openstack-manuals/doc/contributor-guide/source/topic-structure.rst

Topic structure

The OpenStack community welcomes all contributors to documentation. This section provides recommendations on how to structure the content that you submit to the openstack-manuals repository.

Organize technical information in topics. Use the principles of topic-based authoring in all technical publications.

Topic-based authoring is a method of content creation in which information is structured in small chunks of a particular type. In contrast to book content, where information has a linear structure, in topic-based authoring you presume that a user can begin reading documentation from any topic. Therefore, each topic represents an independent piece of information. Each topic states prerequisites and dependencies, if any, as well as providing information about the next steps.

In topic-based authoring a chunk of information is called topic.

Structure the information around the following topics:

Concept

A concept topic explains a particular functionality. It does not provide a sequence of steps or information on how to use the functionality.

Example of a concept topic title: Introduction to the OpenStack components and services.

A concept topic includes:

• Title
• Description
• Related links
• (optional) Diagrams
• (optional) Examples

Task

A task topic provides a sequence of steps detailing how to achieve a certain task. A section (or chapter) is the high level task topic.

Typically, a section includes multiple sub-sections: task, concept, and reference topics. Start the title of a high level task topic with a verb in gerund and the title of a subtask topic with a verb in imperative.

Task topics are the most important topics in any technical documentation. Typically, the reader browses through the table of contents searching for information on how to configure the network, storage, or any other component of a system.

Examples of concept topic titles:

• Section topic title: Monitoring performance.
• Task topic title: Delete a node, Recover from a failure.

A task topic includes:

• Title
• Short description (intro)
• Procedure (a sequence of steps)
• Result
• Related links (See also)
• (optional) Examples

Reference

A reference topic provides additional information about a functionality. Typically, information in a reference topic is presented in lists or tables.

Example of a reference topic title: Supported operating systems.