Standardization and formatting in a knowledge base

In the previous lesson, we discussed how important document standardization and templates are in the context of AI, which help maintain this standardization.

Now, let's look in detail at this topic.

Enhance formatting - start with large headers

• To avoid discrepancies in formatting procedures, do not choose the header size arbitrarily.
• Always start with the largest possible header size for the first stage/first-level section of your template.
• Additionally, bold the headers to further distinguish them from the text.
• Use other formatting options Ensure you bold the most important parts of the text (insert asides in brackets). Generally, make the text as easy to read as possible.
• Avoid dense blocks of text. Break large blocks into smaller ones and use lists extensively.

Template example:

Largest, bold header to start

This is standard, example text.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Smaller header for subsections

This is a block quote, allowing additional emphasis on text that is a quote from someone.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

Even smaller header for sub-subsections

In addition to regular text, do not hesitate to use highlights that you can additionally mark with appropriate colors depending on the message:

Another header for another section

Structured use of headers has another benefit - it automatically creates navigation within the page.

It appears on the left side of the interface and automatically embeds smaller headers and their sections in larger ones, further structuring our documents.

Avoid dense blocks of text

Avoid large, dense, and monotonous blocks of text. No one likes them - neither people nor artificial intelligence. They lack anchoring points for attention – everything merges into one shapeless mass, the content of which we forget immediately after reading.

Look at the text below:

Writing in the form of large text blocks can be exhausting for both the author and the reader. The main drawbacks of this approach are that it is difficult to quickly find key information, which can be particularly frustrating when the reader is looking for specific data or wants to quickly understand the main arguments of the text. Large blocks of text can also discourage readers from continuing to read, as at first glance the text page appears too complex and difficult to digest. Moreover, the lack of a clear division into smaller parts makes it harder to maintain concentration while reading, which often leads to skipping important information. Furthermore, in the case of long paragraphs, it is easy to lose context, which requires the reader to make more effort to understand the message and increases the risk of misunderstandings. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid writing too long blocks of text, especially in materials intended for quick communication with the reader.

Now compare it to the list below and see why text broken down into points reads much better:

There's a difference in reading comfort, right? It's worth remembering every time the text we write starts to exceed 3-4 lines.