Note editor

The note editor is where user-authored research knowledge lives in a project. Use it for observations, synthesis, source notes, unresolved questions, and reusable context.

What this page covers

Learn the editor, block, formatting, selection, and keyboard behavior.

What belongs in notes

Good notes usually contain:

claims you want to reuse
summaries you have verified
comparisons across sources
questions to revisit
decisions and rationale
links or mentions to relevant project material.

Do not leave important work only in chat. Chat is useful for exploration, but notes are easier to find, organize, mention, and build on later.

Note anatomy

Part	Role
Title	The main identifier for search, mentions, and navigation.
Body	The research content.
Headings	Internal structure for scanning and reuse.
Mentions	Links to sources, notes, or project objects used as context.
Attachments or images	Visual support when needed.

Autosave and persistence

Atlas notes should preserve changes as you work, but treat long-form writing with the same care you would in any web editor. Keep titles specific, avoid leaving critical information in an untitled note, and pause after major edits so the save state can settle.

Notes as context

Mention notes in chat when you want Atlas to use your own synthesis, definitions, or prior decisions. This is different from citing a source: a note is user-authored context unless it links back to source evidence.

Notes versus sources

Use a note when	Use a source when
You are writing your own interpretation.	You need Atlas to process original material.
You need a reusable working summary.	You need citations to the original material.
You are tracking decisions or questions.	You want search, maps, or summaries from imported content.

Format a note

Atlas notes support structured writing for research work: headings, lists, tasks, tables, math, images, links, and imported Markdown where supported.

Recommended structure

Use formatting to make notes easy to scan:

headings for sections
bullets for evidence
numbered lists for procedures
task lists for follow-up work
tables for comparisons
links and mentions for connected project material.

Common formats

Format	Use for
Heading	Research question, source section, or synthesis area.
Bullet list	Observations, evidence, and short notes.
Numbered list	Steps, timelines, or ranked arguments.
Task list	Follow-ups, checks, and unresolved questions.
Table	Comparisons, extracted data, or source matrices.
Math	Equations, technical notation, or formal definitions.
Image	Figures, screenshots, diagrams, or visual evidence.
Link or mention	Connection to a project source, note, or concept.

Imported Markdown

Markdown imported from another tool may not render exactly the same way in Atlas. After importing, check headings, lists, links, tables, images, and math blocks.

If a note is important, review the rendered version rather than assuming the source Markdown was interpreted perfectly.

Formatting discipline

Avoid turning every note into a long polished essay. For research workflows, the most useful notes usually separate:

what the source says
what you infer
what you still need to verify
what action comes next.

When formatting is not enough

Use a source instead of a note when you need citations, project-wide retrieval, summaries, or map generation from the material.