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+# IAI Git Commit Message Style Guide
+
+Initially adapted from a [blog post](https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/).
+
+## Commit message objectives 
+
+We want commit messages to be concise and consistent, to communicate the context of a change. 
+
+  * The `diff` contains *what* and *how* changes were made, the `commit` primarily explains *why* they were made.
+  * Consistent commit message style 
+      * simplifies both reading and writing commit messages, and
+      * supports communication and collaboration.
+
+## Context
+
+There are different ways and contexts whereby a commit message is added, but for simplicity we assume you made some changes, and did the following commands in the terminal:
+```
+git add .
+git commit
+```
+
+You will then have vi open and provide the following starting point:
+```
+
+# Please enter the commit message for your changes. Lines starting
+# with '#' will be ignored, and an empty message aborts the commit.
+#
+# On branch master
+# Your branch is up to date with 'origin/master'.
+#
+# Changes to be committed:
+#       new file:   foo
+#
+```
+
+And then your job is to write a good commit message! Document why you are making the commit and the associated changes.
+
+## Rules
+
+You should at least write a single line if your commit only needs a brief explanation. We'll call this the subject, whether or not you also write a longer text, called the body, below the subject. 
+
+### Subject
+
+The subject should be
+  * captialized, e.g. *Combine the Christmas lighbulbs*,
+  * maximum 50 characters,
+  * written with no terminating period, and
+  * the subject should be written in the *imperative mood*.
+
+It's helpful to think that the subject should complete the sentence
+
+  * If applied, this commit will *your subject line here*
+
+### Body
+
+If you need more than one 50 character line to explain your change, write a body under the subject in the commit message.
+
+The body should be
+  * separated from the subject by one blank line,
+  * (manually) wrapped at 72 characters, and
+  * an explanation of why and what was changed, not how it works. 
+
+### Issue tracking
+
+Put references to repository issues at the bottom of the body, as in the example.
+
+## Example
+
+This example is taken directly from the [blog post](https://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit/).
+
+```
+Summarize changes in around 50 characters or less
+
+More detailed explanatory text, if necessary. Wrap it to about 72
+characters or so. In some contexts, the first line is treated as the
+subject of the commit and the rest of the text as the body. The
+blank line separating the summary from the body is critical (unless
+you omit the body entirely); various tools like `log`, `shortlog`
+and `rebase` can get confused if you run the two together.
+
+Explain the problem that this commit is solving. Focus on why you
+are making this change as opposed to how (the code explains that).
+Are there side effects or other unintuitive consequences of this
+change? Here's the place to explain them.
+
+Further paragraphs come after blank lines.
+
+ - Bullet points are okay, too
+
+ - Typically a hyphen or asterisk is used for the bullet, preceded
+   by a single space, with blank lines in between, but conventions
+   vary here
+
+If you use an issue tracker, put references to them at the bottom,
+like this:
+
+Resolves: #123
+See also: #456, #789
+```
+
+
+## What's the use?
+
+You can look at the commit messages later, e.g. by the command `git log`.