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| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +title: Writing style |
| 3 | +subtitle: Guidelines for contributing to nf-core documentation. |
| 4 | +markdownPlugin: addNumbersToHeadings |
| 5 | +--- |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +# Documentation contribution guidelines |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +Many thanks for taking an interest in improving the nf-core documentation. To maintain consistency and clarity across the documentation, please follow these guidelines. |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +## General writing guidelines |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +### Use British English |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +Write in British English, not US English. |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +- ✅ _"colour"_ instead of ❌ _"color"_ |
| 18 | +- ✅ _"organise"_ instead of ❌ _"organize"_ |
| 19 | + |
| 20 | +### Use active voice |
| 21 | + |
| 22 | +Active voice makes sentences clearer and more direct. |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | +- ✅ Active: _"nf-core curates pipelines."_ |
| 25 | +- ❌ Passive: _"Pipelines are curated by nf-core."_ |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +### Avoid gerunds: |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +Avoid using gerunds (verbs ending in -ing) to make headings and sentences more direct. |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +- ✅ _"Run pipelines to produce results."_ |
| 32 | +- ❌ _"Running pipelines produces results."_ |
| 33 | + |
| 34 | +### Be direct and brief |
| 35 | + |
| 36 | +Be direct and brief in your instructions and descriptions. Avoid words and qualifiers like _may_, _might_, _should_, _could_, _just_, or _even_. |
| 37 | + |
| 38 | +- ✅ _"To make changes to the pipeline"_ |
| 39 | +- ❌ _"If you would like to make changes to the pipeline"_ |
| 40 | +- ✅ _"Install with Conda"_ |
| 41 | +- ❌ _"You can also install with Conda"_ |
| 42 | + |
| 43 | +### Avoid Latin abbreviations (e.g., i.e., etc.) |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +Write out the full phrase instead of using Latin abbreviations. |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +- ✅ _"For example,"_ not ❌ _"e.g."_ |
| 48 | +- ✅ _"That is,"_ not ❌ _"i.e."_ |
| 49 | + |
| 50 | +### Avoid please and thank you |
| 51 | + |
| 52 | +Maintain a professional and direct tone by avoiding the use of ❌ _"please"_ and ❌ _"thank you"_. |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +## Formatting guidelines |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +:::tip |
| 57 | +See [Markdown on the nf-core website](/docs/contributing/website/markdown) for instructions |
| 58 | +on how to use markdown formatting and special elements such as "admonitions" for nice formatting. |
| 59 | +You're reading an admonition right now! |
| 60 | +::: |
| 61 | + |
| 62 | +### Code and commands |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | +Use inline code formatting for file names or partial commands. Use code blocks for longer code snippets, terminal output, or commands that should easily be copied. |
| 65 | + |
| 66 | +- ✅ _"Use `nextflow run nf-core/pipeline_name{:bash}` to execute the pipeline."_ |
| 67 | +- ✅ _"The pipeline can be executed with the following command:"_ |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +```bash |
| 70 | + nextflow run nf-core/pipeline_name --input samplesheet.csv |
| 71 | +``` |
| 72 | + |
| 73 | +### Headings and titles |
| 74 | + |
| 75 | +Use sentence case for headings and titles. Only the first word and proper nouns should be capitalized. |
| 76 | + |
| 77 | +- ✅ _"Tuning workflow resources"_ |
| 78 | +- ✅ _"Use a specific Nextflow version"_ |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +### Lists |
| 81 | + |
| 82 | +- Use bullet points for lists where the order of items is not important. |
| 83 | +- Use numbered lists for sequential steps. |
| 84 | +- Use [numbered headings](/docs/contributing/website/markdown#numbered-headings) for guidelines where it is useful to be able to easily refer to a specific section of the docs (like this page!) |
| 85 | +- Use [checklists](/docs/contributing/website/markdown#checklist) if you're expecting someone to run through |
| 86 | + a set of instructions. |
| 87 | + |
| 88 | +### Hyperlinks |
| 89 | + |
| 90 | +Write descriptive link text instead of using URLs directly. |
| 91 | + |
| 92 | +- ✅ _"See the [nf-core website](https://nf-co.re)"_ |
| 93 | +- ❌ _"See the nf-core website: <https://nf-co.re>"_ |
| 94 | + |
| 95 | +## Getting help |
| 96 | + |
| 97 | +For further information or help, get in touch on the nf-core [`#docs` channel](https://nfcore.slack.com/archives/C06RR8F5L3E) on [Slack](https://nf-co.re/join/slack/). |
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