflow.
Footnotes in Markdown
Footnotes allow you to add additional information or references to your documents without interrupting the flow of the main text. Footnotes are automatically rendered at the end of the section or document.
Markdown supports footnotes through a specific syntax. To create a footnote, we add the footnote reference in the text using an identifier in brackets followed by a caret (^).
On the other hand, we define the footnote content using the same identifier. This definition can be anywhere in the document. Usually immediately after its use, or at the end.
For example,
Markdown is a lightweight markup language[^2] that makes it easy to write formatted text.
[^2]: Markdown is a language created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz that is used to format text in a simple and readable way.
When rendered, “lightweight markup language” will appear as a link that, when clicked, takes the reader to the footnote at the end of the document.
Markdown is an easy-to-write lightweight markup language1.
And in the Footnotes area (usually at the end of the chapter or document) the notes will appear, for example like this 👇
Footnotes
Markdown is a language created by John Gruber and Aaron Swartz used to format text in a simple and readable way. ↩
