Skip to content
WorkspaceTemplates
The first pages of the Contributing Guide template

Contributing Guide

Document template for Google Docs and Word

Make a copy in Google Docs
Type
Document
Price
Free
Pages
8 · US Letter
Style
Minimal
Difficulty
Beginner
Updated
November 5, 2026

Every page (8)

Overview

Open source projects lose contributors when the rules live in people's heads. A newcomer cannot tell how to run the tests, how long a review takes or what a good issue looks like. This template puts those answers in one guide, organised from ways to contribute through issues, set-up, pull requests, reviews and recognition, with the code of conduct and governance kept beside them.

The sample for Quillon Digital shows a set-up in under 15 minutes with one command, a 3-day first response, a 7-day review target, one required approval and a monthly release. Replace the project name, licence, repository links, enforcement contact and turnaround figures with your own, then run every set-up step on a fresh machine.

Useful for

  • A first-time contributor finding a good first issue and running the tests on a laptop
  • A maintainer triaging new issues each week against the project risk register
  • A company legal team checking the licence and contribution terms before its engineers contribute

What's included

  • Ways to contribute: policy clauses, definitions, contributor rules and responsibilities
  • Issues: a risk heat map and register with owners and planned responses
  • Development set-up: a numbered process, an escalation flow and fresh machine notes
  • Pull requests: decisions as term and definition pairs, with a dated action list
  • Review process: stacked steps with targets, owners and a closing tip callout
  • Recognition: quotes from contributors and a glossary of governance terms

How to use it

  1. 1

    Click Make a copy in Google Docs, then confirm on the Google page. The copy is saved to your own Google Drive.

  2. 2

    Replace the project name, licence and repository links on the first page, then check the footer.

  3. 3

    Run the set-up steps on a fresh machine and correct any failure in the set-up section.

  4. 4

    Label real good first issues, add your enforcement contact and state your review turnaround.

  5. 5

    Delete the guide page, then share the document with contributors or present it to maintainers.

What you need

Requirements

  • A Google account with access to Google Drive

Works with

  • Google Docs
  • Microsoft Word (download the .docx)

Questions

Who should read this guide?

First-time contributors, maintainers and companies checking contribution terms. Each section is short, and the review process section tells you what to expect before you open a pull request.

Are the organisation, people and figures fictional?

Yes. Quillon Digital, the maintainers, the contributors and every figure in this template are fictional. Replace them with your own before you publish the guide.

How long does a review take?

Maintainers reply within 3 working days and finish a review within 7. Blocking changes must be fixed before merge, and any missed target is raised on the pull request itself.

  • #contributing-guide
  • #open-source
  • #contributing-md
  • #code-of-conduct
  • #governance
  • #google-docs

Related templates

More Google Docs templatesMore developer workflows templates

More contributing guide templates

See all 4

Also in Developer workflows

All developer workflows templates
Get this template

    What you get

      Use this templateSee full details

      Preparing your template…