diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 4daaa986a2dc2..add4338771e45 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -129,6 +129,14 @@ the master branch to your feature branch.
 Also, please make sure that fixup commits are squashed into other related
 commits with meaningful commit messages.
 
+GitHub allows [closing issues using keywords][closing-keywords]. This feature
+should be used to keep the issue tracker tidy. However, it is generally preferred
+to put the "closes #123" text in the PR description rather than the issue commit;
+particularly during rebasing, citing the issue number in the commit can "spam"
+the issue in question.
+
+[closing-keywords]: https://help.github.com/en/articles/closing-issues-using-keywords
+
 Please make sure your pull request is in compliance with Rust's style
 guidelines by running