Contributing to the AI Researcher Ecosystem

April 5, 2025 · View on GitHub

First off, thank you for considering contributing! Your input helps keep this resource valuable and up-to-date for the AI research community. We welcome contributions of all kinds, from adding new papers and tools to fixing typos and improving documentation.

Please take a moment to review this document to understand how you can best contribute.

How Can I Contribute?

There are several ways you can contribute:

  • Adding New Papers: Help us keep the paper lists current and comprehensive.
  • Adding Tools, Benchmarks, Events, or Communities: Share relevant resources.
  • Improving Documentation: Fix typos, clarify instructions, or enhance the README structure.
  • Reporting Issues: Let us know about broken links, outdated information, or suggest improvements.

Contribution Workflow (Git & GitHub)

We use the standard GitHub Fork & Pull Request workflow.

  1. Fork the Repository: Click the "Fork" button at the top right of the main repository page . This creates your own copy.
  2. Clone Your Fork: Clone your forked repository to your local machine: 
    git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/ai-researcher-ecosystem.git
cd ai-researcher-ecosystem
  3. Create a New Branch: Create a descriptive branch for your changes: 
    git checkout -b feature/add-paper-xyz  # Or fix/typo-in-readme, etc.
  4. Make Your Changes: Add or modify the resources in the README.md or other files. Please pay close attention to the formatting guidelines below.
  5. Commit Your Changes: Add and commit your changes with a clear message: 
    git add README.md
git commit -m "Add: Paper 'Title of Paper' to Section X"
  6. Push to Your Fork: Push your changes to your forked repository on GitHub: 
    git push origin feature/add-paper-xyz
  7. Submit a Pull Request (PR): Go to your fork on GitHub. You should see a prompt to create a Pull Request from your new branch to the main branch of the original repository. Click it, provide a clear title and description for your PR, explaining the changes you made, and submit it.

Specific Guidelines for Adding New Papers

This is a core part of maintaining the ecosystem list. Please follow these steps carefully:

  1. Find the Right Section: Locate the most relevant section in README.md based on the paper's primary contribution (e.g., 📚 Knowledge Building -> Knowledge Utilization, 💡 Idea Generation -> Generation Method, ✅ Peer Review).

  2. Check for Duplicates: Ensure the paper isn't already listed.

  3. Maintain Order: If possible, add the paper chronologically (by year, then month if known) within its subsection.

  4. Use the Standard Format: Add the paper as a new bullet point using this Markdown template:

    *   [Paper Title](Paper_URL) ![](Venue_Badge_URL) [[Code](Code_Badge_URL)](Code_URL) [[Review](Review_URL)] [[Project](Project_Badge_URL)](Project_URL)

    Explanation of Components:

    • [Paper Title](Paper_URL): The full title of the paper linked to its official source (e.g., arXiv page, DOI link, conference proceedings page).
    • ![](Venue_Badge_URL): A Shields.io badge indicating the venue and year.
      • Create badges using Shields.io. Example format: https://img.shields.io/badge/VENUE-YEAR-COLOR?style=flat-square (or the style used in the README).
      • Color Scheme: Use consistent colors (e.g., blue for conferences/workshops, red for arXiv, green for journals/reports, brown for other). Add ?logo=arxiv for arXiv badges.
      • Example: ![](https://img.shields.io/badge/ACL-2024-blue?style=flat-square) or ![](https://img.shields.io/badge/arXiv-2401.12345-red?style=flat-square&logo=arxiv)
    • [![Code](Code_Badge_URL)](Code_URL): (Optional) Link to the official code repository (e.g., GitHub, Hugging Face). Use a consistent badge, e.g., [![Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Code-grey?logo=github&style=flat-square)](https://github.com/...).
    • [[Review](Review_URL)]: (Optional) Link to the OpenReview page or similar peer review discussion. Example: [[Review](https://openreview.net/forum?id=...)].
    • [![Project](Project_Badge_URL)](Project_URL): (Optional) Link to an official project website. Use a consistent badge, e.g., [![Project](https://img.shields.io/badge/Project-Web-green?style=flat-square)](https://project-website.com).

    Example Entry:

    *   The AI Scientist: Towards Fully Automated Open-Ended Scientific Discovery [[Paper]](https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2408.06292)![](https://img.shields.io/badge/arXiv-2024.08-red?style=flat-square&logo=arxiv) [![Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Code-grey?logo=github&style=flat-square)](https://github.com/SakanaAI/AI-Scientist)

  5. Verify Links: Ensure all URLs provided are correct and lead to the intended resource.

Adding Other Resources (Tools, Benchmarks, etc.)

  • Find the relevant section (🔥 Featured Projects, 🏆 Benchmarks, 🌐 Community).
  • Follow the existing format within that section (e.g., table format for tools, list format for platforms/benchmarks).
  • Provide a brief, accurate description and a direct link. Use badges where appropriate and consistent with the section.

Style Guide

  • Consistency is Key: Please match the formatting (Markdown syntax, spacing, badges, list styles) of the existing content in the README.md.
  • Badges: Use the badge style consistently (e.g., ?style=flat-square).
  • Clarity: Write clear and concise descriptions.

Questions?

If you have questions about contributing or are unsure where to add something, feel free to open a GitHub Issue and ask!

Thank you for helping build the AI Researcher Ecosystem!