How to Contribute/Edit Pages

This GitBook is only as good as the people maintaining it. If nobody updates it, it goes stale, and stale documentation is worse than no documentation because people trust it when they shouldn't.

You don't need to be a great writer to contribute. You just need to write things down.

Who can edit

Any team lead, mentor, or alumni with GitBook access can edit pages directly. If you don't have access and think you should, ask a lead or mentor to add you.

General members should send contributions to a lead rather than editing directly. This isn't about gatekeeping, it's about keeping the information accurate and consistent.

How to edit a page

GitBook has a branch-based editing system. Here's how it works:

1

Start a change request

Click the Edit button in the top right of any page. This creates a "change request," which is basically a draft that doesn't go live until someone merges it. Think of it like a pull request if you've used GitHub.

2

Make your edits

Edit the page content directly in the GitBook editor. You can add text, images, hint blocks, tables, tabs, and more using the / command menu or the toolbar.

3

Submit for review

When you're done, click Submit for review (or Merge if you have permission). Add a short description of what you changed and why so reviewers have context.

If you're just fixing a typo or updating a part number, go ahead and merge it directly if you have permission. For bigger changes (rewriting a section, adding a new page), submit it for review so another set of eyes can check it.

What to contribute

Here's what's most useful, roughly in order of priority:

Corrections. If something is wrong, fix it or flag it. A wrong part number, an outdated recommendation, a procedure that doesn't actually work anymore. These are the most important contributions.

Lessons learned. After every competition and at the end of every season, write down what broke, what worked, and what you'd do differently. Even a few bullet points is valuable. The Lessons Learned Archive (under Tips, Tricks & Tribal Knowledge) is the place for this.

Missing information. If you went looking for something and it wasn't here, that's a gap. Either add it yourself or tell a lead what's missing.

Tricks and tips. Figured out a better way to tension a belt? Found a part that works way better than what we've been using? Write it down.

Writing guidelines

You don't need to overthink this, but a few things help keep the GitBook readable:

Be specific. "Use the right bolt" is useless. "Use a 1/4-20 bolt with a nylock nut for this application because..." is useful.

Say why, not just what. Recommendations without reasoning are hard to evaluate and easy to ignore. If you're saying to do something a certain way, explain the reason.

Keep it practical. This isn't a textbook. Write the way you'd explain something to a teammate at the whiteboard.

Use GitBook formatting when it helps. Hint blocks for warnings and tips, tables for comparisons, images for anything spatial. But don't overdo it. Formatting should make things easier to read, not harder.

Don't delete content you disagree with without checking with whoever wrote it first. You might be missing context, or the original author might have a reason you're not seeing. Discuss it, then decide.

Post-season checklist

At the end of every season, someone (ideally the mech lead) should go through this:

• Update the Lessons Learned Archive with notes from this season

• Check all vendor pages for discontinued parts or new alternatives

• Review mechanism pages relevant to this season's robot for anything worth adding

• Update any part numbers, CAD links, or templates that have changed

• Add photos or videos from this season's robot where relevant

This doesn't need to happen all at once. Spread it across a few days after your last competition. But it does need to happen.