Maintaining and editing knowledge base articles

Standards used for editing articles

The standards used for knowledge base articles within the UO Service Portal are below and in the Related Articles pane of this page. Please consult them for any creation, editing, or maintenance of articles.

• Knowledge Base Style Guide
  • This living document is the basis for editing articles by the USS Knowledge Manager
  • For consultation, questions, or comments, you can consult the Knowledge Management Support service page and submit a ticket.
• Knowledge Base Article Requirements Rubric
  • A pared-down version of the style guide for quick reference

Useful tools using our standards

The style guide is based upon the standards kept by University Communications and the following resources:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1 AA Level (WCAG 2.1 AA) 
• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Web Accessibility Guidelines 
• Knowledge-centered support (KCS) guidelines 
• Writing for the Web (University Communications) 
• University of Oregon Brand and Style Guidelines

How to use the standards and tools

The standards and tools used to implement them are both exhaustive and can be meticulous. Do your best to follow their guidance and feel free to reach out for help at any point.

The USS Knowledge Management process

When a draft article is submitted for review, this is the process that USS Knowledge Management uses. This process is also used when creating, editing, or reviewing a knowledge base article outside of the guidelines in the How to create a knowledge base article article.

1. The article is first scanned for web accessibility using WCAG 2.1 AA standards
   1. URIs/URLs need to have descriptive link text
      1. Exceptions to this are IT services with a readable URL. Example: uomail.uoregon.edu
   2. Images need to have alt text inserted into the Description field of the Image Properties dialog box
   3. Semantic icons are properly defined (In the Editor view, select Source, then change the aria-label from "icon" to "your preferred definition")
2. Action items and terminology (like what is written on a clickable button) are in bold text
   1. Do not use quotation marks, they will be deleted
3. General text formatting
   1. Consulting the Knowledge Base Glossary of Terms article for any troublesome terms.
   2. Eliminating double spaces after punctuation
      1. Only use a single space after a period, comma, or colon
      2. Do not use any spacing when using an em dash (—)
   3. Using either bold or italics when emphasizing text within a list
      1. Using a section-level note to call more attention to it (See the Templates drop-down menu)
4. Editing content for readability and clarity (if necessary)

Approval for publication

Once the draft article has met the standards, the draft is set to Approved status by the USS Knowledge Manager or any approved designees. Ensure that the Published to KB checkbox is selected.

The Next Review Date is set for six months from the date of the last edit and the checkbox to Notify Owner of Feedback is checked.

Limiting article visibility

Some articles need limited visibility for an assortment of reasons (i.e., security-related articles for IT staff, procedural articles for customers regarding purchasing, etc.):

1. Select Edit Article, then choose the Permissions tab
2. Uncheck the Inherit Permissions and Public check boxes.
3. (Optional) Under Article Permissions, choose either:
   1. Allow ONLY the associated groups below to view this article
   2. Allow all individuals to view this article EXCEPT the associated groups below (selected by default)
      1. Under Add Groups, select the authorized group(s) that can see the article. 
      2. Note: If none are selected, the article will be visible to all authenticated users.
4. Select Save to save changes.