[DOC] Update contributing guidelines

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -1,24 +1,57 @@
-# Contributing to tedana
+# Contributing to `tedana`
 
-Welcome to the tedana repository! We're excited you're here and want to contribute.  
+Welcome to the `tedana` repository! We're excited you're here and want to contribute.  
 
-These guidelines are designed to make it as easy as possible to get involved. If you have any questions that aren't discussed below, please let us know by opening an [issue][link_issues]!
+These guidelines are designed to make it as easy as possible to get involved.
+If you have any questions that aren't discussed below, please let us know by opening an [issue][link_issues]!
 
-Before you start you'll need to set up a free [GitHub][link_github] account and sign in. Here are some [instructions][link_signupinstructions].
+Before you start you'll need to set up a free [GitHub][link_github] account and sign in.
+Here are some [instructions][link_signupinstructions].
 
 Already know what you're looking for in this guide? Jump to the following sections:
+
 * [Joining the conversation](#joining-the-conversation)
-* [Understanding issue labels](#issue-labels)
+* [Understanding issues, milestones, and project boards](#explaining-issues-milestones-and-project-boards)
 * [Making a change](#making-a-change)
-* [Recognizing contributions](#recognizing-contributions)
+* [Structuring contributions](#style-guide)
+* [Recognizing contributors](#recognizing-contributions)
 
 ## Joining the conversation
 
 `tedana` is a young project maintained by a growing group of enthusiastic developers— and we're excited to have you join!
 Most of our discussions will take place on open [issues][link_issues].
 We also maintain a [gitter chat room][link_gitter] for more informal conversations and general project updates.
 
-There is significant cross-talk between these two spaces, and we look forward to hearing from you in either venue! As a reminder, we expect all contributions to `tedana` to adhere to our [code of conduct][link_coc].
+There is significant cross-talk between these two spaces, and we look forward to hearing from you in either venue!
+As a reminder, we expect all contributions to `tedana` to adhere to our [code of conduct][link_coc].
+
+## Explaining issues, milestones and project boards
+
+Every project on GitHub uses [issues][link_issues], [milestones][link_milestones],
+and [project boards][link_project_boards] slightly differently.
+
+The following outlines how the ``tedana`` developers think about these different tools.
+
+* **Issues** are individual pieces of work that need to be completed to move the project forwards.
+One general guideline: if you find yourself tempted to write a great big issue that
+is difficult to describe as one unit of work, please consider splitting it into two or more issues.
+
+    Issues are assigned [labels](#issue-labels) which explain how they relate to the overall project's
+    goals and immediate next steps.
+
+* **Milestones** are the link between the issues and the high level strategy for the ``tedana`` project.
+Contributors new and old are encouraged to take a look at the milestones to see how we are progressing
+towards ``tedana``'s shared vision.
+
+    Issues are assigned to these milestones by the maintainers.
+    If you feel that an issue should be assigned to a specific milestone but the maintainers have not done so, just ask!
+    We might have just missed it, or we might not (yet) see how it aligns with the overall project structure.
+    These conversations are important to have, and we are excited to hear your perspective!
+
+* The **project board** is an automated [Kanban board][link_kanban] to keep track of what is currently underway
+(in progress), what has been completed (done), and what needs to be done for a specific release.
+The ``tedana``  maintainers use this board to keep an eye on how tasks are progressing week by week.
+
 
 ### Issue labels
 
@@ -35,7 +68,9 @@ The current list of labels are [here][link_labels] and include:
 
 * [![Enhancement](https://img.shields.io/badge/-enhancement-84b6eb.svg)][link_enhancement] *These issues are asking for enhancements to be added to the project.*
 
-    Please try to make sure that your enhancement is distinct from any others that have already been requested or implemented. If you find one that's similar but there are subtle differences please reference the other request in your issue.
+    Please try to make sure that your enhancement is distinct from any others that have already been requested or implemented.
+    If you find one that's similar but there are subtle differences please reference the other request in your issue.
+
 
 ## Making a change
 
@@ -57,13 +92,41 @@ Make sure to [keep your fork up to date][link_updateupstreamwiki] with the maste
 
 Try to keep the changes focused. We've found that working on a [new branch][link_branches] makes it easier to keep your changes targeted.
 
