godot-docs/community/contributing/content_guidelines.rst

.. _doc_content_guidelines:

Content guidelines
==================

This document is here to help us assess what we should include in the official
documentation. Below, you will find a couple of principles and recommendations
to write accessible content.

We want to achieve two goals:

1. **Empathize with our users.** We should write in a way that makes it easy for
   them to learn from the docs.
2. **Write a complete reference manual**. Our goal here is not to teach
   programming foundations. Instead, we should provide a reference for how
   Godot's features work.

Guidelines and principles
-------------------------

Below are the guidelines we should strive to follow. They are not hard rules,
though: exceptionally, a topic will require breaking one or more of these.
Still, we should strive to achieve the two goals listed above.

Writing complete and accessible documentation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**A feature doesn't exist unless it is documented**. If a user can't find
information about a feature and how it works, it doesn't exist to them. We
should ensure that we cover everything Godot does.

.. note::

    When adding or updating an engine feature, the documentation team needs to
    know about it. Contributors should open an issue on the `godot-docs` repository
    when their work gets merged and requires documentation.

Do your best to keep documents **under 1000 words in length**. If a page goes
past that threshold, consider splitting it into two parts if possible. Limiting
page size forces us to write concisely and to break large documents so they each
focus on a particular problem.

Make it clear what **problem** each page or section of a page tackles and what
the user will learn from it. Users need to know if they're reading the correct
guide to solving problems they encounter. For example, instead of writing the
heading "Signals", consider writing "Reacting to changes with signals". The
second title makes it clear what the purpose of signals is.

.. note::

    Long section titles lead to long entries in the side menu, which can make
    navigation cumbersome. Try to keep headings five words long or less.

If the page assumes specific knowledge of other Godot features, mention it and
link it to the corresponding documentation. For instance, a page about physics
may use signals, in which case we could note that the page that introduces
signals is a pre-requisite.

Limiting cognitive load
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Limit the cognitive load required to read the documentation. The simpler and
more explicit language we use, the more efficient it becomes for people to
learn. You can do so by:

1. Introducing only one new concept at a time whenever possible.
2. Using simple English, as we recommend in our writing guidelines.
3. Including one or more **concrete usage examples**. Prefer a real-world example
   to abstract code like ``foobar``.

While many people may understand more complex language and abstract examples,
you will lose others. Also, understandable writing and practical examples
benefit everyone.

Always make an effort to **put yourself in the user's shoes**. When we
understand something thoroughly, it becomes evident to us. We may fail to think
about details relevant to a newcomer, but **good documentation meets users where
they are**. We should strive to explain each feature's capabilities or intended
uses with the most straightforward language possible.

Try to remember what you first needed to know when learning about the feature or
concept. What new terms did you need to learn? What confused you? What was the
hardest to grasp? You will want users to review your work, and we recommend you
practice explaining the feature before writing about it.

.. note::

    Having programming foundations is a pre-requisite to use a complex engine
    like Godot. Talking about variables, functions, or classes is acceptable.
    But we should favor plain language over specific terminology like
    "metaprogramming". If you need to use precise terms, be sure to define them.

When a page assumes knowledge of another engine feature, declare it at the
beginning and link to resources that cover what users need. You may also link to
other websites for pre-requisites beyond the documentation's scope. For example,
you could link to an introduction to programming in the getting started guide, or a
website that teaches math theory in the math section.