diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 1d6694b3d..900853cf7 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -2,45 +2,40 @@ language: python
 sudo: false
 dist: trusty
 cache: pip
-python:
-  - "pypy-5.4.1"
-  - "3.6"
-  - "3.5"
-  - "3.4"
-  - "2.7"
-  - "nightly"
+
 env:
   global:
-    - TEST='-v --durations 25'
     - PYTHONFAULTHANDLER=x
     - PYTHONWARNINGS=all
     - SKIP_LATEX_BUILD=1
-  matrix:
-    - DOCUTILS=0.13.1
-    - DOCUTILS=0.14
+
 matrix:
-  exclude:
-    - python: "3.4"
-      env: DOCUTILS=0.13.1
-    - python: "3.5"
-      env: DOCUTILS=0.13.1
-    - python: "3.6"
-      env: DOCUTILS=0.13.1
-    - python: nightly
-      env: DOCUTILS=0.13.1
-    - python: "pypy-5.4.1"
-      env: DOCUTILS=0.13.1
+  include:
+    - python: 'pypy'
+      env: TOXENV=pypy
+    - python: '2.7'
+      env: TOXENV=du13
+    - python: '3.4'
+      env: TOXENV=py34
+    - python: '3.5'
+      env: TOXENV=py35
+    - python: '3.6'
+      env: TOXENV=py36
+    - python: 'nightly'
+      env: TOXENV=py37
+    - python: '3.6'
+      env: TOXENV=mypy
+    - python: '2.7'
+      env: TOXENV=flake8
+
 addons:
   apt:
     packages:
       - graphviz
       - imagemagick
+
 install:
-  - pip install -U pip setuptools
-  - pip install docutils==$DOCUTILS
-  - pip install .[test,websupport]
-  - if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == '3.6' ]]; then python3.6 -m pip install mypy typed-ast; fi
+  - pip install -U tox
+
 script:
-  - flake8
-  - if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION == '3.6' ]]; then make type-check test; fi
-  - if [[ $TRAVIS_PYTHON_VERSION != '3.6' ]]; then make test; fi
+  - tox -- -v
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
index 7c8a90c6b..c4b8569b0 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.rst
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ Bug Reports and Feature Requests
 
 If you have encountered a problem with Sphinx or have an idea for a new
 feature, please submit it to the `issue tracker`_ on GitHub or discuss it
-on the sphinx-dev mailing list.
+on the `sphinx-dev`_ mailing list.
 
 For bug reports, please include the output produced during the build process
-and also the log file Sphinx creates after it encounters an un-handled
+and also the log file Sphinx creates after it encounters an unhandled
 exception.  The location of this file should be shown towards the end of the
 error message.
 
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ issue.  If possible, try to create a minimal project that produces the error
 and post that instead.
 
 .. _`issue tracker`: https://github.com/sphinx-doc/sphinx/issues
+.. _`sphinx-dev`: mailto:sphinx-dev@googlegroups.com
 
 
 Contributing to Sphinx
@@ -58,7 +59,7 @@ of the core developers before it is merged into the main repository.
 #. Check for open issues or open a fresh issue to start a discussion around a
    feature idea or a bug.
 #. If you feel uncomfortable or uncertain about an issue or your changes, feel
-   free to email sphinx-dev@googlegroups.com.
+   free to email the *sphinx-dev* mailing list.
 #. Fork `the repository`_ on GitHub to start making your changes to the
    **master** branch for next major version, or **stable** branch for next
    minor version.
@@ -98,10 +99,14 @@ These are the basic steps needed to start developing on Sphinx.
    For new features or other substantial changes that should wait until the
    next major release, use the ``master`` branch.
 
-#. Optional: setup a virtual environment. ::
+#. Setup a virtual environment.
 
-       virtualenv ~/sphinxenv
-       . ~/sphinxenv/bin/activate
+   This is not necessary for unit testing, thanks to ``tox``, but it is
+   necessary if you wish to run ``sphinx-build`` locally or run unit tests
+   without the help of ``tox``. ::
+
+       virtualenv ~/.venv
+       . ~/.venv/bin/activate
        pip install -e .
 
 #. Create a new working branch.  Choose any name you like. ::
@@ -112,44 +117,53 @@ These are the basic steps needed to start developing on Sphinx.
 
