Skip to main content

Page Structure

Summary​

This standard defines the required order and omission rules for documentation page sections.

Audience​

  • Documentation authors
  • Documentation reviewers

Reference Content​

Use the following order so readers can predict where information appears.

  1. Title — Required. State the subject or task precisely.
  2. Summary — Required. Explain the page outcome and scope in one short paragraph.
  3. Audience — Required. Identify the intended controlled audience values.
  4. Prerequisites — Required for task-based content; otherwise omit it.
  5. Overview — Required for overview, concept, architecture, and reference content; optional when the summary is sufficient.
  6. Detailed Content — Required when the page needs explanation, procedures, parameters, or structured reference material.
  7. Examples — Include only when verified examples improve understanding.
  8. Diagrams — Include when relationships, sequences, or boundaries are clearer visually.
  9. Validation or Expected Result — Required for how-to, tutorial, runbook, deployment, and configuration procedures.
  10. Troubleshooting — Include when known, verified failure conditions and remedies exist.
  11. Related Articles — Required when directly related pages exist.
  12. See Also — Include for broader supporting material or authoritative external sources.
  13. Keywords — Required when additional discovery terms are useful; do not repeat visible prose solely for search.
  14. Revision Information — Required for approved, deprecated, and archived content.

Omission rules​

A section may be omitted only when it does not apply to the page’s content type or no verified content is available. Do not publish empty headings, “not applicable” filler, or speculative text.

The Title, Summary, Audience, Related Articles, and Revision Information sections are expected on publishable authored pages. Template instructions may identify additional required sections by content type.

See Also​

Keywords​

  • Page structure
  • Required sections

Revision Information​

  • Last reviewed: 2026-07-14
  • Owner: documentation-team
  • Status: Approved