Overview

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Steps to create a new Knowledge Base Article in ServiceNow.
 

Critical Concepts

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• Search function in ServiceNow searches titles & meta first, then article text - keep this in mind when creating article titles & meta tags.
• CSS Formatting is fully applied only in the reader view.  After submitting Draft, you can see reader view at any time by selecting View Article at the bottom of the page.
• Be sure to Publish when it is ready for publication, otherwise it will remain in draft and no one will see it! You will need to "Publish" for the article to be reviewed by a KB manager.
• Do not use Font Family or Font Size tools - text is formatted through CSS in the reader view in our goal to maintain a consistent look and style
• Use text color ONLY where absolutely necessary, again our articles are formatted through CSS and we need to keep color consistent
• Consider your audience!
  
  • Customer articles should use common, easy-to-search language (avoid technical or internal language)
  • Internal articles should use language technicians are most likely to use (keep in mind new techs)

Steps to Take

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Create New Article

Before beginning any work in Knowledge, please read the Contributor Must Read document

• Before creating an article, search for existing knowledge articles and external resources to make sure we are not creating duplicate articles or efforts. 
  
  • Note: If you see an existing article that could use an update or additional information, edit the published article instead of creating a new one.
• On ServiceNow navigator (left side of screen), navigate to Knowledge --> My Knowledge Articles, then click on New at the top of the screen.  You should see the following editor: 

1. Select appropriate Category and Service Offering for this article:
   
   • Click on the Search Icon here to use the Category Picker to explore available categories and subcategories.  A full list of available categories and subcategories available here.
   • The Search Icon next to Service Offering can be used in the same way to browse Service Offerings and select an appropriate one.
     
     
     
     
     
     
2. Decide on the type of article you will be creating. Structure guidelines for the type of article you are creating can be found here:
   
   • How To article 
   • Problem Solution article
   • Known Error article
   • Reference article
   • FAQ article
3. Select article template:
   
   • If you do not see any template options at they very bottom of your screen, you will need to enable template bar:  On the top, grey bar select the three dots icon ... (more options) > Toggle Template Bar.
   • You should now see the grey template bar at the very bottom of your screen (see screenshot below).  Select the corresponding article template and it should populate general template in Text field.
     
     
     
     
4. Enter appropriate title in Short Description
   
   • If using verb, use active present voice (navigate, connect, reset, OR navigating, connecting, resetting)
5. Add alternative phrases and words that customers may search when looking for this article in the Meta field.  These phrases will be "hidden" from the user but will enhance their search results.  Follow these rules when adding Meta search terms:
   
   • Add underscore _ for spaces in an individual phrase (for example: single_sign_on_registration).
   • Use comma, for separating individual phrases or terms.
     
     
     
     
6. Enter content in the Text field and erase any placeholder text.  You can drag the button right corner to expand this box or select the full-screen icon to make it easier to edit.
7. If you are copying a knowledge resource into ServiceNow:
   
   • Copying from Blink? Simply copy into Text field and select Remove Formatting.
   • Copying from another source? Use an HTML cleaner to remove inline styling and labels. Within the HTML cleaner, you may need to erase any image tags or leftover IDs.
8. Once first draft is complete or when you would like to save progress, click Create Draft in the top-right corner
   
   1. This will put article in Draft stage and save progress. This does not publish your article nor submit it for approval.

Preview Customer View

Preview is only available after article is submitted.  Note that the CSS formatting here will be slightly different than what customer will see (customer's view will have better horizontal rule and header spacing), this preview is showing you the fulfiller reader view.  However, this still gives a good look at what the article will look like once published for customers.

1. Navigate to Knowledge > My Knowledge Articles and select article you are working on.
2. Underneath the text editor, locate Related Links and click on View Article
   
   • This will display fulfiller reader view of the article, with internal CSS formatting applied.
   • Any additional changes made before you click this will be saved.
3. Click back button to resume article creation.

Alternatively, you can also view the reader view of your unpublished article by searching the KB article number in the global ServiceNow search.

Submit for Publication

1. When article is complete, preview reader view to check for any formatting issues.
2. Is article ready for publication?  Within editor view, click Publish
   
   • This will send the article to the Knowledge Base managers for review.
   • How to reach editor view: Go to Knowledge > My Knowledge Articles and select article you are working on.
3. Knowledge Base managers will then review your article and either:
   
   • Approve if article is ready for final publication.
   • Reject with comments of any additional changes are needed.