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Contributing to the Lab Handbook#

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Lab Handbook!

This section will guide you through the process of setting up your development environment, installing dependencies, and building the documentation.

Contributing Principles#

The Lab Handbook is a community-driven effort, and we welcome contributions from everyone. Here are some principles we follow when reviewing and approving contributions:

By the lab, for the lab#

  • Pages can be created, edited, and reviewed by anyone in the lab
  • Every page is understandable by anyone in the lab
  • Maintenance and upkeep is a responsibility shared by everyone in the lab

KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid#

(or Keep It Short and Simple)

  • We strive to keep the handbook focused and concise to make it easy for anyone to understand
  • We avoid unnecessary complexity

DRY - Don't Repeat Yourself#

  • Saves time and energy
  • If details already exist on another page or website, link to it, don’t copy paste
  • When making a page, remember it might get referred to somewhere else!

For Contributors#

Below are some common questions to help you find the right guidance for specific contributing tasks.

Where should I start if I want to contribute?#

If you’re new to contributing, start with the Prerequisites page to set up your environment and install necessary dependencies.

How do I submit an issue for a problem I found?#

If you’ve identified an issue, refer to the Submitting Issues page.
It provides details on how to use our issue templates and submit effective bug reports or feature requests.

How can I add new content to the handbook?#

To learn about adding or editing content, check out the Adding Content page.
This guide explains how to structure and format your additions to fit seamlessly into the handbook.

What steps are involved in the review process?#

The Reviewing a Contribution page outlines the review process, including best practices for constructive feedback and steps for both reviewers and contributors.

Where can I view all the changes made to the handbook?#

To see recent updates and changes to the documentation, visit the Changelog page for a record of all documented changes.

By following these resources, you'll have everything you need to contribute effectively to the Lab Handbook. If you have additional questions, feel free to reach out to the maintainers or submit a question through the Submitting Issues page.

For Maintainers#

What should I know about merging pull requests?#

For guidance on merging contributions, visit the Merging PR page.
It explains our review process, how to address review comments, and merge a PR successfully.

How do I prepare for releasing and deploying changes?#

Check out the Release & Deployment page to learn about our release procedures, automated workflows, and deployment to GitHub Pages.