diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.rst b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
index d2c9aa112e..2fbcd4929d 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.rst
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.rst
@@ -17,4 +17,9 @@ Workflow, Code Style et cetera
 
 Before you start coding, please read through the `Contributor Guide <http://seqan.readthedocs.io/en/master/Infrastructure/Contribute/index.html>`__ in our manual.
 
+Before submitting, mentally check of these boxes:
+* [ ] the pull request is against the develop branch
+* [ ] it follows the SeqAn code style guide
+* [ ] the git history is concise and the commits follow the commit naming scheme
+
 It will make life easier for both you, the contributor, and our maintainers who review the code. Contributions that clearly indicate that you have not read the Contributor Guide will be closed without extensive review.