--- /dev/null
+# Contribution guidelines for OpenTK
+
+## Preface
+First of all, thank you for considering contributing to the OpenTK project! It's a large codebase
+with a lot of twists and turns, and a helping hand is always welcome.
+
+There are multiple ways to contribue to the project - creating bug reports, opening pull requests,
+commenting on either and engaging in discussions about other contributions to name a few. This
+document is intented as a set of guidelines to help your contribution get accepted faster, maintain
+a high standard, and to help us (the maintainers) set a few ground rules for working with us.
+
+If you have any questions about the contents of this document, the code, or how to contribute, please
+drop us a line on [Gitter](https://gitter.im/opentk/opentk). We'll be happy to answer as best we can.
+
+#### Table of Contents
+1. [Things to keep in mind](#things-to-keep-in-mind)
+2. [Setting Up](#setting-up)
+3. [Pull Requests](#pull-requests)
+ 1. [Bug Fixes](#bug-fixes)
+ 2. [New Features](#new-features)
+ 3. [Cosmetic & Stylistic Changes](#cosmetic-&-stylistic-changes)
+ 4. [Breaking Changes](#breaking-changes)
+4. [Bug Reports](#bug-reports)
+5. [Discussions & Suggestions](#discussions-&-suggestions)
+
+
+## Things to keep in mind
+Like a lot of other modern projects, OpenTK is written for multiple platforms and operating systems.
+Therefore, it's important to keep this in mind when contributing to the project - otherwise, it may
+make accepting your contribution much more difficult. You'll want to consider that the bug you're
+experiencing might not be present on other platforms or system configurations, or that your pull
+request doesn't take all platforms into account. Sometimes this important, sometimes it's not.
+
+OpenTK is also (as previously mentioned) a very large codebase which has seen a lot of people and a
+lot of styles over the years. This is reflected in the deeper, darker parts of the codebase where
+mixed styles, weird naming, bizarre code and eldritch sorcery abound. What may seem like a small change
+on the surface could lead you down on a path of unraveling one thread after another, and what started
+off as a simple bug fix could transform into a lot of headscratching.
+
+To make this at least somewhat easier, here's a few concrete general tips which you should stick to:
+
+* Always consider cross-platform gotchas.
+* Always work in small, iterative chunks which you can easily describe.
+* Avoid cosmetic or visual changes, unless your contribution is strictly focused on that.
+* Don't be afraid to ask, especially before diving in. There might be someone else working on the very
+same thing already!
+* Consider how your contribution might affect other contributions. Sometimes one change will break another
+if you're not careful.
+
+In terms of these guidelines, the terminology is as follows:
+* Must: If your contribution does not follow this rule, it will not be accepted.
+* Should: If your contribution does not follow this rule, it has a lower chance of being accepted.
+* May: If your contribution does not follow this rule, it's probably not going to matter that much.
+It'd be a nice touch, though.
+
+With that in mind, check the following sections for more concrete and direct guidelines.
+
+## Setting Up
+For first-time contributors, there are a few steps that you'll need to go through in order
+to start contributing.
+
+#### 1. Get a copy of the code
+First, fork OpenTK to your own profile and clone a local copy.
+
+```bash
+$ git clone git@github.com:username/opentk.git
+$ cd opentk
+$ git remote add upstream https://github.com/opentk/opentk.git
+```
+
+#### 2. Create a working branch
+Development is done against the `develop` branch - this is where all the magic happens. Your
+changes should always be based on this branch, so in order to start working, create a new branch
+with an appropriate name and base it on `develop`.
+
+```bash
+$ git checkout -b my-branch -t origin/develop
+```
+
+#### 3. Let git know who you are
+In order to better track changes and who does what, it's a good practice to give git some information
+about yourself.
+
+```bash
+$ git config --global user.name "John Doe"
+$ git config --global user.email "john.doe@example.com"
+```
+
+Optionally, you can also add your public GPG key and sign your commits - that way, there is no question
+that it's definitely you that's created the commit. GitHub has some excellent information on how to do
+this and why it's a good idea - [Signing Commits With GPG](https://help.github.com/articles/signing-commits-with-gpg/).
