Included contributing section into README:

.github/pull_request_template.md

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+* [ ] Have you followed our guidelines in Section "Contributing" from README.md? 
+* [ ] Have you checked already existing notebooks to get an idea about our tutorial style?
+* [ ] Have you extensively used markdown elements to structure and explain your notebook?
+* [ ] Have you self-reviewed your code / notebook and corrected any misspellings? 
+* [ ] Have you uploaded your example data to [zenodo]( https://zenodo.org/ ) (see README) if needed?
+* [ ] Have you checked if your notebook is running in the recommended standard conda enviroment [see here]((docs/RunningTutorials.md) and updates the [list of required python packages](./requirements.txt) if needed?
+* [ ] Have you carefully checked that sphinx-based rendering is still working correctly?
+* [ ] Have you written descriptive commit messages? 
+* [ ] Have you kept your pull request small and limited so that it is easy to review? 
+* [ ] Have the newest changes been merged into this branch? 

README.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # tobac-tutorials
 
-Tobac tutorials show different application cases for the cloud and precipitation tracking software tobac using jupyter notebooks. Th rendered versions of our tutorials are provided at [https://fsenf-tobac-tutorials.readthedocs.io](https://fsenf-tobac-tutorials.readthedocs.io). Please have a look there, first!
+Tobac tutorials show different application cases for the cloud and precipitation tracking software tobac using jupyter notebooks. The rendered versions of our tutorials are provided at [https://fsenf-tobac-tutorials.readthedocs.io](https://fsenf-tobac-tutorials.readthedocs.io). Please have a look there, first!
 
 
 ## Getting Started
@@ -13,3 +13,37 @@ A step-by-step description to run the tutorials with jupyter is located [here](d
 ## Limitations
 
 If you are using tobac 1.x, the notebooks here won#t work because of changes in the code structure. The equivalent notebooks can be found in the [examples](https://github.com/climate-processes/tobac/tree/master/examples) folder in the [tobac master branch](https://github.com/climate-processes/tobac/tree/master/examples).
+
+
+## Contributing
+You contribution is welcome! 
+
+Each additional tutorial notbeook helps new `tobac` users to understand the capability of the tracking software and supports creative use of feature identification and tracking in the atmospheric science context.
+
+
+### Pull Request Requirements
+
+Please provide a separate pull request:
+
+* **with your example notebook included**
+  * please extensively use markdown elements to structure and explain your notebook
+  * check already existing notebooks to get an idea about our tutorial style
+  * please upload your example data to [zenodo]( https://zenodo.org/ ) (see next paragraph)
+  * please check if your notebook is running in the recommended standard conda enviroment [see here]((docs/RunningTutorials.md) and update the [list of required python packages](./requirements.txt) if needed
+
+* **with your suggestions to change the documentation elements**, e.g. `index.rst`
+  * please care that sphinx-based rendering is still working correctly, [see here](docs/Testing-Sphinx-based-Rendering.md) for an intro to sphinx-based rendering of our tutorial content
+
+
+
+### Example Data
+
+Our tutorials live from realistic examples and example data.
+
+We recommend: 
+* to upload your example data (preferably as netcdf file) to [zenodo]( https://zenodo.org/ )
+* to label the data such that "tobac" is included in the zenodo title
+
+Already existing `tobac` data can be found here:
+* [**tobac on zenodo**]( https://zenodo.org/search?page=1&size=20&q=tobac )
+

docs/Testing-Sphinx-based-Rendering.md

@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+
+# How to Check if Sphinx-based Rendering of `tobac-tutorials` is Working?
+
+## Setup 
+
+The workflow has been tested in a linux system. We aim to build a static website out of the documentation material (incl. jupyter notebooks) present in `tobac-tutorials`.
+
+
+### 1. Preparing the Local Environment
+
+* **choose a separate place for your testing**
+
+  I will use the temporary directory `/tmp/website-testing` which I need to create. You can use a dedicated place of your choice ...
+
+  ```bash
+  > mkdir /tmp/website-testing
+  > cd /tmp/website-testing
+  ```
+  I will indicate my position now with the `/tmp/website-testing>` prompt.
+
+* **get the official repository**
+
+  ```bash
+  /tmp/website-testing> git clone https://github.com/climate-processes/tobac-tutorials
+  ```
+
+* **Python environment**
+    * create a python virtual env
+        ```bash
+        /tmp/website-testing> python -m venv .python3-venv
+        ```
+
+    * and install requirements
+        ```bash
+        # deactivation conda is only necessary if your loaded conda before ...
+        /tmp/website-testing> conda deactivate
+
+        # activate the new env and upgrade `pip`
+        /tmp/website-testing> source .python3-venv/bin/activate
+        /tmp/website-testing> pip install --upgrade pip
+
+        # now everything is installed into the local python env!
+        /tmp/website-testing> pip install -r tobac-tutorials/requirements.txt
+
+        ```
+        `pip`-based installation takes a bit of time, but is much faster than `conda`. If the installation runs without problems, you are ready to build the website.
+
+
+### 2. Building the Website
+
+Actually, only few steps are needed to build the website, i.e.
+
+
+* **running sphinx for rendering**
+
+    ```bash
+    /tmp/website-testing> cd tobac-tutorials
+
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> make html
+    ```
+
+    If no severe error appeared
+
+
+* **view the HTML content**
+
+    ```bash
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> firefox _build/html/index.html
+    ```
+
+
+### 3. Parsing Your Local Changes
+
+Now, we connect to your locally hosted `tobac-tutorials` repository and your development branch.
+
+* **connect to your local repo**: 
+    Assume your repo is located at `/tmp/tobac-tutorial-testing/tobac-tutorials`, then add a new remote alias and fetch all content with
+
+    ```bash
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> git remote add local-repo /tmp/tobac-tutorial-testing/tobac-tutorials
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> git fetch --all
+    ```    
+* **check your development branch out**:
+    Now, assume the your development branch is called `my-devel`, then do
+
+    ```bash
+    # to get a first overview on available branches
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> git branch --all
+
+    # and then actually get your development branch
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> git checkout -b my-devel local-repo/my-devel
+    ```
+
+    You should see your developments, now ...
+
+* **build and view website again**
+
+    ```bash    
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> make clean
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> make html
+    /tmp/website-testing/tobac-tutorials> firefox _build/html/index.html
+    ```
+