> Markdown twin of https://adna.network/community/community-contribution-standards/
> Index: https://adna.network/llms.txt · Full corpus: https://adna.network/llms-full.txt
> State is a build-time snapshot generated 2026-08-30 (UTC); nothing here is live.

# Contribution Standards — aDNA Community

## Overview

This document defines the quality bar and submission process for contributing to the aDNA ecosystem. Whether you're submitting a glossary correction or a new ontology extension, these standards apply.

## Naming Conventions

All content files use the same naming pattern:

```
type_descriptive_name.md
```

- **Always underscores, never hyphens** in vault filenames
- **Type prefix** matches the entity type: `concept_`, `tutorial_`, `pattern_`, `glossary_`, etc.
- **Lowercase** throughout
- **Descriptive** — a reader should guess the file's content from its name

## Quality Gates

Every contribution must pass these checks:

1. **Frontmatter complete** — all required fields populated per the relevant template in `how/templates/`
2. **Dual-audience test** — legible to both developers and non-developers
3. **Self-reference check** — cites a concrete vault example when explaining aDNA concepts
4. **Spec citation** — normative claims reference `adna_standard.md` with section numbers
5. **Cross-linking** — minimum 2 wikilinks to related files

## Submission Workflows

### Vault Contribution (Your Own Project)

Create and customize content in your own vault. No review required — your vault, your rules.

### Upstream Contribution (To the Standard)

1. Agent surfaces a framework-level improvement during normal work
2. You approve filing it as `how/backlog/idea_upstream_{slug}.md`
3. Optionally open a GitHub issue on `aDNA-Network/aDNA`
4. Maintainers and [Stewards](/community/community-roles) review
5. Accepted improvements merge into the next standard version

### Side-Quest Submission

1. Run the quest procedure in your vault
2. Record results in the specified format
3. Submit as a PR to the quest's `results/` directory
4. Results are aggregated across participants

## Participation Level Mapping

| Level | What You Can Submit |
|-------|-------------------|
| **Level 0 (User)** | Nothing required — work in your own vault |
| **Level 1 (Contributor)** | Upstream issues, backlog items |
| **Level 2 (Quest Runner)** | Quest results, improvement proposals |
| **Level 3 (Steward)** | Quest designs, migration prompts, standard updates |

## Related

- [Community Roles](/community/community-roles) — the participation ladder
- [Community Processes](/community/community-processes) — detailed workflow steps
- [Conformance Level](/glossary/glossary-conformance-level) — Starter/Standard/Full compliance tiers