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+# How to contribute
+
+Third-party patches are essential for keeping stdlib great. We simply can't
+access the huge number of platforms and myriad configurations for running
+stdlib. We want to keep it as easy as possible to contribute changes that
+get things working in your environment. There are a few guidelines that we
+need contributors to follow so that we can have a chance of keeping on
+top of things.
+
+## Getting Started
+
+* Make sure you have a [Redmine account](http://projects.puppetlabs.com)
+* Make sure you have a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup/free)
+* Submit a ticket for your issue, assuming one does not already exist.
+  * Clearly describe the issue including steps to reproduce when it is a bug.
+  * Make sure you fill in the earliest version that you know has the issue.
+* Fork the repository on GitHub
+
+## Making Changes
+
+* Create a topic branch from where you want to base your work.
+  * This is usually the master branch.
+  * Only target release branches if you are certain your fix must be on that
+    branch.
+  * To quickly create a topic branch based on master; `git branch
+    fix/master/my_contribution master` then checkout the new branch with `git
+    checkout fix/master/my_contribution`.  Please avoid working directly on the
+    `master` branch.
+* Make commits of logical units.
+* Check for unnecessary whitespace with `git diff --check` before committing.
+* Make sure your commit messages are in the proper format.
+
+````
+    (#99999) Make the example in CONTRIBUTING imperative and concrete
+
+    Without this patch applied the example commit message in the CONTRIBUTING
+    document is not a concrete example.  This is a problem because the
+    contributor is left to imagine what the commit message should look like
+    based on a description rather than an example.  This patch fixes the
+    problem by making the example concrete and imperative.
+
+    The first line is a real life imperative statement with a ticket number
+    from our issue tracker.  The body describes the behavior without the patch,
+    why this is a problem, and how the patch fixes the problem when applied.
+````
+
+* Make sure you have added the necessary tests for your changes.
+* Run _all_ the tests to assure nothing else was accidentally broken.
+
+## Submitting Changes
+
+* Sign the [Contributor License Agreement](http://links.puppetlabs.com/cla).
+* Push your changes to a topic branch in your fork of the repository.
+* Submit a pull request to the repository in the puppetlabs organization.
+* Update your Redmine ticket to mark that you have submitted code and are ready for it to be reviewed.
+  * Include a link to the pull request in the ticket
+
+# Additional Resources
+
+* [More information on contributing](http://links.puppetlabs.com/contribute-to-puppet)
+* [Bug tracker (Redmine)](http://projects.puppetlabs.com)
+* [Contributor License Agreement](http://links.puppetlabs.com/cla)
+* [General GitHub documentation](http://help.github.com/)
+* [GitHub pull request documentation](http://help.github.com/send-pull-requests/)
+* #puppet-dev IRC channel on freenode.org