Quarto for Data Science Reporting Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-03-19

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Quarto is an open-source scientific and technical publishing system built on Pandoc, designed to create reproducible documents by combining code, output, and narrative text. It supports multiple languages (Python, R, Julia, Observable JS) and renders to various formats (HTML, PDF, Word, slides, dashboards, websites, books) from a single source. Unlike R Markdown, Quarto is language-agnostic with native multi-format support and doesn't require R as a dependency. The key insight: Quarto treats documents as executable markdown where computational results are embedded directly into the output, making it ideal for parameterized reports, automated workflows, and reproducible research at scale.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 15 focused tables and 117 indexed concepts. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Core Document TypesTable 2: Execution Engines and ModesTable 3: YAML ConfigurationTable 4: Publishing and Output FormatsTable 5: Cross-References and CitationsTable 6: Code Chunk OptionsTable 7: Layout and StylingTable 8: Interactive ElementsTable 9: Advanced Content FeaturesTable 10: Project Structure and WorkflowTable 11: Rendering and ExecutionTable 12: Extensions and CustomizationTable 13: Book-Specific FeaturesTable 14: Dashboard-Specific FeaturesTable 15: Reproducibility and Best Practices

Table 1: Core Document Types

Type	Example	Description
Document (qmd)	`title: "Analysis"` `format: html`	• Single-page report combining markdown, code, and output • supports HTML, PDF, Word formats with computational engines.
Parameterized Report	`params:` `region: "West"` `{{< param region >}}`	• Template document with variable inputs • render multiple customized outputs from one source using `quarto render --execute-params`.
Notebook (ipynb)	Jupyter `.ipynb` file	• Native Jupyter notebooks rendered with Quarto • preserves interactive development workflow while producing publication-quality output.
Presentation (revealjs)	`format: revealjs` `## Slide Title`	• HTML slides with reveal.js • supports incremental display, speaker notes, code execution, and interactive visualizations.

Table 1: Core Document Types

Type	Example	Description
Document (qmd)	`title: "Analysis"` `format: html`	• Single-page report combining markdown, code, and output • supports HTML, PDF, Word formats with computational engines.
Parameterized Report	`params:` `region: "West"` `{{< param region >}}`	• Template document with variable inputs • render multiple customized outputs from one source using `quarto render --execute-params`.
Notebook (ipynb)	Jupyter `.ipynb` file	• Native Jupyter notebooks rendered with Quarto • preserves interactive development workflow while producing publication-quality output.
Presentation (revealjs)	`format: revealjs` `## Slide Title`	• HTML slides with reveal.js • supports incremental display, speaker notes, code execution, and interactive visualizations.