# JG Markdown Files JG Stuff Whether you write your book's content in Jupyter Notebooks (`.ipynb`) or in regular markdown files (`.md`), you'll write in the same flavor of markdown called **MyST Markdown**. This is a simple file to help you get started and show off some syntax. ## What is MyST? MyST stands for "Markedly Structured Text". It is a slight variation on a flavor of markdown called "CommonMark" markdown, with small syntax extensions to allow you to write **roles** and **directives** in the Sphinx ecosystem. For more about MyST, see [the MyST Markdown Overview](https://jupyterbook.org/content/myst.html). ## Sample Roles and Directives Roles and directives are two of the most powerful tools in Jupyter Book. They are like functions, but written in a markup language. They both serve a similar purpose, but **roles are written in one line**, whereas **directives span many lines**. They both accept different kinds of inputs, and what they do with those inputs depends on the specific role or directive that is being called. Here is a "note" directive: ```{note} Here is a note ``` It will be rendered in a special box when you build your book. Here is an inline directive to refer to a document: {doc}`markdown-notebooks`. ## Citations You can also cite references that are stored in a `bibtex` file. For example, the following syntax: `` {cite}`holdgraf_evidence_2014` `` will render like this: {cite}`holdgraf_evidence_2014`. Moreover, you can insert a bibliography into your page with this syntax: The `{bibliography}` directive must be used for all the `{cite}` roles to render properly. For example, if the references for your book are stored in `references.bib`, then the bibliography is inserted with: ```{bibliography} ``` ## Learn more This is just a simple starter to get you started. You can learn a lot more at [jupyterbook.org](https://jupyterbook.org).