nf-core documentation
Everyone is welcome to contribute to nf-core documentation. Whether you’re fixing a typo, clarifying instructions, or writing new guides, your contributions help make nf-core more accessible to the community.
Good documentation is essential to nf-core’s mission. It helps users get started quickly, troubleshoot issues effectively, and understand best practices for developing pipelines and modules. Every improvement to our docs makes a real difference.
Documentation contributions are just as valuable as code contributions. Thank you for helping make nf-core documentation better for everyone.
Need help or have questions about documentation? Contact the nf-core docs-team on Slack at #team-docs. We’re here to help!
How to contribute
Contributing to nf-core documentation follows a straightforward process:
- Find the page you want to improve: Browse the documentation and identify areas that need clarification, updates, or new content.
- Edit the content: Make your changes following our style guide and topic types.
- Submit a pull request: Propose your changes for review by the community.
- Respond to feedback: Work with reviewers to refine your contribution.
If you’re new to technical writing, don’t worry. The sections below provide everything you need to write clear, consistent documentation.
Writing guidelines
Before you start writing, familiarize yourself with these essential resources:
Style guide
The style guide covers all the essential styling rules for nf-core documentation, including:
- Voice and tone guidelines for conversational, concise writing
- Grammar and punctuation rules (British English, active voice, Oxford comma)
- Capitalisation and text formatting conventions
- How to write headings, lists, links, and tables
- Guidelines for code blocks, images, and alerts
Following the style guide ensures consistency across all nf-core documentation and makes content easier to read and translate.
Topic types
The topic types page explains how to structure different kinds of documentation content framework:
- Concept: Explain what features are and why they matter.
- Task: Provide step-by-step instructions for completing actions.
- Reference: Document parameters, options, and specifications in scannable formats.
- Troubleshooting: Address specific problems and their solutions.
Most documentation pages combine multiple topic types. For example, a page might start with a concept introduction, followed by task instructions, and end with troubleshooting tips.
Understanding topic types helps you organize information logically and ensures readers can find what they need quickly.
Finding opportunities to contribute
Not sure where to start? Here are some ways to find documentation that needs improvement:
- Fix issues: Check the documentation issues on GitHub for requested improvements.
- Update existing pages: Look for outdated information, broken links, or unclear instructions.
- Fill gaps: Identify features or workflows that lack documentation.
- Improve clarity: Simplify complex explanations or add examples to existing content.
- Add screenshots: Visual aids can help clarify UI-based instructions (use sparingly and follow image guidelines).
Get help
If you have questions at any point:
- Contact #team-docs on the nf-core Slack workspace
- Ask in your pull request comments
- Review existing documentation for examples
We’re a friendly community and happy to help new contributors!