chore(docs): Adding contributing guidelines

.changelog/config.toml

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+project_url = "https://github.com/informalsystems/emerald"
+
+# The number of spaces to inject before each component-related entry.
+entry_indent = 2
+
+[change_set_sections]
+sort_entries_by = "entry-text"

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+# Contributing to Emerald
+
+Thanks for your interest in contributing to Emerald. We welcome issues, discussions, and pull requests from the community.
+
+**The [Telegram group][tg] is available for any concerns you may have that are not covered in this guide.**
+
+## Getting Started
+
+1. Fork the repository and create your branch from `main`.
+2. Make sure the project builds and tests pass locally.
+3. Keep changes focused and well-scoped.
+
+## Reporting Issues
+
+- Use GitHub Issues to report bugs or request features.
+- Search existing issues before opening a new one.
+- Provide clear reproduction steps and relevant context.
+
+## Submitting Changes
+
+**Note:** Ideally, a pull request should address an issue that clearly motivates the changes introduced by the pull request.
+
+- Open a pull request with a clear description of the change.
+- Reference related issues where applicable.
+- Follow existing code style and conventions.
+- Add or update tests when appropriate.
+- Update documentation if behavior or interfaces change.
+- Add a changelog entry (see [Changelog](#changelog) section for details)
+
+### Changelog 
+
+To manage and generate our changelog, we currently use [unclog](https://github.com/informalsystems/unclog).
+
+Every PR with types `fix`, `feat`, `deps`, and `refactor` should include a file 
+`.changelog/unreleased/${section}/${pr-number}-${short-description}.md`,
+where:
+
+- `section` is one of 
+  `dependencies`, `improvements`, `features`, `bug-fixes`, `state-breaking`, `api-breaking`, 
+  and _**if multiple apply, create multiple files**_, 
+  not necessarily with the same `short-description` or content;
+- `pr-number` is the PR number;
+- `short-description` is a short (4 to 6 word), hyphen separated description of the change.
+
+For examples, see the [.changelog](.changelog) folder.
+
+Use `unclog` to add a changelog entry in `.changelog` (check the [requirements](https://github.com/informalsystems/unclog#requirements) first): 
+```bash
+unclog add \
+   -i "${pr-number}-${short-description}" \
+   -p "${pr-number}" \
+   -s "${section}" \
+   -m "${description}" \
+```
+where `${description}` is a detailed description of the changelog entry.
+
+For example, 
+```bash
+unclog add -i "136-deployment-with-more-nodes" -p 136 -s features -m "Scripts can now generate setup for more than 4 nodes" 
+```
+
+**Note:** `unclog add` requires an editor. This can be set either by configuring 
+an `$EDITOR` environment variable or by manually specifying an editor binary path 
+via the `--editor` flag. 
+
+**Note:** Changelog entries should answer the question: "what is important about this
+change for users to know?" or "what problem does this solve for users?". It
+should not simply be a reiteration of the title of the associated PR, unless the
+title of the PR _very_ clearly explains the benefit of a change to a user.
+
+## Code Review
+
+- All submissions require review before merging.
+- Be responsive to feedback and open to discussion.
+- Maintainers may request changes to ensure quality and consistency.
+
+## Code of Conduct
+
+By participating, you agree to follow the project's Code of Conduct. 
+
+The Emerald project adheres to the [Rust Code of Conduct][rust-coc]. This code of conduct describes the minimum behavior expected from all contributors.
+
+## License
+
+By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the same license as the project.
+
+[rust-coc]: https://rust-lang.org/policies/code-of-conduct/
+[tg]: https://t.me/+uHIbcHYVbA44NzNh

README.md

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ For more details, please refer to the [Performance Evaluation](https://emerald-d
 
 ## Contributing
 
-Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a PR. For large changes, we recommend discussing them in an issue first.
+Contributions are welcome! Please see [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for guidelines on how to get started. 
 
 ## Acknowledgements