Documentation Interest Group

I. Purpose

The Documentation Interest Group (DIG) is charged with advancing the usability of the Public Knowledge Project’s software for and in consultation with our robust community, including by lowering barriers for non-expert users of PKP’s software and reducing redundant support inquiries. As a community-driven, community-supported project, the DIG brings together PKP staff and community members to coordinate the strategic direction as well as the creation, maintenance, and improvement of quality documentation on (1) on the practical implementation and use of PKP’s software, (2) and on scholarly publishing, including on ethics, approaches, and trends. The DIG makes external-facing documentation available to PKP’s community through the Documentation Hub (Docs Hub), while its leadership creates, maintains, and improves internally-facing documentation on group governance, policies and procedures within a dedicated Notion space. 

The DIG aims to support the development of documentation in all languages and translation of documentation into different languages. This could include hosting meetings and sprints in different languages. 

The Members Committee guides the strategic direction of the Documentation Interest Group by providing advice, support and oversight, ensuring the delivery, fulfillment, and assessment of DIG projects. 

II. Objectives

  1. Strategic visioning for enhancing PKP’s Documentation Hub;
  2. Assessing, maintaining, improving and creating documentation, including but not limited to user guides, developer documentation, workflows, standards, best practices in scholarly publishing topics, and governance;
  3. Organizing, licensing, and making documentation available through the Documentation Hub and Notion space;
  4. Updating documentation before major software release
  5. Suggesting topics for organization-wide, offline, in-person PKP Documentation Sprints;
  6. Making recommendations for internal documentation to the Operations Committee;
  7. Compiling, assessing, and promoting externally created documentation relevant to PKP software;
  8. Facilitating external requests for documentation
  9. Coordinating bi-weekly sprints (every other week) and facilitating the DIG Monthly Meeting with MIG and S-DIG

III. Deliverables

Language Group Chairs to report to the monthly meeting about documentation standards and translation. The PKP Liaison to the MultiIingualism Interest Group coordinates communication and needs of the MIL.

IV.  Membership

Membership is open to all PKP staff and community members keen to contribute to PKP’s documentation initiatives. Roles on the group include:
  • Chair
  • Systems Team Liaison
  • Development Team Liaison  
  • Docs Hub Developer and Administrator
  • Translation Coordinator
  • Community Coordinator
  • PKP DIG Liaison
  • Language Group Chair(s) 
  • Sprinters / Community Contributors

Current Membership

  • Vacant (Chair / Community Contributor)
  • Jason Nugent, Public Knowledge Project (Systems Team Liaison)
  • Alec Smecher, Public Knowledge Project (Development Team Liaison)  
  • Vacant (Docs Hub Developer and Administrator)
  • Emma Uhl, Public Knowledge Project (Translation Coordinator)
  • Emma Uhl, Public Knowledge Project (PKP DIG Liaison)
  • Alejandra Casas Niño de Rivera, Public Knowledge Project (Language Group Chair) 
  • Urooj Nizami, Public Knowledge Project (Community Coordinator)
  • Sean Crow, University of Cincinnati (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Roger Gillis, Public Knowledge Project (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Mariya Maistrovskaya, University of Toronto (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Patricia Mangahis, Public Knowledge Project (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Natalie Marty, Swiss Medical Weekly (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Tomasz Mrozewski, York University (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Mike Nason, Public Knowledge Project (Sprinter / Special Projects)
  • Kate Shuttleworth, Public Knowledge Project (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Emily Zheng, University of Alberta (Sprinter / Community Contributor)

Spanish-DIG Members

  • Alejandra Casas Niño de Rivera, Public Knowledge Project (Language Group Chair) 
  • Marc Bria, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Pedro López Casique, México (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Jordi Lacruz, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Gubisha Ruiz Morán, Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes (Sprinter / Community Contributor)
  • Dagoberto Salas, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León (Sprinter / Community Contributor)

V. Terms

Staff members have specific areas of responsibility that are ongoing. Roles filled by community members are two-year appointments with the option to renew.

VI. Meeting Practices

  1. Regular virtual meetings will be held as outlined below. 
  2. A call for collaboratively created monthly meeting agendas will be put out by the Community Coordinator one week prior to the next scheduled meeting. Meeting invitations, associated links, and documentation will be managed by the Community Coordinator
  3. Meeting minutes will be taken by members on a rotating schedule with an emphasis on recording action items.
  4. Meetings will be facilitated by members on a rotating schedule.
  5. Ongoing communication will take place on the Documentation Interest Group’s Mattermost Channel.
  6. The Terms of Reference, current membership, and all relevant documentation will be maintained on a dedicated Notion Page. 

DIG Bi-Weekly Sprints are held every other week and  attended by all DIG members to work collectively or independently on documentation priorities set by the DIG. This might include, maintaining, creating, or improving documentation.  

DIG Monthly Meetings are held once a month and attended by the Chair, Technical Documents Coordinator, Docs Hub System Coordinator, Translation Coordinator, Community Coordinator, PKP DIG Liaison, and optionally by other members of the DIG to discuss, coordinate, and set priorities for DIG operations.