---
title: "Topic types | Writers' Toolkit documentation"
description: "Learn to write different types of topics."
---

> For a curated documentation index, see [llms.txt](/llms.txt). For the complete documentation index, see [llms-full.txt](/llms-full.txt).

# Topic types

Grafana Labs documentation uses different topic types: *concept*, *task*, *reference*, *tutorial*, and *scenario*. When you write content, you should use one of these topic types.

Depending on the needs of a particular product area, select a topic type from the following table to learn about each.

[**Concept**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/concept/)

Provides an overview and background information. Answers the question “What is it?”.

[**Task**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/task/)

Provides numbered steps that describe how to achieve an outcome. Answers the question “How do I?”.

[**Reference**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/reference/)

Provides users with the information they might need to refer to during a task. Answers the question “What details do I need to accomplish this task?”.

[**Tutorial**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/tutorial/)

Provides procedures that users can safely reproduce and learn from. Answers the question: “Can you teach me to …?”

[**Scenario**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/scenario/)

Provides guidance to apply knowledge to solve a real problem in context. Answers the question “How should I approach this situation?”.

[**Section**](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/section/)

Provides a landing page for users to find content.

For your convenience, there are topic [templates](https://github.com/grafana/writers-toolkit/tree/main/docs/static/templates).

> Tip
> 
> You can create a topic from its template with the `topic/<TYPE>` GNU Make target.
> 
> For example, to create a task topic at the path `sources/task.md`:
> 
> console ![Copy code to clipboard](/media/images/icons/icon-copy-small-2.svg) Copy
> 
> ```console
> make topic/task TOPIC_PATH=sources/task.md
> ```
> 
> Types include:
> 
> - **Concept**: `make topic/concept`
> - **Reference**: `make topic/reference`
> - **Task**: `make topic/task`
> - **Multiple tasks**: `make topic/multiple-tasks`
> - **Section**: `make topic/section`
> - **Visualization**: `make topic/visualization`

## Templates for standardized topics

In addition to the primary topic types, there are also templates for specific topic types to ensure that pages documenting the same subject matter have a standard format.

These [templates](https://github.com/grafana/writers-toolkit/tree/main/docs/static/templates) are in the same directory as the topic type templates.

Expand table

| Type                                                                        | Description                                                                          |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| [Visualization](/docs/writers-toolkit/structure/topic-types/visualization/) | Describes a visualization type. May include conceptual, task, and reference content. |