Body
Overview
Creating a clear, accurate, and well-structured knowledge base (KB) article ensures users can quickly find solutions and understand procedures without confusion. This guide will walk you through the process of creating a new KB article — from preparation to publishing — using the appropriate templates, tags, formatting, and security permissions.
Before you begin
Before you begin, write out the information you want to include, to ensure it meets the following quality standards:
- It’s unique (not a duplicate of an existing article).
- The title accurately reflects the content.
- The content is clear, concise, and easy to follow.
- All links are valid and functional.
- The article is complete and ready for publication.
- Tags, permissions, and category assignments are accurate and appropriate.
Article Permissions:
Public articles may be viewed by anyone. Private articles require user authentication and may also be restricted to specific groups. All NMSU-specific articles must be set to private.
Keeping these points in mind from the start helps maintain a consistent, searchable, and user-friendly knowledge base.
Procedure
If you’ve searched the Knowledge Base and confirmed that no existing article covers your topic, follow these steps to create a new one.
- Go to the Knowledge Base and click +New Article.
- Select the appropriate Category. If you are unsure, discuss it with the Knowledge Manager.
- Enter a clear, descriptive Subject.
- Within the Body Editor, click Templates and select the appropriate option:
- KB General Template – General template for all articles to assist with consistency and visual hierarchy.
- KB Academic Technology Template – Follows General template but contact information is updated.
- KB Admissions Template – Follows General template but contact information is updated.
- KB HR Template – Follows General template but contact information is updated.
- Complete all sections of the template to the best of your knowledge, following the Style Guide for consistency and clarity.
- Add a Summary — a brief description that appears as a preview in the Knowledge Base.
-
Adding Tags- To improve search results, include tags for relevant terms that aren’t already in the article’s content.
- Include common spelling variations (e.g., email, e-mail, wifi, wi-fi).
- Use hyphens for multi-word tags (e.g., article-structure).
Note: Avoid over-tagging — too many tags can reduce search accuracy.
For more information, visit the Search in TeamDynamix guide.
- Status- The status of the knowledge base article determines the visibility of the article in the main knowledge base navigation.
- Not Submitted- Save your draft progress if the article is not yet ready for submission.
- Submitted- Sends your completed article to a reviewer for evaluation.
- Approved- Indicates the article has passed review and is now ready for publishing.
- Rejected- The article was not approved for publishing and may require revisions.
- Archived- The article is no longer active or needed.
- Next Review Date- Set to one year from the date article was created on which the article should next be reviewed to ensure that its content is relevant.
- Check Notify Owner of Review Date.
- Owner- Assign the department group that will be responsible for the upkeep of and relevance of the article. This group will be notified of user feedback.
- Check Notify Owner on Feedback.
- Environment- What service, system, process, application, or product could be impacted? Has anything changed in the environment recently? Environment statements are specific to the issue and resolution, and are true before and after resolution.
- Cause- The underlying source of the issue.
- Internal Notes- Reference and support information that could be useful for technicians working on a ticket associated with this article.
Privacy Settings
When you create a new Knowledge Base article, it inherits the Public privacy setting from its category by default. If the article contains NMSU-specific or sensitive information, the article MUST be set to Private.
Step 1
Locate the Knowledge Base article you want to update and click Edit Article.
Step 2
Navigate to the Permissions tab, then uncheck the Public and Inherit Permissions checkboxes.
Step 3
Under Article Permissions, select one of the following options:
-
Allow ONLY the associated groups below to view this article
Use this option to restrict access to specific groups.
-
Allow all individuals to view this article EXCEPT the associated groups below
Use this option to make the article private while allowing any logged-in user to view it.
Tip: Selecting the second option without adding any groups will set the article to private and allow access to any user with login credentials.
Step 4
Click Save to apply your changes.
Article Workflows
The approval process for new articles differs from that for previously submitted or approved articles. New articles require evaluation and approval, while articles previously approved follow a separate update or revision process.
The table below provides a brief overview of the steps in each workflow.
| Create a New Article |
Edit an Existing Article |
|
Draft Submit Review & Approve Publish
-
Create: Author creates a new article with "Not Submitted" status
-
Submit: Author submits for review (status changes to "Submitted")
-
Review: Reviewers approve or reject the draft (status becomes "Approved" or "Rejected')
-
Publish: Publishers make content visible to general users
|
Draft Review & Approve
-
Edit: Author updates the article and saves it as a draft
-
Review: Reviewers approve or reject the revision
Approved content is visible to general users immediately
The status does not change when editing already approved articles.
|
If You're Still Experiencing Issues
Submit a ticket to the IT Help Desk here.
Contact Information:
IT Help Desk Contact & Zoom Desk
In Person: Hardman & Jacobs Undergraduate Learning Center - Room 105
Phone: (575) 646-HELP (4357)
Email: help@nmsu.edu
Zoom Link: https://nmsu.zoom.us/my/nmsuithelpdesk
Or meeting ID: nmsuithelpdesk
Zoom with us M-F 8am-5pm