---
title: "Make a note easier to scan."
description: "Give every idea a place with a title and section headings."
canonical: https://editmd.app/learn/lessons/headings/
markdown: https://editmd.app/learn/lessons/headings.md
status: pre-release, waiting list open
generated: editmd-website
---

# Make a note easier to scan.

Lesson 03 of 12 in Markdown School. Give every idea a place with a title and section headings.

## A title, then useful sections

A meeting note can contain the right information and still be hard to use. A title identifies the document. Section headings tell the reader where to find a decision or an action.

For this style of heading, place one to six `#` characters at the beginning of a line, followed by a space and the heading text. More marks mean a deeper level. [CommonMark heading syntax](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.31.2/#atx-headings).

```markdown
# Garden meeting

## Decisions

Keep the reading bench.

## Actions

Mira will draw the layout.
```

## Build a hierarchy the reader can follow

Use one main title for this exercise. Under it, use second-level headings for major sections. A third-level heading can divide one of those sections further. Make the heading describe its content: “Decisions” is more useful here than “More information”.

```markdown
## Actions

### Before the next meeting

Sketch two possible layouts.
```

Avoid choosing a heading level only because you prefer its font size. The structure should make sense even in a renderer with different styling.

## Separate paragraphs clearly

Leave a blank line between paragraphs. A line break in the source alone is not generally a new paragraph. Blank lines around headings also make the source easier to scan. [CommonMark paragraphs](https://spec.commonmark.org/0.31.2/#paragraphs).

## Practise with a rough note

Organize the supplied note into a title, decisions and actions. Then change a heading and watch the preview. The check looks for real heading tokens, so writing `#` inside a fenced code example will not pass as a document heading.

## Exercise

Create one # title, a ## Decisions section and a ## Actions section. Put the relevant notes beneath each heading.

## Takeaway

Use headings for a meaningful hierarchy, not just larger type.

Related guide: https://editmd.app/docs/writing/. All lessons: https://editmd.app/learn.md