    For tips on working with the code, see the `Coding Guide`_.
 
-#. Test, test, test.  Possible steps:
+#. Test, test, test.
 
-   * Run the unit tests::
+   Testing is best done through ``tox``, which provides a number of targets and
+   allows testing against multiple different Python environments:
 
-       pip install .[test,websupport]
-       make test
+   * To list all possible targets::
 
-   * Again, it's useful to turn on deprecation warnings on so they're shown in
-     the test output::
+         tox -av
 
-       PYTHONWARNINGS=all make test
+   * To run unit tests for a specific Python version, such as 3.6::
 
-   * Arguments to pytest can be passed via tox, e.g. in order to run a
+         tox -e py36
+
+   * To run unit tests for a specific Python version and turn on deprecation
+     warnings on so they're shown in the test output::
+
+         PYTHONWARNINGS=all tox -e py36
+
+   * To run code style and type checks::
+
+         tox -e mypy
+         tox -e flake8
+
+   * Arguments to ``pytest`` can be passed via ``tox``, e.g. in order to run a
      particular test::
 
-       tox -e py27 tests/test_module.py::test_new_feature
+       tox -e py36 tests/test_module.py::test_new_feature
 
-   * Build the documentation and check the output for different builders::
+   * To build the documentation::
 
-       make docs target="clean html latexpdf"
+         tox -e docs
 
-   * Run code style checks and type checks (type checks require mypy)::
+   * To build the documentation in multiple formats::
 
-       make style-check
-       make type-check
+         tox -e docs -- -b html,latexpdf
 
-   * Run the unit tests under different Python environments using
-     :program:`tox`::
+   You can also test by installing dependencies in your local environment. ::
 
-       pip install tox
-       tox -v
+       pip install .[test]
 
-   * Add a new unit test in the ``tests`` directory if you can.
+   New unit tests should be included in the ``tests`` directory where
+   necessary:
 
    * For bug fixes, first add a test that fails without your changes and passes
      after they are applied.
 
-   * Tests that need a sphinx-build run should be integrated in one of the
+   * Tests that need a ``sphinx-build`` run should be integrated in one of the
      existing test modules if possible.  New tests that to ``@with_app`` and
      then ``build_all`` for a few assertions are not good since *the test suite
      should not take more than a minute to run*.
@@ -266,7 +280,7 @@ Debugging Tips
   code by running the command ``make clean`` or using the
   :option:`sphinx-build -E` option.
 
-* Use the :option:`sphinx-build -P` option to run Pdb on exceptions.
+* Use the :option:`sphinx-build -P` option to run ``pdb`` on exceptions.
 
 * Use ``node.pformat()`` and ``node.asdom().toxml()`` to generate a printable
   representation of the document structure.
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 22a34f6f8..4b462d612 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -1,9 +1,15 @@
 [tox]
-minversion=2.0
-envlist=docs,flake8,mypy,coverage,py{27,34,35,36,py},du{11,12,13,14}
+minversion = 2.0
+envlist = docs,flake8,mypy,coverage,py{27,34,35,36,py},du{11,12,13,14}
 
 [testenv]
-passenv = https_proxy http_proxy no_proxy
+passenv =
+    https_proxy http_proxy no_proxy
+description =
+    py{27,34,35,36,py}: Run unit tests against {envname}.
+    du{11,12,13,14}: Run unit tests with the given version of docutils.
+    coverage: Run code coverage checks.
+
 # TODO(stephenfin) Replace this with the 'extras' config option when tox 2.4 is
 # widely available, likely some time after the Ubuntu 18.04 release
 #
@@ -21,22 +27,30 @@ commands=
     {envpython} -Wall tests/run.py --durations 25 {posargs}
 
 [testenv:flake8]
-commands=flake8
+description =
+    Run style checks.
+commands =
+    flake8
 
 [testenv:pylint]
-deps=
+description =
+    Run source code analyzer.
+deps =
     pylint
     {[testenv]deps}
-commands=
+commands =
     pylint --rcfile utils/pylintrc sphinx
 
 [testenv:mypy]
-basepython=python3
-deps=
+description =
+    Run type checks.
+deps =
     mypy
 commands=
     mypy sphinx/
 
 [testenv:docs]
-commands=
+description =
+    Build documentation.
+commands =
     python setup.py build_sphinx {posargs}