# Tags #OAN #RogueHistory/Notes #Tutorials --- >[!danger] Under Construction This page is currently under construction and is not yet complete. Completed material has been published to help you navigate the site as it evolves. Please excuse any grammatical and navigational inconsistencies or technical issues as I think through how to provide tutorials on the site's functionality. --- # What is a Digital Open Access Notebook? An open-access notebook (OAN) is a digital repository, specifically, in this case, a collection of plain-text files (.md) that are freely available to anyone. The OAN is inspired by Dr. Caleb McDaniel's *[Open Notebook History](http://wcaleb.org/blog/open-notebook-history)* #McDaniel/2013. My objective is to explore the digital possibilities of an OAN's functionality to engage with a broader scholarly and public audience while undertaking my doctoral research. The OAN uses Obsidian.md, a durable, versatile, and lightweight personal knowledge management software, to create linked notes and publish all research related to this dissertation and other projects.[^1] Although Obsidian.md is proprietary and closed-source software, the core application remains freely accessible with a large, community-driven plugin ecosystem, enabling a highly versatile, customizable, extensible program tailored to your research and [[Note-making|note-making]] needs.[^2] One of my objectives for the OAN is to raise awareness of the concept of [[Dark Data|Dark Data]] — "a black hole's worth of historical [research]" #McDaniel/2013. Dark data refers to data that often remains unseen during the process of finalizing an academic product, which is subsequently cleaned, edited, reviewed multiple times, and ultimately published. Much of the scholarly work produced exists as unseen data, scribbled in notebooks, stored in spreadsheets, or saved within word processors, locked away and even forgotten.[^3] The published or final version of an academic work is a structured, refined, and organized artifact that is frequently accessible behind a publisher's paywall, thereby limiting public accessibility. Conversely, notebooks are inherently meant to be *messy.* They can be structured, unstructured, or a combination of both. They typically contain scribbles, abbreviations, doodles, and spontaneous thoughts written in pen or pencil, often highlighted with markers or highlighters. Corrections such as whiteouts, ~~strike-throughs~~ or the faint shadow of an erased sentence that often signal errors or shifts in thought, indicating an idea's repositioning or development. This description reflects the nature of my paper-based notebooks. Consequently, this raises the question of what digital notebooks can or should look like. [[10.20251023 What is a Notebook#Key idea|What is a Notebook?]]. As part of my dissertation, the OAN needs to be a cohesive work that supports my arguments while maintaining the qualities of a paper notebook. *The messiness of my thoughts.* This digital notebook houses not only my research notes but also drafts of research articles meant for publication. Thus, you can observe the evolution of my research and dissertation. This digital notebook brings together structured and unstructured data and my observations into a dynamic interplay. Moreover, the OAN is a small step toward promoting research transparency and openness, fostering generous and collaborative thinking in [[East Roman Studies|East Roman Studies]] and to the broader public. However, before engaging with the _messiness_ of the OAN, please review the following for guidance on understanding its structure and navigation interface. --- # Navigating Rogue History Notes Rogue History Notes (RHN) operates through Obsidian Publish, which lacks the same functionality as its parent application, Obsidian.md. This is in part due to the extensive community-driven plugin development, which the publish feature does not support. Some of Obsidian's core plugins, those developed and automatically integrated into Obsidian (e.g. Canvas, Bases), are also not currently supported but are [Roadmapped](https://obsidian.md/roadmap/) for development and integration into the Publish environment. Nevertheless, Obsidian's core functions and principles are present, allowing the user to explore my vault (a folder containing files) via [[Tags|Tags]] and [[Wiki|Wiki]] links. Navigating the site can be performed in multiple ways, depending on what you are seeking. Below is a brief overview of the site's basic user interface (UI) for navigation. More detailed summaries of operations can be found via [[93.00 Tutorials Index]] or links at the bottom of the page. --- # Landing Page: A Brief Overview The landing page serves as the website's starting point. The image below, which you likely recognize from navigating to this page, is divided into four sections. The first section, marked by a blue square and labelled 1, is the editor pane on the page; the central workspace for note-making. The green square numbered 2 indicates the interactive graph view; the orange square numbered 3 shows the table of contents for section 1, ie, the main content of each page; and the red square numbered 4 functions as the directory for the entire notebook. Fig. 1. ![[Landing Page 1.png]] ![[Landing Page 2.png]] --- ### 1. Editor Pane In the `Editor Pane`, you will see the title of a note, tags, the text body, citation (when necessary), and related notes. Quotes or essential tidbits of information will be highlighted in [[Callouts]], which vary in colour and image based on their function. The body can contain images, videos, and other embedded features within a note. For example, the two images above are embedded into the note by placing an exclamation mark`!