A digital file designed so that people with visual, physical, cognitive, or hearing impairments can read and navigate it easily using assistive technology like screen readers.

Ensuring that all electronic tools, documents, websites, and learning materials meet federal accessibility standards so individuals with disabilities can use them equally and independently.

A bridge that allows other software programs to automatically search, read, write, or sync articles and data without using the human website interface.

The process of verifying a user's identity before granting access to internal, restricted, or customer-facing information.

A user or role with permissions to create, edit, and publish documentation such as articles, guides, and FAQs.

The process of verifying a user's identity before granting access to internal, restricted, or customer-facing information. Authentication verifies who a user is (such as logging in with a password or email), authorization decides what files, categories, or administrative settings they can access.

A temporary storage location on your device where web browsers save website files like images, scripts, and stylesheets.

A set of published guides and rules that show KB users how to add written text to video.

A top-level container or folder that groups related articles together under a single thematic name. 

Tthe difference in luminance (brightness) between the text color and its background color. It is a fundamental element of web accessibility (specifically under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG), ensuring that documentation, articles, and guides are easily readable for all users, including those with visual impairments like color blindness or low vision.

A systematic review and evaluation of all existing articles, guides, FAQs, and documents to check for accuracy, relevance, and quality.

A system of rules, roles, and workflows that controls how information is created, updated, reviewed, and retired.

The ongoing process of reviewing, updating, structuring, and deleting articles to ensure all stored information remains accurate, useful, and easy to find.

The specific person or group accountable for the accuracy, quality, relevance, and lifecycle of designated articles or documentation

A small text file that a web server sends to your web browser to remember information about your visit.

A plain text file format used to store tabular data like tables or spreadsheets.

A centralized visual interface that displays key metrics, data, and status reports about your help articles in one place.

The system of rules, roles, and processes that keeps your KB site's information accurate, safe, and easy to find.

The process of gathering, converting, and indexing physical or digital files so content becomes searchable and readable within a centralized repository such as your KB Space.

A set of defined processes that help your KB Group obtain, organize, store and deliver information crucial to its operation in the most effective manner possible. The stages of a document’s lifecycle include: creation, publication (site access), categorizing (topics and/or audiences), keywords, metadata tagging, delivery or sharing, repurposing, review and reporting, archiving and / or deletion.

A label that shows where an article or file is in its lifecycle, such as Published, Pending Review, Draft, Archive, etc.

The main address of the support or help center site (e.g., ://wisc.edu).

Is a standard identifier attribute that uniquely identifies a person at a campus. At UW–Madison, an ePPN is always formatted as NetID@wisc.edu. It behaves the same as a campus NetID on local systems, but it is scoped so it can work globally. It is the preferred identifier for applications that interact with federated login systems (like SAML Federation, InCommon, or eduGAIN) because it guarantees uniqueness across different universities and worldwide institutions.

A font is a set of printable or displayable text characters in a specific style and size.

Is defined as a binary-encoded 2D raster data type image format that ordinarily uses the .gif extension. KB Authors can drag, copy, or upload non-animated .gif images directly into the text editor of their KB documentation.

A dedicated workspace for a campus unit, department, or IT group to create, store, manage, and collaborate on their own documents and share out or share in documents from other Group spaces.

The blueprint that organizes, structures, and labels content so users can find answers quickly and easily.

Serves as a vital network identifier utilized for security auditing, access control, and restriction monitoring. Example: Valid public UW-Madison IP addresses traditionally begin with 128.x.x.x, 146.x.x.x, or 144.x.x.x.

Security and access control feature used to restrict or permit visibility of specific knowledge documents based on a user's network location. Instead of relying solely on a NetID login, KB administrators can configure specific documents or entire group spaces to be accessible only when a user is connected to a recognized network within a designated block of consecutive IP addresses.

A JPEG is a graphic image file produced according to a standard from an ISO/IEC group of experts that develops and maintains standards for a suite of compression algorithms for computer image files. JPEGs usually have a .jpg or .jpeg file extension.

Backend management features in the KnowledgeBase System used by administrators and authors to create, organize, bulk-import, and control access to documentation.

A monthly meeting of KB administrators and authors led by the central UW KB Team. Attendees often see unreleased new features first and give direct feedback to help guide decisions for the KB platform.

A self-contained, searchable piece of digital content that explains how to solve a specific problem, use a feature, or understand a policy consisting of a title, summary, body, and keywords.

The ability to search, browse, and operate all content and interactive features using only a keyboard, without a mouse or trackpad.

Specific words or short phrases tagged to articles or used by search systems to match user search queries with relevant content.

A digital document that provides instructions, answers, or troubleshooting steps to help users solve a specific problem or learn how to use a specific campus service.

