Add CONTRIBUTING.md

[joshwlambert]

This PR addresses #109 by adding a CONTRIBUTING.md file to the package. The default CONTRIBUTING.md file was added using usethis::use_tidy_contributing() and edited with sections adapted from the CONTRIBTING.md of {EpiNow2} and Epiverse-TRACE.

The styling guide for NEWS.md bullets is included, resolving #109.

The CONTRIBUTING.md and the epiforecasts CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md are added to the README.

This PR also addresses #203 by linking to the development team in the DESCRIPTION file in the CONTRIBUTING.md.

Summary by CodeRabbit

Release Notes

• Documentation

  • Added comprehensive contributing guidelines for contributors.

• Chores

  • Updated repository configuration files.

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[coderabbitai]

Walkthrough

Two new files are added to the .github directory: an HTML file ignore rule in .gitignore, and comprehensive contributing guidelines documentation outlining contribution workflows, code style, testing practices, and contact information.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary of Changes
.github Infrastructure Updates \.github/.gitignore, \.github/CONTRIBUTING.md	Adds HTML file ignore rule and new contributing guidelines covering contribution workflows, pull request process, code style, testing practices, and general contribution etiquette

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The pull request title 'Add CONTRIBUTING.md' is directly related to the main change in the changeset, which adds a new CONTRIBUTING.md documentation file to the .github directory.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.

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✨ Finishing touches

• 📝 Generate docstrings

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 4

🤖 Fix all issues with AI agents

In @.github/CONTRIBUTING.md:
- Line 68: Update the email link text in the CONTRIBUTING content so it uses a
proper mailto: URI (change the href that currently reads
"joshua.lambert@lshtm.ac.uk" to "mailto:joshua.lambert@lshtm.ac.uk") so the
address is opened in email clients instead of being treated as a relative path;
locate the sentence containing "You can reach out through
[email](joshua.lambert@lshtm.ac.uk)" and replace the href accordingly.
- Line 3: Edit the opening lines so the first sentence is explicit and the
second uses correct grammar: change "This outlines how to propose a change to
ringbp." to "This document outlines how to propose a change to ringbp." and
replace "All contributions are welcomed." with "All contributions are welcome."
— update the two phrases in the CONTRIBUTING.md opening paragraph accordingly.
- Around line 49-51: The sentence in CONTRIBUTING.md repeats "asked to"
awkwardly; update the second occurrence so it reads naturally (e.g., change
"Please do not do this unless you're asked to." to "Please do not do this unless
you're asked." or "Please do not do this unless you're asked to do so.") so the
sentence is grammatically smooth.
- Around line 38-47: Update the text to correct casing and a typo: change any
instance of "Github" to "GitHub" and fix the tooling name "devtoools" to
"devtools" (the lines mentioning "GitHub Actions" and the bullet referencing
"devtoools::check()" should be updated accordingly); ensure the phrasing around
enabling CI and the command "devtools::check()" reflects the corrected name.

[pearsonca]

Looks fine to me. Made some minor suggestions.

[joshwlambert]

I've opened issue #203 which relates to this PR. We can address it in this PR or wait until a subsequent PR if we aren't sure how best to resolve.