pre-commit installation in README

Author: cadenmyers13

README.rst

@@ -150,6 +150,24 @@ rather than copied to a system directory, use ::
 
      python -m pip install -e .
 
+CONTRIBUTING
+------------------------------------------------------------------------
+We welcome contributors from the community.  Please consider posting issues, and taking issues and posting PRs.
+
+To ensure code quality and to prevent accidental commits into the default branch, please set up the use of our pre-commit
+hooks.
+
+1. modify the permissions to executable on the bash script called ``prevent_commit_to_main.sh`` in this directory: ``chmod +x prevent_commit_to_main.sh``
+
+2. install pre-commit in your working environment with ``conda install pre-commit``
+
+3. initialize pre-commit (one time only) ``pre-commit install``
+
+Thereafter your code will be linted by black and isort and checked against flake8 before you can commit.
+If it fails by black or isort, just rerun and it should pass (black and isort will modify the files so should
+pass after they are modified).  If the flake8 test fails please see the error messages and fix them manually before
+trying to commit again
+
 
 CONTACTS
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------