MD036 - Emphasis Instead of Heading
Emphasis used instead of a heading.
Why This Rule Exists
Using bold or italic text on its own line as a pseudo-heading breaks document structure. Real headings provide proper hierarchy for navigation, accessibility, and table of contents generation.
Examples
Incorrect
**Introduction**
This section introduces the topic.
*Getting Started*
Follow these steps to begin.
Correct
## Introduction
This section introduces the topic.
## Getting Started
Follow these steps to begin.
Configuration
[MD036]
punctuation = ".,;:!?。；：！？" # Punctuation that indicates not a heading
Lines ending with punctuation are assumed to be emphasized text, not pseudo-headings.
When to Disable
- Documents using emphasis for visual styling
- Content where headings aren't appropriate
- Presentations or slides with different formatting needs
Rule Details
- Rule ID: MD036
- Aliases: no-emphasis-as-heading
- Category: Emphasis
- Severity: Warning
- Auto-fix: No
Why This Matters
Pseudo-headings created with emphasis:
- Don't appear in table of contents
- Break accessibility for screen readers
- Can't be linked to with anchors
- Don't contribute to document outline