diff --git a/build/README.md b/build/README.md
index e5ad51a76e39d33664884cdd536d0415523c5e30..0d13383aacd592ba4d48ad5f4fe2062be0143577 100644
--- a/build/README.md
+++ b/build/README.md
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ This section describes the use of the pre-existing programs, once the binaries h
    
 *NOTE:* both `edfb` and `sph` expect an input which is assumed to be in a folder named `../../test_data/sphere/` (i.e. two levels above the current execution path)
 
-TODO: set up a code variable to locate the input data (data file paths should not be hard-coded)
+*TODO:* set up a code variable to locate the input data (data file paths should not be hard-coded)
 
 ### trapping
 
diff --git a/test_data/README.md b/test_data/README.md
index c278cb21661a66ae27408cdedfe5664ba7039db7..d6f22fda2e0e95ded0d0389f13d4aa6566d1cf5b 100644
--- a/test_data/README.md
+++ b/test_data/README.md
@@ -10,13 +10,13 @@ The execution of the original code can be controlled through a set of configurat
 
 cluster is designed to calculate a complex geometry made up by many spheres. These can be either fully embedded in a larger sphere or separated within the external medium. Sphere compenetration is not accounted for.
 
-TODO: add the description of the cluster configuration files
+*TODO:* add the description of the cluster configuration files
 
 ### sphere
 
 sphere is designed to perform the simplest case calculation, namely the scattering of incident radiation on a single sphere. To perform the calculation, the two following formatted files need to be provided:
 
-TODO: write the the DEDFB documentation
+*TODO:* write the the DEDFB documentation
 
 - DSPH
 ```