` in front of two open brackets `[[`, the `identifier`, and two closed brackets `]]`, like so: `![[identifier]]`. For videos or sources located outside of my vault, I use an [iframe HTML element](https://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_iframe.ASP) to embed the 'Overtime with Bill Maher' video on Roman History into this note below. See [[10.20240928 Real Time With Bill Maher|Real Time]] for a note on this video. Fig. 2. <iframe width="560" height="315" style="display: flex; justify-content: center;" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q44Y2jJMQks?si=PZRuc220cKPdsJkZ&amp;start=515" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe> The template which is followed for most notes is what I call a [[97.01 Zettel Note|Zettel Note]]. This derives from the concept of the [[10.20250130 Zettelkasten system|Zettelkasten system]] or slip box made famous by [Niklas Luhmann](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niklas_Luhmann). In short, a Zettel Note, also known as a [[Atomic Note]], contains a singular idea that is identified with a numerical value and terminological identifier, e.g., [[10.20240325 Identifier]] I am using a combined numerical and terminological identifier for a more user-friendly searchable database, as a strictly numerical system is difficult to search notes, especially if one is unfamiliar with the numerical-thematic layout.[^4], while a terminological or labelled identifier creates a unorganized and messy notebook. The *number* part of the identifier (e.g. 10.20231001) is adapted from the Johnny Decimal System (JDex) to fit my vault's navigational and organizational needs. See [[#What is JDex?]] for a more detailed explanation. The *name* element derives from my personal preference and helps support a more accessible and navigable repository for scholars and public. The combination provides an identifier that adds nuance and simplicity for each note in the notebook. --- ### 2. Interactive Graph The interactive graph view is a tool that provides a visual representation of linked notes with nodes (dots representing notes) and edges (lines connecting notes), both locally and globally. The local graph view (Fig. 3), found in the upper-right corner, shows the note currently accessed and all notes directly associated with it. The global view (Fig. 4) shows all the notes in the notebook and their links. You can zoom in and out in both local and global views to illuminate the note identifiers. The benefit of the graph view is that it visualizes how notes cluster based on their connections; quantitatively, though, it is more of a playful feature than a functional analytical tool. However, some insights can be extracted from the graph view if your notes are carefully curated for a specific purpose.[^5] My goal is to provide a function that allows colour coding "Groups" based on tags or other predetermined parameters. This is outlined in my [[07 OAN Road Map]] but is not in active development. Both local and global graph views are interactive. Simply zoom in on a node, hover your cursor on the node you wish to select (it will highlight) and then click. The selected note will appear in the site's editor pane, and the interactive graph will reset based on the links for the current note. Fig. 3. >[!contact] Local Graph View >![[Local Graph.png#center|500]] Fig. 4. >[!contact] Global Graph View > ![[90-99 Appendix/98 Assets/98.40 ObsidianImages/Global Graph.png#center|600]] --- ### 3. On This Page This section, located in the lower-right sidebar, is your table of contents for the editor pane/note displayed. Each note header appears on the right side as a hyperlinked element, allowing you to navigate the page. Click on the section that you wish to read, and the page will navigate to the header. This is helpful for literature notes, articles, and other extensive notes/pages. --- ### 4. Site Directory A table of contents for the entire site is located in the left sidebar and operates similarly to the `On This Page` section. The difference is that the directory contains all the site's folders and files, and when a file is selected, the page is populated in the site's editor pane. There is a search bar at the top that allows users to search the entire site. --- # How To Engage With The Site. ### Using Hypothes.is Does an idea in a note inspire you, or do you disagree with an observation? Would you like to contribute, make comments, or suggest changes to my notes? I recommend using Hypothes.is, a free, easy-to-install web browser plug-in that lets you annotate web pages and collaborate with people worldwide. Click here —> [[12.20250629 Hypothes.is|Hypothes.is]] to learn more.