Add contributor guidelines to development documentation

doc/documentation/development/contributing.rst

@@ -1,9 +1,204 @@
 .. _contributing:
 
-Contributing guide
+Contributing Guide
 ==================
 
-(coming soon...)
+Welcome to whobpyt! We are delighted that you are interested in contributing.
+whobpyt is a community-driven project, and contributions of any kind are warmly
+welcomed — whether you are a seasoned developer, a neuroscientist, or someone
+taking their first steps in open-source science.
 
-.. highlight:: console
+This guide is inspired by contributor guides from
+`MNE-Python <https://mne.tools/stable/development/contributing.html>`__ and
+`Nilearn <https://nilearn.github.io/stable/development/contributing.html>`__,
+two excellent examples of community-driven neuroimaging software.
+
+- **Issue tracker:** https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/issues
+- **Discussions:** https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/discussions
+
+
+.. _ways-to-contribute:
+
+Ways to Contribute
+------------------
+
+There are many ways to contribute to whobpyt beyond writing code:
+
+- **Report bugs** — Open an issue describing what went wrong and how to
+  reproduce it.
+- **Suggest enhancements** — Open an issue or discussion proposing a new
+  feature or improvement.
+- **Write or improve documentation** — Fix typos, clarify explanations, add
+  missing docstrings, or write new tutorial pages.
+- **Add examples or tutorials** — Share a Jupyter notebook demonstrating a use
+  case that others would find helpful.
+- **Triage issues** — Help by reproducing reported bugs, labelling issues, or
+  pointing reporters to relevant existing discussions.
+- **Review pull requests** — Provide constructive feedback on open PRs, even if
+  you are not a core maintainer.
+- **Contribute code** — Fix bugs, implement new models or features, or improve
+  existing implementations.
+
+No contribution is too small. Even fixing a typo helps!
+
+
+.. _code-style:
+
+Code Style
+----------
+
+whobpyt follows `PEP 8 <https://peps.python.org/pep-0008/>`__ style
+conventions. We use `Black <https://black.readthedocs.io/>`__ for automatic
+code formatting and `flake8 <https://flake8.pycqa.org/>`__ for linting.
+
+**Formatting**
+
+Before opening a pull request, please format your code with Black::
+
+   pip install black
+   black .
+
+**Docstrings**
+
+All public functions, classes, and methods should include docstrings following
+the `NumPy docstring standard
+<https://numpydoc.readthedocs.io/en/latest/format.html>`__.  This is the
+convention used throughout the codebase and is required for the API reference
+documentation to build correctly.
+
+**Pre-commit (optional but recommended)**
+
+We recommend using `pre-commit <https://pre-commit.com/>`__ to run formatting
+and linting checks automatically on every commit::
+
+   pip install pre-commit
+   pre-commit install
+
+
+.. _pull-request-process:
+
+Pull Request Process
+--------------------
+
+Follow these steps to submit a pull request:
+
+1. **Fork the repository** — Click *Fork* on the
+   `whobpyt GitHub page <https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt>`__ to create
+   your own copy.
+
+2. **Clone your fork** ::
+
+      git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/whobpyt.git
+      cd whobpyt
+
+3. **Create a feature branch** — Use a short, descriptive name::
+
+      git checkout -b fix/my-bug-fix
+      # or
+      git checkout -b feature/new-model
+
+4. **Set up a development environment** ::
+
+      pip install -e ".[dev]"
+
+5. **Make your changes** — Keep commits focused. Write clear, concise commit
+   messages.
+
+6. **Run the tests** to ensure nothing is broken::
+
+      pytest tests/
+
+7. **Push your branch** to your fork::
+
+      git push origin fix/my-bug-fix
+
+8. **Open a pull request** against the ``main`` branch of
+   ``GriffithsLab/whobpyt``.  Fill in the pull request template, describing
+   *what* changed and *why*.
+
+9. **Respond to review feedback** — A maintainer will review your PR.  Address
+   any requested changes and push additional commits to your branch.  Once
+   approved, a maintainer will merge it.
+
+**What to expect**
+
+- PRs are typically reviewed within a few weeks.
+- You may be asked to make changes before a PR is accepted — this is a normal
+  part of collaborative development and is not a rejection.
+- Automated checks (CI) must pass before a PR can be merged.
+
+
+.. _issue-reporting:
+
+Issue Reporting
+---------------
+
+**Reporting a bug**
+
+Before opening a new bug report, please search the
+`issue tracker <https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/issues>`__ to see
+whether the problem has already been reported.
+
+A helpful bug report includes:
+
+- A clear, descriptive title.
+- A minimal, self-contained code example that reproduces the problem
+  (*minimal reproducible example*).
+- The full error traceback (if applicable).
+- Your environment details: Python version, whobpyt version, operating system,
+  and relevant dependency versions (e.g. PyTorch).
+
+**Suggesting an enhancement**
+
+Open an issue or start a
+`discussion <https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/discussions>`__ describing:
+
+- The use case or problem the enhancement would address.
+- Your proposed solution or approach (if you have one).
+- Any alternatives you have considered.
+
+
+.. _community-standards:
+
+Community Standards
+-------------------
+
+whobpyt is committed to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for
+everyone. All participants are expected to adhere to respectful and
+constructive communication in all project spaces (issues, pull requests,
+discussions, and any other forums).
+
+Please:
+
+- Be respectful and considerate of differing viewpoints and experiences.
+- Use welcoming and inclusive language.
+- Accept constructive criticism graciously.
+- Focus on what is best for the community and the project.
+
+Unacceptable behavior includes harassment, discrimination, or personal attacks
+of any kind. If you experience or witness such behavior, please report it to
+the maintainers via email or by opening a confidential issue.
+
+We follow the spirit of the
+`Contributor Covenant Code of Conduct <https://www.contributor-covenant.org/version/2/1/code_of_conduct/>`__
+(version 2.1).
+
+
+.. _getting-help:
+
+Getting Help
+------------
+
+If you have a question about using or developing whobpyt, the best places to
+ask are:
+
+- **GitHub Discussions** — https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/discussions
+  — For general questions, ideas, and open-ended conversations.
+- **GitHub Issues** — https://github.com/GriffithsLab/whobpyt/issues
+  — For bug reports and concrete feature requests.
+- **Lab website** — https://griffithslab.github.io/
+  — For information about the Griffiths Lab and related projects.
+
+We do our best to respond promptly, but please be patient — whobpyt is
+maintained by a small team of researchers.
 

doc/documentation/development/index.rst

@@ -1,6 +1,16 @@
+.. _development:
+
 WhoBPyT Development
-======================
+===================
+
+Welcome to the WhoBPyT development hub. Here you will find everything you need
+to contribute to the project, understand the governance model, and follow the
+project roadmap.
 
+.. toctree::
+   :hidden:
 
-coming soon...
+   Contributing Guide <contributing>
+   Governance <governance>
+   Roadmap <roadmap>