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This project provides a template for documenting research software. Wikis facilitate simple, collaborative documentation via a web browser. This template tries to make communication easier over the lifetime of a project. The template helps people define their project's scope and requirements, explain how to use the software with other researchers, and equip future engineers and lab staff to understand and modify the software. The up-front cost of writing this documentation is expected to save time later on.

Every project is different, so these documents should be customized to match project needs. Some common sections to consider including are:

• A readme file - This is a text file that lives at the top level of the project. This file is intended to be a high-level description of the project and how to use it, with links to the wiki for additional details.
• A home page (this page) - This wiki page is a high-level overview of what information is available in the wiki. This should not just be a copy of what's in your readme file.
• A premise page - This wiki page describes the rationale and purpose of the software with a target audience of other researchers.
• A Features page - This wiki page provides a high-level overview of key design requirements and features for the software. This documentation is important for communicating the project needs with developers.
• An Implementation page - This wiki page describes in detail how the project achieves the stated design goals. This documentation is primarily written by developers, ideally autogenerated from source code comments.
• A Use Page - This wiki page explains how to use the software.
• A Products page - This wiki page is documents how the software has been used, e.g. papers and conference presentations that used this software.