[^6] --- ### Tags Tags are a critical component of the notebooks infrastructure. A tag (`#tag`) is a type identifier. For the OAN, using the `#` followed by an `identifier` creates an internal link that connects notes under a common theme. Tags are located at the top of each note, but they are not entirely objective identifiers when attached to a note. However, their capacity to abstractly link notes aims to facilitate streams of emergent knowledge. Tags are used in two ways for this project. The first is to link notes in the abstract `#Byzantine` or `#Archaeology`, while the second is for in-text citations #Coleman/2025. Some tags will be simple, for example #OAN, while others will use a child tag. A child tag follows its parent/main tag using the simple syntax of `#parent/child`. By clicking on the tag #Byzantine/Coins, a menu with all notes associated with this tag is populated, as demonstrated in fig. 5. These child tags enable a more granular metadata approach to notes. The parent identifier *Byzantine* identifies the overarching theme of a note, while the child identifier *Coins* provides a more specific category within that theme. These tags do not follow any particular convention at this time, and are created against the context of the note and vault as a whole. The purpose is to let connections emerge naturally, indirectly connecting notes, unlike the use of wikis, where I intentionally and directly connect one, two or three notes together. For more on how wikis work, see [[#Wiki Links]]. Fig. 5. >[!contact] TAGS Window ![[Tag Links.png#center|700]] ### Tags for in-text Citations I will use in-text citations for the majority of the OAN unless otherwise specified. As with all citations, the objective of in-text citations is to credit where an idea, thought, or quote originated, and to support a claim with peer-reviewed evidence. Using a tag as a citation tool allows users to click it to view all notes associated with the cited author. In Fig. 6, #Dean/2018 indicates that `Dean` is the author's last name and `2018` is the year of publication, and all associated notes for this citation appear in the list below. If a page number is required, it will follow the tag in parentheses, #Kaldellis/2019(12). Fig. 6. >[!contact] In-Text Citations > ![[CitationTags.png#center|500]] --- ### Wiki Links ### Outgoing Links At the bottom of each note, just below the citation section, you will see the header **Related Links**. This section is where you will find related notes linked to the current note using a [[Wiki|Wiki]] link; Hover your cursor over the wiki and the linked note will appear. Click on the link and you will be redirected to the page. >[!contact] Related Links > ![[RelatedLinks.png#center|500]] ### Linked Mentions and Unlinked Mentions ### What is JDex? Develop an index system for the vault based on the Jdex system from [Johnny Decimal System](https://johnnydecimal.com/00-09-site-administration/01-about/) JDex is an acronym for Johnny Decimal, an indexing system created by Johnny Noble and Lucy Butcher. The basic premise of JDex is built upon the Dewey Decimal system, which is employed by libraries worldwide. JDex utilizes a four-digit numerical identifier to provide a simplified indexing system for your digital artifacts. This system uses a layered structure with 10 [[areas]] and 10 [[categories]], each containing 99 [[IDs]] . In total, the system provides approximately 9,900 unique IDs for indexing your digital artifacts. ### Why JDex Hybrid? After several iterations of creating identifiers for my notes, I settled on a combination of numeric and terminological values to represent each note. The following embedded Process Note provides more detail on the development of this indexing system. [[12.20250605 Indexing Obsidian]] --- >[!Bug] BUGS/Technical Issues > Bugs are everywhere. They find their way into all sorts of nooks and crannies - even digital spaces. That is to say, digital things break, shutdown, and operate in weird and wacky ways from time to time. If you encounter a bug in the operation of the site, glitches in the OAN, or just general UI/UX issues please email me at scottcoleman AT cmail DOT carleton DOT ca ([email protected]). I will do my best to promptly reply and correct the issue. #### Creative Commons [Rogue History Notes](https://publish.obsidian.md/roguenotes/Rogue+History+Notes) © 2025 by [Scott Coleman](https://www.roguehistory.ca/about-rogue-history) is licensed under [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/?ref=chooser-v1)  ![[CCBYNC.png]] ### Footnotes [^1]: See [[14.00 Personal Knowledge Management & Obsidian.md Index]] for a brief overview of the program's functionality and use cases for this project. [^2]: Additional services, including Publish and Sync, have associated costs. See https://obsidian.md/pricing [^3]: See [[Quick sheets.pdf|ReMarkable]] note for an example of how I import my handwritten notes into this repository. [^4]: See [[12.20250605 Indexing Obsidian]] and [Indexing Obsidian.md — Rogue History](https://www.roguehistory.ca/blog/indexing-obsidianmd) [^5]: See Ryan Murphy's use-case, *An Integrated Qualitative Analysis Environment with Obsidian* at [fulcra.design](https://fulcra.design/Posts/An-Integrated-Qualitative-Analysis-Environment-with-Obsidian/#:~:text=obsidian/) #Murphy/2021. Accessed January 20th, 2026. [^6]: I intend to create a comment section for each note to enable more accessible engagement with the notes in the notebook. However, at this time, I have not found any viable methods/code that will allow a comments section to populate for each note. To be honest, I am not sure this is even possible.