-When you're creating your pull request, please make sure to review the tedana [style conventions][link_styleguide].
+When you're creating your pull request, please make sure to review the tedana [style conventions](#style-guide).
 
 **4. Submit a [pull request][link_pullrequest].**
 
-A member of the development team will review your changes to confirm that they can be merged into the main codebase.
+A member of the development team will review your changes to confirm that they can be merged into the main code base.
+When opening the pull request, we ask that you follow some [specific conventions](#pull-requests).
+We outline these below.
+
+### Pull Requests
+
+To improve understanding pull requests "at a glance", we encourage the use of several standardized tags.
+When opening a pull request, please use at least one of the following prefixes:
+
+* **[ENH]** for enhancements
+* **[FIX]** for bug fixes
+* **[TST]** for new or updated tests
+* **[DOC]** for new or updated documentation
+* **[STY]** for stylistic changes
+* **[RF]** for refactoring existing code
 
-## Recognizing contributions
+Pull requests should be submitted early and often!
+If your pull request is not yet ready to be merged, please also include the **[WIP]** prefix.
+This tells the development team that your pull request is a "work-in-progress",
+and that you plan to continue working on it.
+
+## Style Guide
+
+Docstrings should follow [numpydoc][link_numpydoc] convention.
+We encourage extensive documentation.
+
+The code itself should follow [PEP8][link_pep8] convention
+whenever possible, with at most about 500 lines of code (not including docstrings) per script.
+
+
+## Recognizing contributors
 
 We welcome and recognize all contributions from documentation to testing to code development.
 You can see a list of current contributors in the [contributors tab][link_contributors].
@@ -79,22 +142,27 @@ You're awesome. :wave::smiley:
 [link_github]: https://github.com/
 [link_tedana]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana
 [link_signupinstructions]: https://help.github.com/articles/signing-up-for-a-new-github-account
-[link_react]: https://github.com/blog/2119-add-reactions-to-pull-requests-issues-and-comments
+
 [link_issues]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/issues
+[link_milestones]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/milestones/
+[link_project_boards]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/projects
 [link_gitter]: https://gitter.im/me-ica/tedana
 [link_coc]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/blob/master/Code_of_Conduct.md
-[link_labels]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/labels
-[link_discussingissues]: https://help.github.com/articles/discussing-projects-in-issues-and-pull-requests
 
+[link_labels]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/labels
 [link_bugs]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/labels/bug
 [link_helpwanted]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/labels/help%20wanted
 [link_enhancement]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/labels/enhancement
 
+[link_kanban]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanban_board
 [link_pullrequest]: https://help.github.com/articles/creating-a-pull-request/
 [link_fork]: https://help.github.com/articles/fork-a-repo/
 [link_pushpullblog]: https://www.igvita.com/2011/12/19/dont-push-your-pull-requests/
-[link_branches]: https://help.github.com/articles/creating-and-deleting-branches-within-your-repository/
-[link_styleguide]: http://tedana.readthedocs.io/en/latest/contributing.html
 [link_updateupstreamwiki]: https://help.github.com/articles/syncing-a-fork/
-[link_stemmrolemodels]: https://github.com/KirstieJane/STEMMRoleModels
+[link_branches]: https://help.github.com/articles/creating-and-deleting-branches-within-your-repository/
+
+[link_numpydoc]: https://numpydoc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/format.html
+[link_pep8]: https://www.python.org/dev/peps/pep-0008/
+
 [link_contributors]: https://github.com/ME-ICA/tedana/graphs/contributors
+[link_stemmrolemodels]: https://github.com/KirstieJane/STEMMRoleModels