[Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) is one of a new generation of note-taking apps that facilitate backlinks. This means that you can see what other notes link back to the one you are currently reading. These links can be viewed together as a whole in a graph, which can be used to navigate through the vault. you can learn more in the [help site](https://help.obsidian.md/Obsidian/Index) or browse their [YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRP5KXKq8Ytc6IH06VWRmkQ) including discussions of its usefulness for [PhD research](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIDCb22ZUTBmA25VIsD49hBZwTtajOzlY). The links are handled automatically, so that if you change the title of your note, the link to that note will change in all the other notes. Obsidian uses a formatting called markdown. This is a simplified version of HTML used on websites. Markdown files can be read in any text application and are stored on your own computer, so they you are not dependent on a proprietory platform. For explanation of how this works, you can watch this [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qRVquqRH0k&ab_channel=NicolevanderHoeven). Other simple apps include Roam Research, Logseq, Notion and Craft.