Skip to main content

This version of GitHub Enterprise Server was discontinued on 2024-01-04. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise Server. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Referential content type

Referential content provides detailed information that people need while they are actively using a feature.

Important

Articles in the "Contributing to GitHub Docs" section refer to the documentation itself and are a resource for GitHub staff and open source contributors.

We create referential articles and referential sections within other articles.

  • Some major subjects may require their own referential article, especially if there is a large amount of referential content, such as for search syntax or YAML syntax in GitHub Actions.
  • For smaller amounts of content or more specific information, like a list of a feature’s supported languages or hardware requirements, use referential sections in context within procedural or conceptual articles.

How to write referential content

For the referential content template, see "Templates."

  • Write a sentence or an entire conceptual section to introduce the referential content.
  • Present the actual referential content clearly and consistently.
  • For subjects with a single element to explain, use a list.
  • For subjects with multiple elements to explain, use a table.
  • For longer referential content, such as YAML syntax for workflows, use headers consistently.

Titles for referential content

  • Referential articles or headers of referential sections clearly describe the contents of the section, and generally begin with nouns.
  • Titles include enough information to be accessible to novice users and fully describe the contents of each section.
  • Titles avoid stacked nouns - use prepositions to break up long strings of nouns.

Examples of referential content