diff --git a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-replica-set.txt b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-replica-set.txt
index 46971c148dc..2e733596488 100644
--- a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-replica-set.txt
+++ b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-replica-set.txt
@@ -42,13 +42,16 @@ privileges.
 Prerequisites
 -------------
 
+Remove Incompatible Features
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
 To downgrade from 4.4 to 4.2, you must remove incompatible features
 that are persisted and/or update incompatible configuration settings.
 
 .. |target| replace:: primary
 
 1. Namespace Length
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````
 
 Starting in MongoDB 4.4:
 
@@ -89,7 +92,7 @@ downgrading the fCV:
 .. _4.4-downgrade-feature-compatibility-rs:
 
 2. Downgrade Feature Compatibility Version (fCV)
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 .. tip::
 
@@ -134,7 +137,7 @@ For more information on the returned ``featureCompatibilityVersion``
 value, see :ref:`view-fcv`.
 
 3. Remove FCV |newversion| Persisted Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+`````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 The following steps are necessary only if fCV has ever been set to
 |newfcv|.
@@ -153,7 +156,7 @@ Compound Hashed Indexes
 .. |binary| replace:: any replica set member
 
 4. Remove |newversion| Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````````````````
 
 Remove all persisted features that use |newversion| features. These
 include but are not limited to:
@@ -165,6 +168,13 @@ include but are not limited to:
 - :method:`Unhide <db.collection.unhideIndex()>` or :method:`drop
   <db.collection.dropIndex()>` hidden indexes.
 
+Confirm Clean Shutdown
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+When a step prompts you to stop your deployment, ensure your 
+:binary:`~bin.mongod` instance is 
+:ref:`shut down <terminate-mongod-processes>`.
+
 Procedure
 ---------
 
diff --git a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-sharded-cluster.txt b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-sharded-cluster.txt
index 82e8b816d2b..f4a229486a5 100644
--- a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-sharded-cluster.txt
+++ b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-sharded-cluster.txt
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ Create Backup
 Prerequisites
 -------------
 
+Remove Incompatible Features
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
 To downgrade from |newversion| to |oldversion|, you must remove
 incompatible features that are persisted and/or update incompatible
 configuration settings. 
@@ -43,7 +46,7 @@ configuration settings.
 .. |target| replace:: :binary:`~bin.mongos` instance
 
 1. Namespace Length
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````
 
 Starting in MongoDB 4.4:
 
@@ -92,7 +95,7 @@ downgrading the fCV:
 .. _4.4-downgrade-feature-compatibility-sharded-cluster:
 
 2. Downgrade Feature Compatibility Version (fCV)
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 .. tip::
 
@@ -145,7 +148,7 @@ For more information on the returned ``featureCompatibilityVersion``
 value, see :ref:`view-fcv`.
 
 3. Remove FCV |newversion| Persisted Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+`````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 The following steps are necessary only if fCV has ever been set to
 |newfcv|.
@@ -182,7 +185,7 @@ Compound Hashed Shard Keys
     the data into the cluster.
 
 4. Remove |newversion| Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````````````````
 
 Remove all persisted features that use |newversion| features. These
 include but are not limited to:
@@ -198,7 +201,7 @@ include but are not limited to:
 .. |binary| replace:: any :binary:`~bin.mongod`/:binary:`~bin.mongos` instance
 
 5. Update Missing Shard Keys
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+````````````````````````````
 
 In MongoDB 4.4, shard key fields can be :ref:`missing from documents
 <shard-key-missing>` in a sharded collection. 
@@ -232,7 +235,7 @@ must perform the update within a transaction or as a retryable
 write. For details, see :ref:`shard-key-missing-set`.
 
 6. Update Shard Keys That Exceed 512 bytes
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+``````````````````````````````````````````
 
 .. versionchanged:: 4.4   
 
@@ -242,6 +245,13 @@ write. For details, see :ref:`shard-key-missing-set`.
    512-byte size limit to be within the 512 byte size limit. To update
    a document's shard key value, see :ref:`update-shard-key`.
 
+Confirm Clean Shutdown
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+When a step prompts you to stop your deployment, ensure your 
+:binary:`~bin.mongod` instance is 
+:ref:`shut down <terminate-mongod-processes>`.
+
 Procedure
 ---------
 
diff --git a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-standalone.txt b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-standalone.txt
index f9839c44cf2..e34560556e2 100644
--- a/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-standalone.txt
+++ b/source/release-notes/4.4-downgrade-standalone.txt
@@ -41,6 +41,9 @@ databases. A user with :authrole:`root` role has the required privileges.
 Prerequisites
 -------------
 
+Remove Incompatible Features
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
 To downgrade from |newversion| to |oldversion|, you must remove
 incompatible features that are persisted and/or update incompatible
 configuration settings. These include:
@@ -48,7 +51,7 @@ configuration settings. These include:
 .. |target| replace:: :binary:`~bin.mongod` instance
 
 1. Namespace Length
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````
 
 Starting in MongoDB 4.4:
 
@@ -88,7 +91,7 @@ downgrading the fCV:
 .. _4.4-downgrade-feature-compatibility-standalone:
 
 2. Downgrade Feature Compatibility Version (fCV)
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+````````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 To downgrade the ``featureCompatibilityVersion`` of your standalone:
 
@@ -97,7 +100,7 @@ To downgrade the ``featureCompatibilityVersion`` of your standalone:
 #. .. include:: /includes/4.4-downgrade-fcv.rst
 
 3. Remove FCV |newversion| Persisted Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+`````````````````````````````````````````````
 
 The following steps are necessary only if fCV has ever been set to
 |newfcv|.
@@ -116,7 +119,7 @@ Compound Hashed Indexes
 .. |binary| replace:: the :binary:`~bin.mongod` instance
 
 4. Remove |newversion| Features
-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+```````````````````````````````
 
 Remove all persisted features that use |newversion| features. These
 include but are not limited to:
@@ -128,6 +131,12 @@ include but are not limited to:
 - :method:`Unhide <db.collection.unhideIndex()>` or :method:`drop
   <db.collection.dropIndex()>` hidden indexes.
 
+Confirm Clean Shutdown
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+When a step prompts you to stop your deployment, ensure your 
+:binary:`~bin.mongod` instance is 
+:ref:`shut down <terminate-mongod-processes>`.
 
 Procedure
 ---------