# You Only Write Thrice: Creating Documents, Computational Notebooks and Presentations From a Single Source

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2107.06639 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.06639/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 0 of its 5 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 2 Jul 2021.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [What and How of Machine Learning Transparency: Building Bespoke Explainability Tools with Interoperable Algorithmic Components](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.03813/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Academic trade requires juggling multiple variants of the same content published in different formats: manuscripts, presentations, posters and computational notebooks. The need to track versions to accommodate for the write--review--rebut--revise life-cycle adds another layer of complexity. We propose to significantly reduce this burden by maintaining a single source document in a version-controlled environment (such as git), adding functionality to generate a collection of output formats popular in academia. To this end, we utilise various open-source tools from the Jupyter scientific computing ecosystem and operationalise selected software engineering concepts. We offer a proof-of-concept workflow that composes Jupyter Book (an online document), Jupyter Notebook (a computational narrative) and reveal.js slides from a single markdown source file. Hosted on GitHub, our approach supports change tracking and versioning, as well as a transparent review process based on the underlying code issue management infrastructure. An exhibit of our workflow can be previewed at https://so-cool.github.io/you-only-write-thrice/.