The practice of creating, organizing, sharing, maintaining, and improving institutional knowledge.

A centralized library of online help articles, guides, protocols, how-tos, minutes, documentation and more

The configuration settings that control the visual presentation, structure, and branding elements of a group’s internal or external KB space.

A dynamic system documentation that provides information that is current, accurate and easy to understand. Documents that are written in a natural language format serve as the core of living documentation. Your content experts can review the documentation to ensure that it describes the desired behavior of the system from a logical standpoint.

A security process that requires users to provide two or more different verification factors to prove their identity before gaining access to a knowledge base space.

A structured list of links that helps users quickly find help articles, categories, and documentation.

A secure software application that stores, generates, and organizes your login credentials in an encrypted digital vault.

A static document file that is stored, linked, converted, or embedded to supply information to users. KB Users can attach PDF files directly into digital articles so readers may view or download forms, manuals, and guides without leaving the page.

UW-Madison KnowledgeBase, itself, is a web-based platform. It is a centralized, cloud-hosted software environment provided by the Division of Information Technology (DoIT).

An image format designed as an improved replacement for GIF. Like GIF, PNG uses lossless compression, meaning all image data is preserved when decompressed for viewing. PNG files typically use the .png extension.

The method your browser uses to load the page securely, typically https://.

A document that is visible to its intended audience after approval and release.

The ability for authorized users to securely log in and view, edit, or manage internal documentation and support articles from outside the institution's physical network or office environment.

An data summary that tracks how articles perform, how users interact with content, and how effectively the resource answers questions.

A design approach that automatically adjusts support articles, navigation menus, tables and search bars to fit any screen size or device.

A built-in log that tracks every change, edit, and update made to an article over time

A visual writing tool that lets you format help articles like a standard word processor without using code. It is often called a WYSIWYG editor, which stands for "What You See Is What You Get".

A permissions model that grants access based on a user's role.

An image of a computer or phone screen used in an article to show users what a specific menu, button, or error message looks like.

Practices used to improve article visibility in search results. 

A non-human account used by applications, integrations, or automated processes.

A centralized, collaborative file or article that multiple authorized users can access, view, and edit to maintain as a single source of truth.

Allows internal users to view every single document published on a specific KB site.

This command functions strictly on internal, authenticated KB sites. It does not display restricted documents to the public. Instead of typing keywords to filter by a topic, entering showalldocs into the search bar triggers the system to bypass standard search parameters and return a complete catalog of all live, published documents belonging to that site's repository. 

A command or page identifier that displays a complete list of all participating campus and institution partner sites sharing documents within the aggregate or unified system.

Used by internal site authors, editors, and administrators to immediately retrieve all of their favorited documents.

When managing an internal KB space, you can mark frequently used or regularly shared support documents as a "Favorite". This command bypasses the standard search algorithms and filters the down strictly to your personalized list of saved documents for easy access.

When applied, it returns only documents that have been shared by other groups, while filtering out any documents that are directly owned by the specific group whose KB site you are currently searching.

When applied, it returns only documents that have been shared by other groups, while filtering out any documents that are directly owned by the specific group whose KB site you are currently searching.

An authentication method that lets users log into your KB site using their existing institution credentials.

A digital credential for institutions external to the University of Wisconsin-Madison that establishes an encrypted HTTPS connection and verifies the identity of a server or domain. Also known as a TLS (Transport Layer Security) certificate. It is used to ensure that visitors can access custom-branded KB site securely without seeing a browser warning instead of using the standard kb.wisc.edu address.

A digital, step-by-step guide that explains how to complete a specific, repeatable task correctly and consistently.

A notification setting that allows a user or administrator to track changes made to specific KB documents or group spaces. Users can subscribe to individual documents or categories to stay informed when edits, updates, or major revisions occur. When subscribed content changes, the system sends automated alerts or notifications to the subscriber.

An XML-based file format used to describe two-dimensional vector images. It is typically used as a clean, sharp graphic format for UI icons, diagrams, logos, flowcharts, and technical illustrations. Unlike pixel-based formats (like PNG or JPEG), SVGs use mathematical formulas, points, and lines to render images.

A controlled, hierarchical list of approved terms used by content creators and site owners to categorize, tag, and organize knowledge documents.

A specific category or collection of web-based documents, instructions, policies, and technical guides.

A security process that requires users to provide two distinct proofs of identity before they can access an account or system.

The specific web address used to locate and access an individual help article, category page, or document.

A system that tracks, records, and manages changes to documents and articles over time.

International technical standards used to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities.

A technology that uses radio waves to let devices connect to the internet and each other without using physical cables.

The defined process an article follows from creation through review, approval, publication, revision, and retirement.