+
+```bash
+$ git config --global user.signingkey QF3G6A39
+$ git config --global commit.gpgsign true
+```
+
+#### 4. Commit changes
+Once you've finished up a change, it's time to commit it. In doing so, you'll be writing some sort of
+commit message, and there are some guidelines for how this should be formatted. Primarily,
+
+* Keep the first line of the commit message 50 characters or less
+* If you need a longer description, keep the second line blank, and keep all subsequent more descriptive
+lines at 72 characters or less.
+
+The first line is what will be visible on the commit lists on GitHub, so make sure it's as descriptive as
+you can make it.
+
+#### 5. Synchronizing your changes
+Sometimes, pull requests and code changes take time, and other contributions are accepted in the meantime.
+When this happens, you'll need to synchronize your changes with what's in the main repository. This should
+be done using `rebase`, not `merge`, to keep the commit history from being cluttered with merge commits.
+
+If you've not pushed your changes anywhere yet, it's sufficient to simply run (when on your branch)
+
+```bash
+$ git fetch upstream
+$ git rebase upstream/develop
+```
+
+to fetch the latest code and replay your work on it. However, if you've already pushed it, you might run
+into some issues when pushing to your fork after rebasing. To get around this, you'll have to forcibly push
+your changes to overwrite what's in your repository.
+
+```bash
+$ git fetch --all
+$ git rebase upstream/develop
+$ git push --force-with-lease origin my-branch
+```
+
+#### 6. Opening a pull request
+When you feel that you're all done and you've pushed your changes to git, it's time to open a pull request
+and have your changes reviewed. Before doing so, run a final test by executing the build script in the
+base directory of the codebase.
+
+```bash
+$ ./build.sh
+```
+
+If it executes without any problems, you're good to go and ready to move on to creating your [Pull Request](#pull-requests).
+
+## Pull Requests
+Pull requests are without a doubt one of the more involved contribution types. Primarily, in order for a
+pull request to be accepted, it must maintain a high quality, be well tested, and not have any major
+breaking changes (unless absolutely neccesary). There's going to be a lot of stuff dumped on you in the
+next few paragraphs, but keep in mind that most are *guidelines*, not hard rules. Stick to them as best
+you can, and when in doubt - just ask.
+
+All pull requests must have or do the following:
+
+* A clear, concise and descriptive title. As a rule of thumb, don't make it longer than twelve words or
+72 characters.
+* A clear and detailed description of what the pull request has changed. This includes how the behaviour
+of the library will change if the pull request is accepted - a maintainer should be able to read your
+description and fully understand what accepting it would mean without having to dive into the code.
+* Be based on the `develop` branch of the main OpenTK repository.
+
+All pull requests should have the following:
+* If applicable, a compilable example which demonstrates the changes. A git repository is preferred, and
+your changed branch should be included as a submodule.
+
+A pull requests may have the following:
+* A short explanation of why you think these changes are neccesary, if it is not readily apparent from
+the rest of the pull request.
+
+All code changes must follow these rules:
+
+* The [Style Guide](https://www.PLACE.HOLDER/style-guide) should be adhered to religiously. In general, this is
+the same as following the MSDN and CoreFX guidelines with some changes.
+* All new methods, fields, properties, events, classes, structures and enumerations must have appropriate
+XML documentation comments wherein their behaviour is explained. These comments will be visible to the end
+user, and should (in combination with the naming of the element) be sufficient to fully understand what
+the element does.
+* XML comments on methods must describe each parameter (if any).
+* Changes to existing access modifiers should be avoided if at all possible.
+
+Furthermore, your pull request should:
+* Be tested on all applicable platforms. If you do not have access to a platform (not owning a Windows license,
+not having a Mac on hand, not having Linux installed, etc), ask for help testing your fix in Gitter or in your
+pull request.
+
+### Bug Fixes
+Bug fixes should resolve a single reported issue, or a collection of issues which fall under a single common
+meta-issue.
