hed-standard · VisLab · Jan 25, 2026 · Jan 25, 2026 · Jan 25, 2026
diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
@@ -6,4 +6,4 @@
 [submodule "spec_tests/hed-examples"]
 	path = spec_tests/hed-examples
 	url = https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-examples/
-	branch = develop
+	branch = main
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -481,7 +481,7 @@ The primary purpose of this release was to correct the JSON format for HED schem
 
 # Release 0.1.0 June 20, 2022
 
-- First release on PyPI\`\`\`
+- First release on PyPI
 
 ```
 ```
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -334,7 +334,8 @@ Create an issue with:
 ## Questions?
 
 - **Documentation:** [https://www.hedtags.org/hed-python](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-python)
+- **Discussions:** [HED Organization Discussions](https://github.com/orgs/hed-standard/discussions) - Ask questions, share ideas, and discuss HED-related topics
 - **Issues:** [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/issues)
-- **Email:** Kay.Robbins@utsa.edu
+- **Email:** [hed.maintainers@gmail.com](mailto:hed.maintainers@gmail.com)
 
 Thank you for contributing to HEDTools! 🎉
diff --git a/docs/_templates/sidebar/brand.html b/docs/_templates/sidebar/brand.html
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 
 {% block brand_content %}
 {{ super() }}
-<div class="sidebar-brand-text">HED Python tools</div>
+<div class="sidebar-brand-text">Python HEDTools</div>
 {% endblock brand_content %}
diff --git a/docs/api/index.rst b/docs/api/index.rst
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
-API reference
-=============
+Python HEDTools API
+===================
 
 This section contains the complete API reference for HED Python tools.
 

diff --git a/docs/index.rst b/docs/index.rst
@@ -1,21 +1,6 @@
 Python HEDTools
 ===============
 
-
-.. sidebar:: Quick links
-
-   * `HED homepage <https://www.hedtags.org/>`_ 
-
-   * `HED vocabularies <https://www.hedtags.org/hed-schema-browser>`_
-
-   * `HED online tools <https://hedtools.org/hed/>`_
-
-   * `HED browser tools <https://www.hedtags.org/hed-javascript>`_
-
-   * `HED organization  <https://github.com/hed-standard/>`_  
-
-   * `HED specification <https://www.hedtags.org/hed-specification>`_ 
-
 Welcome to the Python HEDTools documentation! This package provides comprehensive tools for working with **Hierarchical Event Descriptors (HED)** - a standardized framework for annotating events and experimental metadata in neuroscience and beyond.
 
 What is HED?
@@ -41,28 +26,26 @@ Getting started
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2
 
-   Introduction <introduction>
+   Overview <overview>
 
 Programming with HEDTools
 -------------------------
 
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2
 
-   User guide <user_guide>
+   Guide <user_guide>
 
-API documentation
------------------
+Python HEDTools API
+-------------------
 
 .. toctree::
    :maxdepth: 2
 
-   API reference <api/index>
+   API <api/index>
 
 
-Indices and tables
-==================
+Index
+=====
 
 * :ref:`genindex`
-* :ref:`modindex`
-* :ref:`search`
diff --git a/docs/introduction.md → docs/overview.md b/docs/introduction.md → docs/overview.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# Introduction to HEDTools
+# Python HEDTools overview
 
 ## What is HED?
 
@@ -16,8 +16,10 @@ The **hedtools** Python package (`hed-python` repository) provides:
 
 - **Core validation** of HED annotations against schema specifications
 - **BIDS integration** for neuroimaging dataset processing
+- **NWB support** for reading and writing HED annotations in NWB files using [ndx-hed](https://www.hedtags.org/ndx-hed)
 - **Analysis tools** for event summarization, temporal processing, and tag analysis
 - **HED schema tools** for validating, comparing and converting HED schemas
+- **Multiple formats** support for JSON sidecars, TSV files, Excel spreadsheets
 - **Command-line interface** for scripting and automation
 - **Jupyter notebooks** for interactive analysis workflows
 
@@ -101,8 +103,8 @@ pip install -e .
 
