Document Parts

Document parts allow you to add metadata to your documents with specific components of your page or project, for example, abstract, dedication, or acknowledgments. Many templates put these in specific places.

There are three ways that you can define parts of a document: (1) in your page frontmatter; (2) implicitly using a section heading; and (3) on a block using a part or tag annotation. These are all based on a part name, which is case insensitive.

Parts in Frontmatter¶

On any page, you can add a part to your document directly in the frontmatter, for example, the abstract:

---
title: My document
abstract: |
  This is a multi-line
  abstract, with _markdown_!
---

You may also write your part in a separate file, and point to that file from the frontmatter, for example:

---
title: My document
abstract: ../abstract.md
---

Known Frontmatter Parts¶

The known parts that are recognized as top-level document frontmatter keys are:

abstract: A concise overview of the entire document, highlighting the main objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. It’s meant to give readers a quick snapshot of what to expect without having to read the entire document.
summary: Similar to an abstract, but can either be slightly longer and more detailed or used as a plain-language summary, depending on the context. It summarizes the document’s content, including the background, purpose, methodology, results, and conclusions.; Alias: plain_language_summary, lay_summary
keypoints: A brief list that highlights the main findings, conclusions, or contributions of the document. Key points are often used to quickly convey the core message or most important aspects to the reader.
dedication: A short section where the author dedicates the document to someone, often as a gesture of honor or respect.
epigraph: A quote or poem that the author includes at the beginning of the document to set a tone or theme, or to hint at the document’s underlying message. It is often relevant to the content but not directly related to it.; Alias: quote
data_availability: A statement or section that details how readers can access the data sets and resources used in the document. This can include links to repositories, conditions for access, and any restrictions on the data. It’s crucial for transparency and reproducibility in research documents.; Alias: availability
acknowledgments: A section where the author thanks individuals, organizations, or agencies that contributed to the completion of the document. This can include support in the form of funding, expertise, feedback, or moral support.; Alias: ack, acknowledgements

Custom Frontmatter Parts¶

If you have a custom part name for a template, you can nest it under parts:, which takes arbitrary keys.

---
title: My document
parts:
  special_part: |
    This is another _special_ part!
---

The advantage of this method is that the content is not rendered in your document.

Implicit Parts using a Title¶

If you are rendering your project in other places, it can be helpful to leave these sections directly in the document. Complete this using a header as usual:

# Abstract

This is my abstract!

Note that frontmatter parts and explicitly tagged cells/blocks will take precedence over this method. Themes may choose to only pick up a subset of implicit parts, for example, only an Abstract and not Summary as summary section can be used in other contexts.

In a Jupyter Notebook cells and blocks¶

When using a Jupyter Notebook, you can add a tag to the cell with the part name, if multiple cells share that tag, they will be extracted and merged. This can also be represented in a block:

+++ { "part": "abstract" }

This is my abstract block.

+++

Parts in `myst.yml` Project configuration¶

You may also specify parts in the project configuration of your myst.yml file. These are defined exactly the same as parts defined in page frontmatter.

version: 1
project:
  abstract:  |
    This is a multi-line
    abstract, with _markdown_!
  parts:
    special_part: |
      This is another _special_ part!

Project-level parts are useful, for example, if you have an abstract, acknowledgments, or other part that applies to your entire project and doesn’t make sense attached to an individual page.

Parts in `myst.yml` Site configuration¶

You may specify parts in the site configuration of your myst.yml file. These parts will only be used for MyST site builds, and they must correspond to parts declared in your website theme’s template.

version: 1
site:
  template: ...
  parts:
    footer: |
      (c) MyST Markdown
  ...

Reference

Frontmatter