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Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to this project.

Licensing

This project is licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

Copyright © 2026 The University of Manchester

All source files include SPDX license headers in accordance with the REUSE specification.

By contributing to this repository, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the same terms (Apache-2.0).

Governance Model

This project is open source and welcomes contributions from the wider community. However, its development and release process follows a structured governance model.

  • The software was originally developed by The University of Manchester and is licensed under an open-source licence.
  • Strategic direction, release planning, and final decisions on what is included in the codebase are managed by the dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice funded by the UKRI Digital Research Infrastructure Programme via the DisCouRSE Network Plus flexible fund.

This means that while the repository is open to contributions, inclusion in official releases is determined collectively by this group. There is no funded development team to address issues but members of the dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice will progress priority items on a best-efforts basis.

How Contributions Work

We encourage community involvement in the following ways:

  • Reporting bugs via GitHub Issues
  • Suggesting new features or improvements
  • Submitting pull requests with fixes or enhancements
  • Participating in discussions around ongoing development

All contributions will be reviewed and considered, but acceptance is not automatic.

Pull Requests

If you wish to contribute code:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create a feature branch
  3. Submit a pull request against the dev branch

All pull requests:

  • Must pass any configured checks.
  • Must be reviewed and approved by members of the dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice before merging.
  • May be discussed or refined collaboratively.

Decision Making and Releases

The dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice:

  • Reviews proposed changes from the perspective of deployed instances.
  • Prioritises development work based on urgency and impact.
  • Determines what changes are accepted based on a proportionate review process.
  • Decides when releases are made and how they are grouped.

This is similar to governance models used by large open-source ecosystems (e.g., .NET), where the project is open and community-driven but defined group maintains responsibility for quality, direction, and release cadence. This review and ratification process will happen at least once a month.

Expectations

  • Not all contributions will be accepted.
  • Feature requests may be deferred based on priorities or declined.
  • Timelines for review and release are determined by the dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice.
  • Backwards compatibility should be preserved unless the dRTP Operational Management Community of Practice decides otherwise.

Code of Conduct

Contributors are expected to engage respectfully and constructively in all interactions.

Thank you for helping improve this project.