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High-quality content has the following characteristics:

Easy to use

CriteriaChecklist
Task orientation

☐ Write for the intended audience

☐ Present information from the users’ point of view

☐ Focus on users’ goals

☐ Indicate a practical reason for information

☐ Provide clear, step-by-step instructions

Accuracy

☐ Research before you write

☐ Verify the information that you write

☐ Keep information current

☐ Keep information about a subject consistent

☐ Use spell checkers, grammar checkers, link checkers

Completeness

☐ Fix things in the UI (if there is one)

☐ Apply a pattern for disclosing information

☐ Cover all relevant subjects (and only those)

☐ Cover each topic only in as much detail as users need

Easy to understand

CriteriaChecklist
Clarity

☐ Focus on the meaning

☐ Eliminate wordiness

☐ Write coherently

☐ Avoid ambiguity

☐ Use technical terms consistently

Concreteness

☐ Consider the skill level and needs of users

☐ Use elements that fit in the information type

☐ Elements should be focused, realistic and up to date

☐ Use scenarios to illustrate tasks and provide an overview

☐ Make code examples easy to use

☐ Set the context for examples and scenarios

☐ Use similies and analogies to relate unfamiliar to familiar

☐ Use specific language

Style

☐ Use active voice

☐ Use the right tone

☐ Avoid gender and cultural bias

☐ Spell terms consistently and correctly

☐ Use proper capitalization

☐ Use consistent and correct punctuation

☐ Apply consistent highlighting

☐ Make elements in parallel

☐ Apply templates and reuse snippets/elements

☐ Use consistent mark-up tagging

Easy to find

CriteriaChecklist
Organization

☐ Put information where users expect it

☐ Arrange elements to facilitate navigation

☐ Reveal how elements fit together

☐ Emphasize main points; make secondary points subordinate

Retrievability

☐ Optimize for searching and browsing

☐ Guide users through information

☐ Link appropriately

☐ Provide a helpful entry point

Visual effectiveness

☐ Apply visual design practices to textual elements

☐ Use graphics that are meaningful and appropriate

☐ Apply a consistent visual style

☐ Use visual elements to help users find what they need

☐ Ensure that visual elements are accessible to all users

For details, see Developing Quality Technical Information: A handbook for Writers and Editors (IBM Press). For automated scoring with AI assistants, use the content-scoring skill where it is installed in your repo. For voice, structure, and Mintlify usage, see rules/cognite-styleguide.md in the repository (canonical) or the style guide summary. Before you request review, work through this checklist together with the style guide.
Last modified on August 27, 2026