diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/1-bug.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/1-bug.yml
index 43eb23a84..a84785f58 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/1-bug.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/1-bug.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ body:
 - type: checkboxes
   attributes:
     label: Is there an existing issue for this?
-    description: Please search to see if an issue already exists for the bug you encountered.
+    description: |
+      Please search to see if an issue already exists for the bug you encountered.
+      If the issue is for a plugin (except for mimeTools, NppConverter, and NppExport),
+      report it to the plugin author rather than here.
     options:
     - label: I have searched the existing issues
       required: true
@@ -61,6 +64,16 @@ body:
     description: |
       Links? References? Anything that will give us more context about the issue you are encountering!
 
+      If feasible, try launching Notepad++ without any plugins.
+      Some updates to Notepad++ modify communication rules used by plugins,
+      and if plugin developers do not keep their plugins in sync with these changes, issues may arise.
+      Running without plugins can help diagnose specific problems.
+
+      Notepad++ relies on the Lexilla and Scintilla libraries.
+      For more details, visit https://github.com/ScintillaOrg/lexilla and https://sourceforge.net/p/scintilla.
+      Consider using the reference program SciTE to verify whether the issue is a genuine bug in Notepad++.
+      Download Scite from here https://www.scintilla.org/SciTEDownload.html.
+
       Tip: You can attach images or relevant text files by clicking this area to highlight it and then dragging files in.
   validations:
     required: false
diff --git a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/2-feature-request.yml b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/2-feature-request.yml
index 512cc4bee..dc363170e 100644
--- a/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/2-feature-request.yml
+++ b/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/2-feature-request.yml
@@ -33,13 +33,20 @@ body:
       Do a PASTE HERE
     render: shell
   validations:
-    required: false
+    required: true
 - type: textarea
   attributes:
     label: Anything else?
     description: |
       Links? References? Anything that will give us more context about the feature you want!
 
+      Notepad++ relies on the Lexilla and Scintilla libraries.
+      For more details, visit https://github.com/ScintillaOrg/lexilla and https://sourceforge.net/p/scintilla.
+      If you have specific language feature requests, consider using the reference program SciTE to verify whether the desired feature is supported.
+      You can download SciTE from here https://www.scintilla.org/SciTEDownload.html.
+
+      If you have any questions about Notepad++ usage, explore the community forum https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/category/7/faq.
+
       Tip: You can attach images by clicking this area to highlight it and then dragging files in.
   validations:
     required: false