Pages spec template

This template defines the recommended schema and conventions for files in _pages/.

Why this exists

• Keep page-level behavior consistent across layouts and navigation.
• Reduce front matter drift between pages.
• Make bot-generated page edits predictable.

Canonical Front Matter

Required fields

• permalink (string)
• title (string)

Common optional fields

• layout (string; if omitted, site defaults apply from _config.yml)
• author_profile (boolean)
• excerpt (string)
• header (object; e.g., og_image, overlay_image, overlay_filter)
• redirect_from (list)
• read_more (string; e.g., enabled)
• published (boolean)
• modified (date)
• sitemap (boolean)

Layout patterns in this repo

• archive: list and section pages (examples: news, publications, research, talks archive)
• about: homepage/about presentation
• single: content pages with standard article wrapper
• talk: talk-detail style page when needed

Use an existing layout pattern unless there is an explicit reason to add a new one. If layout is omitted, Jekyll defaults in _config.yml currently apply layout: single for pages.

Permalink conventions

• Keep permalinks stable once published.
• Use trailing slash style for section pages where established (/research/, /publications/).
• For root page, use /.

Navigation integration notes

• Main nav is defined in _data/navigation.yml.
• When adding a page intended for nav, add or update the corresponding navigation entry.
• For non-nav utility pages, keep them discoverable via internal links.

Copy/paste starter template

---
layout: archive
permalink: /example/
title: "Example"
author_profile: true
header:
  og_image: "research/example.jpg"
redirect_from:
  - /example.html
---
Page content goes here.

Validation checklist

• Required fields are present and valid.
• Permalink does not conflict with an existing page.
• If layout is set, it matches page intent.
• If layout is omitted, default page layout behavior in _config.yml is intended.
• Any nav-intended page is reflected in _data/navigation.yml.
• Links and media paths resolve.