diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..12bfd3603
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# Making a Release of Notebook
+
+## Start from a fresh git checkout and conda environment
+
+### Set the release branch
+
+```bash
+export release_branch=master
+```
+
+### Create the git checkout
+
+```bash
+git clone git@github.com:jupyter/notebook.git
+cd notebook
+git checkout ${release_banch}
+```
+
+### Create and activate the conda environment
+
+```bash
+conda create -n notebook-release -c conda-forge jupyter
+conda activate notebook-release
+```
+
+## Perform a local dev install
+
+```bash
+pip install -ve .
+```
+
+## Install release dependencies
+
+```bash
+conda install -c conda-forge nodejs babel twine
+npm install -g po2json
+```
+
+## Update the version
+
+```bash
+vim notebook/_version.py
+python setup.py jsversion
+git commit -am "Release $(python setup.py --version)"
+git tag $(python setup.py --version)
+```
+
+## Create the artifacts
+
+```bash
+rm -rf dist
+python setup.py sdist
+python setup.py bdist_wheel
+```
+
+## Upload the artifacts
+
+```bash
+twine check dist/* && twine upload dist/*
+```
+
+## Change back to dev version
+
+```bash
+vim notebook/_version.py   # Add the .dev suffix
+git commit -am "Back to dev version"
+```
+
+## Push the commits and tags
+
+```bash
+git push origin ${release_branch} --tags
+```
diff --git a/docs/source/development_release.rst b/docs/source/development_release.rst
deleted file mode 100644
index 4350ace10..000000000
--- a/docs/source/development_release.rst
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,67 +0,0 @@
-.. _notebook_release:
-
-Making a Notebook release
-=========================
-
-This document guides a contributor through creating a release of the Jupyter
-notebook.
-
-Check installed tools
----------------------
-
-Review ``CONTRIBUTING.rst``. Make sure all the tools needed to generate the
-minified JavaScript and CSS files are properly installed.
-
-Clean the repository
---------------------
-
-You can remove all non-tracked files with:
-
-.. code:: bash
-
-    git clean -xfdi
-
-This would ask you for confirmation before removing all untracked files. Make
-sure the ``dist/`` folder is clean and avoid stale build from
-previous attempts.
-
-Create the release
-------------------
-
-#.  Update version number in ``notebook/_version.py``.
-
-#.  Run this command:
-
-    .. code:: bash
-
-        python setup.py jsversion
-
-    It will modify (at least) ``notebook/static/base/js/namespace.js`` which
-    makes the notebook version available from within JavaScript.
-
-#.  Commit and tag the release with the current version number:
-
-    .. code:: bash
-
-        git commit -am "release $VERSION"
-        git tag $VERSION
-
-#.  You are now ready to build the ``sdist`` and ``wheel``:
-
-    .. code:: bash
-
-        python setup.py sdist
-        python setup.py bdist_wheel
-
-#.  You can now test the ``wheel`` and the ``sdist`` locally before uploading
-    to PyPI. Make sure to use `twine <https://github.com/pypa/twine>`_ to
-    upload the archives over SSL.
-
-    .. code:: bash
-
-        twine upload dist/*
-
-#.  If all went well, change the ``notebook/_version.py`` back adding the
-    ``.dev`` suffix.
-
-#.  Push directly on master, not forgetting to push ``--tags`` too.
diff --git a/docs/source/index.rst b/docs/source/index.rst
index d61dcac31..71e2ca132 100644
--- a/docs/source/index.rst
+++ b/docs/source/index.rst
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@ The Jupyter Notebook
    :caption: Contributor Documentation
 
    contributing
-   development_release
    development_faq
 
 .. toctree::