thesis/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md

This document outlines the process for developing and contributing to my own thesis project. By following these guidelines, this will ensure consistent quality and maintain a clear development history.

Development Workflow

1. Issue Creation

Before working on any new feature, experiment, or bug fix:

• Create a GitHub issue using the appropriate template
• Assign it to myself
• Add relevant labels
• Link it to the project board if applicable

2. Branching Strategy

Use the following branch naming convention:

• feature/<issue-number>-short-description
• bugfix/<issue-number>-short-description
• experiment/<issue-number>-short-description
• doc/<issue-number>-short-description

Always branch from main for new features/experiments.

3. Development Process

• Make regular, atomic commits following the commit message template
• Include the issue number in commit messages (e.g., "#42")
• Push changes at the end of each work session

4. Code Quality

• Follow PEP 8 guidelines for Python code
• Document functions with docstrings
• Maintain test coverage for custom functions
• Keep notebooks clean and well-documented

5. Pull Requests

Even working alone, use PRs for significant changes:

• Create a PR from your feature branch to main
• Reference the issue(s) it resolves
• Include a summary of changes
• Self-review the PR before merging

6. Versioning

Follow semantic versioning:

• Major version: Significant thesis milestones or structural changes
• Minor version: New experiments, features, or chapters
• Patch version: Bug fixes and minor improvements

7. Documentation

Update documentation with each significant change:

• Keep README current
• Update function documentation
• Maintain clear experiment descriptions in notebooks
• Record significant decisions and findings

LaTeX Guidelines

• Use consistent citation style
• Break long sections into multiple files
• Use meaningful label names for cross-references
• Consider using version-control friendly LaTeX practices (one sentence per line)

Experiment Tracking

For each experiment:

• Create an issue documenting the experiment design
• Reference related papers and previous experiments
• Document parameters and results in the notebook
• Summarize findings in the issue before closing

Commit Categories

Use the categories defined in the commit template to clearly classify changes.