diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
index 11d53532..d0e6d64e 100644
--- a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Closes #
 - [ ] when relying on **external standards**, they are referenced through a **"see"** element
 - [ ] all properties with an [simple type](https://openmanufacturingplatform.github.io/sds-documentation/bamm-specification/v1.0.0/datatypes.html) have an example value
 - [ ] metadata.json exists with status "release"
+- [ ] file RELEASE_NOTES.md exists and contains entries for proposed model changes 
 
 ## MS3 Criteria
 (to be filled out by semantic modeling team before merge to main-branch)