 ### Support
 
-- **Issues and bugs**: Open an [**issue**](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/issues) on GitHub
-- **Questions**: Use GitHub issues
+- **Issues and bugs**: Open an [issue](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/issues) on GitHub
+- **Questions and ideas**: Contribute to the [HED organization discussions](https://github.com/orgs/hed-standard/discussions)
 - **Online validation**: Try [HED online tools](https://hedtools.org/hed) for web-based access
 - **Contact**: Email [hed.maintainers@gmail.com](mailto:hed.maintainers@gmail.com)
 
@@ -154,7 +156,7 @@ issues = sidecar.validate(schema)
 
 ## Next steps
 
-- Explore the [**User guide**](user_guide.md) for detailed workflows
-- Try the [**Jupyter notebooks**](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) for interactive examples
-- Check the [**API reference**](api/index.html) for complete function documentation
-- Validate your data using the HED [**online tools**](https://hedtools.org/hed) or the HED [**browser-based tools**](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-javascript)
+- Explore the [User guide](user_guide.md) for detailed workflows
+- Try the [Jupyter notebooks](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) for interactive examples
+- Check the [Python HEDTools API](api/index.html) for complete function documentation
+- Validate your data using the HED [online tools](https://hedtools.org/hed) or the HED [browser-based tools](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-javascript)
diff --git a/docs/user_guide.md b/docs/user_guide.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# The HEDTools user guide
+# Python HEDTools guide
 
 This guide provides step-by-step instructions for using the HED Python tools for validation, BIDS integration, and analysis.
 
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ This guide provides step-by-step instructions for using the HED Python tools for
 - 🐛 [GitHub issues](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/issues)
 - 🎓 [HED resources](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-resources)
 - 📖 [HED specification](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-specification)
-- 🌐 [Online tools](https://hedtools.org/hed)
+- 🌐 [Web tools](https://hedtools.org/hed)
 
 ## Table of contents
 
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ json_string = sidecar.get_as_json_string()
 
 ## Jupyter notebooks
 
-The [**examples**](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) directory in the GitHub [**hed-python**](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python) repository contains Jupyter notebooks for BIDS annotation workflows. These notebooks are **not included in the PyPI package**.
+The [examples](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) directory in the GitHub [hed-python](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python) repository contains Jupyter notebooks for BIDS annotation workflows. These notebooks are **not included in the PyPI package**.
 
 ### Available notebooks
 
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ pip install hedtools jupyter notebook
 5. **Merge back** (if using spreadsheet) - Convert spreadsheet back to JSON
 6. **Validate** - Check for errors and iterate until valid
 
-See the examples [**README**](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) for detailed documentation of each notebook.
+See the examples [README](https://github.com/hed-standard/hed-python/tree/main/examples) for detailed documentation of each notebook.
 
 ## Command-line tools
 
@@ -581,7 +581,7 @@ hedpy schema add-ids /path/to/hed-schemas score 2.2.0
 2. Convert to all formats and verify equivalence
 3. Add HED IDs only once - they should remain stable
 4. Generate ontology after IDs are added
-5. Verify that the created ontology is valid using [**Protégé**](https://protege.stanford.edu/)
+5. Verify that the created ontology is valid using [Protégé](https://protege.stanford.edu/)
 6. Commit changes to version control before moving to stable release
 
 ______________________________________________________________________

diff --git a/examples/extract_json_template.ipynb b/examples/extract_json_template.ipynb
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     "General strategy for machine-actionable annotation using HED in BIDS is to create a single `events.json` sidecar file in the BIDS dataset root directory.\n",
     "Ideally, this sidecar will contain all the annotations needed for users to understand and analyze the data.\n",
     "\n",
-    "(See the [**BIDS annotation quickstart**](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-resources) for additional information on this strategy.)\n",
+    "(See the [BIDS annotation quickstart](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-resources) for additional information on this strategy.)\n",
     "\n",
     "This notebook shows how to create a JSON sidecar template from the information in all the event files in a BIDS dataset. To use this notebook, substitute the specifics of your BIDS dataset for the following variables:\n",
     "\n",
@@ -27,9 +27,9 @@
     "\n",
     "Typical `skip_columns` include the `onset`, `duration`, and `sample` columns, which have well-defined meanings according to BIDS.  The `value_columns` just require a single annotation, applicable to each value in the column.\n",
     "\n",
-    "For additional information see the tutorial [**Create a JSON template**](https://hedtags.org/hed-resources/BidsAnnotationQuickstart.html#create-a-json-template) which illustrates the creation of a template from a single event file using the online tools.\n",
+    "For additional information see the tutorial [Create a JSON template](https://hedtags.org/hed-resources/BidsAnnotationQuickstart.html#create-a-json-template) which illustrates the creation of a template from a single event file using the online tools.\n",
     "\n",
-    "See [**Sidecar template extraction**](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-python/user_guide.html#sidecar-template-extraction) in the HEDTools documentation for an example of how to directly extract a template using command line tools."
+    "See [Sidecar template extraction](https://www.hedtags.org/hed-python/user_guide.html#sidecar-template-extraction) in the HEDTools documentation for an example of how to directly extract a template using command line tools."
    ]
   },
   {