What type of article should I create?

[MaryG]

What type of article should I create?
The answer usually comes down to user intent.

Someone trying to complete a task needs something different from someone trying to understand a concept, answer a common question, or fix an error. Trying to force all of those scenarios into one article structure usually creates more confusion than consistency.

I put together a quick reference for the common ServiceNow Knowledge article structures:

• Standard — general information, policy, reference, or mixed content

• How To — steps to complete a task

• What Is — explanation of a concept, service, feature, or term

• FAQ — a direct answer to a common question

• KCS — knowledge captured and improved through use and reuse

• Troubleshooting / Break-Fix — diagnosing and resolving a symptom or error

One important distinction: Troubleshooting / Break-Fix is a content pattern, not a delivered ServiceNow article-template name. Depending on the implementation, that content may live in the Standard template or in a custom structured template.

The biggest point for me is this:

Pick the structure based on what the user is trying to do.

Consistency matters, but that does not mean every knowledge base needs to use the same template for every type of content.

I attached the quick reference in case it is useful.