Improve contributing guidelines

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Contributing to browseMetadata
+
+We warmly welcome contributions to the browseMetadata project! 
+This document provides guidelines for contributing to this repository.
+
+## How to Contribute
+
+### Reporting Issues
+
+- **Bug Reports**: If you find a bug, please open an issue with a clear description of the problem and steps to reproduce it.
+- **Feature Requests**: Suggestions for new features or improvements are always welcome. Please open an issue to discuss your ideas.
+
+### Making Changes
+
+1. **Fork the Repository**: Start by forking the repository to your GitHub account.
+2. **Create a Feature Branch**: Create a new branch for your feature or fix.
+3. **Make Your Changes**: Implement your changes, adhering to the coding standards and practices outlined below.
+4. **Test Your Changes**: Ensure your changes do not break any existing functionality.
+5. **Submit a Pull Request**: Open a pull request from your feature branch to the main branch of the original repository.
+
+### Coding Standards
+
+- Follow the [tidyverse style guide](https://style.tidyverse.org) for R code.
+- Write clear, readable, and maintainable code.
+- Include comments and documentation as needed.
+
+### Documentation
+
+- Update the README or other documentation if necessary.
+- Clearly describe the changes you've made and their benefits.
+
+## Contributing to the R Package
+
+If your contribution involves changes to the R package itself, here are some specific guidelines to follow:
+
+### Working with Package Data
+
+- **Creating .rda Files**: To create `.rda` files in the data directory of the package, use the following command in R:
+  ```R
+  usethis::use_data(dataname)
+  ```
+  Replace `dataname` with the actual name of your data.
+
+- **Viewing Package Data**: To view the data included in the `browseMetadata` package, execute:
+  ```R
+  data(package='browseMetadata')
+  ```
+
+- **Loading Package Data**: To load specific data from the package, use:
+  ```R
+  data(dataname)
+  ```
+  Again, replace `dataname` with the name of the data you wish to load.
+
+### Building Documentation
+
+- **Generating Documentation Files**: To build the documentation files for the package, use the `roxygen2` package:
+  ```R
+  library(roxygen2)
+  roxygenise()
+  ```
+  This will generate the necessary documentation based on your roxygen comments in the R code.
+
+### Testing Your Changes
+
+- Ensure that your changes do not break any existing functionality. Run any existing tests, and consider adding new tests to cover your changes.
+
+### Submitting Changes
+
+- After making your changes, test them thoroughly.
+- Update the documentation to reflect your changes, if applicable.
+- Submit a pull request with a clear description of your changes and the benefits they bring to the package.
+
+## Questions or Need Help?
+
+If you have questions or need help, feel free to open an issue for discussion or reach out to the maintainers directly.
+
+Thank you for contributing to browseMetadata!

README.md

@@ -114,19 +114,15 @@ and other kinds of works. For more information, please refer to
 
 ## Contributing changes
 
-You can contribute changes to this repository via submitting an Issue to
-request a change, or create a Pull Request with your direct changes.
+## Contributing
 
-If you are working on changes to the R package:
+We warmly welcome contributions to the browseMetadata project. Whether it's fixing bugs, adding new features, or improving documentation, we welcome your involvement. 
 
-To create the .rda files in the data directory of the package:
-`usethis::use_data(dataname)`
+- **Report Issues**: If you find a bug or have a feature request, please report it via [GitHub Issues](https://github.com/aim-rsf/browseMetadata/issues).
+- **Submit Pull Requests**: We welcome pull requests. Please read our [CONTRIBUTING.md](https://github.com/aim-rsf/browseMetadata/issues/CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines on how to make contributions.
+- **Feedback and Suggestions**: We're always looking to improve, and we value feedback and suggestions. Feel free to open an issue to share your thoughts.
 
-To view the package data: `data(package='browseMetadata')`
-
-To load the package data: `data(dataname)`
-
-To build the documentation files: `library(roxygen2)` `roxygenise()`
+For more information on how to contribute, please refer to our [Contribution Guidelines](https://github.com/aim-rsf/browseMetadata/issues/CONTRIBUTING.md).
 
 ## Citation