What Quarto Can Do
One syntax, many outputs
This page collects examples of different Quarto output formats. Each demonstrates a capability you may find useful during your degree and beyond. All of these are created from plain text .qmd files — the same format you use for your blog posts.
Learning Quarto does not just mean learning to write blog posts. The same skills transfer directly to dashboards, academic papers, interactive worksheets, presentations, and more. One syntax, many outputs.
Dashboard
What it is: A multi-panel data display with charts, tables, and interactive elements — all updating from code.
When you would use it: Project overviews, research progress tracking, presenting survey results, client-facing analytics.
Quarto format: format: dashboard
Key features demonstrated:
- Interactive bar charts (Observable Plot)
- Favourite p-value and statistical test polls
- Mood tracker across the semester
- Tool preference breakdown
APA 7 Academic Paper
What it is: A fully formatted APA Style 7th Edition manuscript, generated from a single .qmd file.
When you would use it: Lab reports, dissertations, journal submissions, coursework that requires APA formatting.
Quarto format: format: apaquarto-html (via the apaquarto extension)
Key features demonstrated:
- APA title page with author, affiliation, and contact details
- Structured abstract with keywords
- In-text citations and automatic APA reference list
- Proper heading levels (APA Levels 1–3)
- Statistical notation in-line (M, SD, t, p, d)
- Tables with APA-style captions
- Can also render to PDF and Word locally
Interactive R in the Browser (WebR)
What it is: A worksheet where students write and run R code directly in the browser — no installation needed. Explores simulated F1 race data with summary statistics, visualisations, and hypothesis tests.
When you would use it: Statistics teaching, lab preparation, data exploration, self-paced tutorials.
Quarto format: Standard HTML + webR extension
Key features demonstrated:
- Editable, runnable R code cells (no installation required)
- Data wrangling, summary statistics, and visualisation
- t-tests and effect sizes computed live
- Boxplots, line charts, and trend lines
- Every cell is editable — students can experiment freely
R Data Visualisation Showcases
What they are: Adapted TidyTuesday competition entries by Cedric Scherer. These demonstrate the kind of publication-quality data art that R and ggplot2 can produce — far beyond basic bar charts.
When you would use them: Inspiration, teaching data visualisation, showing what R can really do.
Sankey bump chart showing how LEGO brick colours exploded from a handful to hundreds over six decades.
Every astronaut who has been to space, visualised by cumulative hours and year of first mission.
Presentations (RevealJS)
What it is: Browser-based slide decks with transitions, speaker notes, columns, and embedded media. No PowerPoint required.
When you would use it: Lectures, conference talks, student presentations, tutorial walkthroughs.
Quarto format: format: revealjs
Key features demonstrated:
- Branded slide decks with Goldsmiths colours and logo
- Two-column layouts and Mermaid diagrams
- Embedded YouTube videos
- Full-bleed background slides
Blog Posts
What it is: The format you already know. A styled article with citations, figures, callouts, and interactive elements.
Quarto format: Standard website HTML
The point
All of these outputs come from the same underlying system: a plain-text .qmd file, some YAML at the top, and Quarto doing the rendering. Learn the syntax once and you can produce:
| Format | File you write | Output you get |
|---|---|---|
| Blog post | index.qmd |
Styled HTML article |
| Dashboard | dashboard.qmd |
Multi-panel data display |
| APA paper | paper.qmd |
Formatted manuscript (HTML + PDF + Word) |
| Worksheet | worksheet.qmd |
Interactive tutorial with live R |
| Data art | visualisation.qmd |
Publication-quality R graphics |
| Slides | slides.qmd |
Browser-based presentation |
One skill. Six outputs. That is what Quarto gives you.