+
+Your bug fix must:
+
+* Fix the issue on all supported platforms, or, if not applicable (such as a platform-specific or
+platform-agnostic bug), make it clear that the other platforms will not have the same issue.
+* Refer to the issue number using github's pound syntax - for instance , "This PR resolves issue #1".
+
+### New Features
+New features should introduce a single feature, capability, or functionality to the library which was not previously
+present. No more than one feature may be introduced in any one pull request.
+
+Your feature addition must:
+
+* Implement the feature on all supported platforms. If the feature cannot be implemented on one platform for some
+reason, this must be clearly explained in the pull request and documented in the source code.
+
+Your feature addition should, if applicable and possible:
+* Implement a set of unit tests which test the entirety of the added public API surface. These tests must pass
+on the CI service (Travis).
+
+Furthermore, if your new feature replaces or makes an existing feature obsolete, this must be clearly stated.
+This may prevent your pull request from being accepted in the current development cycle, or it may fast-track
+it depending on the changes.
+
+### Cosmetic & Stylistic Changes
+Cosmetic and stylistic changes are those changes which do not affect executing code - that is, the library
+operates exactly the same way before and after change, but the code might look nicer or follow the style guide
+better.
+
+These types of pull requests are given less priority than others, and may have to wait some time.
+
+A cosmetic pull request must:
+
+* Not break any outstanding pull request, or, if both would modify the same code, be prepared to wait
+until the other contribution is accepted or rejected before being considered.
+* Change an affected file in its entirety to match the style guide standard that the contribution is using.
+Mixed styles are not permitted. As an example, if the pull request adds an XML comment to a method, it
+should also comment all other code elements which do not have XML documentation in that file.
+
+Cosmetic contributions are not required to change everything in a file. Single atomic cosmetic changes
+(such as applying a single rule from the style guide) is permitted.
+
+### Breaking Changes
+A pull request is considered to have introduced a breaking change if it does or wants to do one of
+the following:
+
+* Removes one or more public method, field, property, event, class, structure or enumeration.
+* Renames one or more public method, field, property, event, class, structure or enumeration.
+* Alters the public behaviour of an existing method or property without fixing a bug or correcting the
+behaviour to an expected result.
+* Changes the accessibility of a previously public API to a more restrictive accessibility.
+* Changes the method signature of a public method (renaming a parameter does not constitute a breaking
+change, and is a cosmetic change).
+
+These types of pull requests are difficult to handle, and are only accepted as part of an active development
+cycle. Their contributions will not make it into regular point releases, but can be merged into the next major
+release.
+
+In general, if your pull request introduces a breaking change, you should follow this rule:
+
+* No public-facing API should be deleted or made inaccessible. Instead, you should introduce an alternate method,
+field or property and mark the previous one with an `[Obsolete("Use XXX instead.")]` attribute. Code marked obsolete
+in the previous development cycle is deleted when a new cycle begins.
+
+## Bug Reports
+Every bug report must follow the [Issue Template](https://github.com/opentk/opentk/blob/develop/.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE.md).
+Reports which do not follow this template will be closed.
+
+If you can include a compilable example which demonstrates the issue you're having, the chances
+that the bug will be fixed increase substantially. It's a lot faster to work with a problem
+if you have something that quickly shows you what's going wrong. As with pull requests, a git repository
+is preferred. The latest OpenTK version from NuGet should be included as a package reference.
+
+One important thing - make sure that the problem is actually an issue with OpenTK before opening a bug.
+It may be a driver issue if it's graphical, or a library problem if it's input-related. It may be
+a problem with your code, or it might be an issue in a library you use. As with most things, asking for
+help on Gitter or other related forums will help you solve your problem faster and prevent invalid bug
+reports from being opened.
+
+## Discussions & Suggestions
+We're always open to suggestions and discussions about current and future features and goals of the library.
+Most of these discussions take place on Gitter, but for larger projects and goals it might be a good idea
+to create a github project tracker together with the maintainers. If you think the discussion warrants a
+more permanent forum, talk to us :)
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