📚 Policy Research & Writing Guide

At Castro for Georgia, our policies are shaped openly and collaboratively—by neighbors, students, activists, and policy experts alike. This guide will walk you through how you can contribute effectively to our policy research and writing efforts using GitHub.

Your insights and research strengthen our policy platforms, ensuring they truly represent the needs and aspirations of working-class communities across GA‑05.

🌟 Types of Contributions You Can Make

Policy research: Find credible sources, data, and evidence to support policies.
Fact-checking: Verify policy documents for accuracy.
Policy writing & editing: Draft clear, engaging language accessible to all.
Translation & accessibility: Ensure policies reach diverse communities.

📂 Where Policy Lives in Our Repo

Policy documents and research are housed here:

campaign/
├─ campaign-hq/
│   └─ policy-lab/
│       ├─ housing/
│       ├─ healthcare/
│       ├─ economy/
│       ├─ immigration/
│       └─ ... (other policy topics)

Each folder has a detailed README.md explaining goals, current policy drafts, and research needs.

🚀 Getting Started (3-Step Workflow)

1. Pick a Policy Area & Task

Visit our Issues page and filter by labels like:

policy
research-needed
help wanted
Specific policy labels (e.g., housing, healthcare).

Claim an issue by commenting (e.g., “I can help research housing affordability data!”).

2. Conduct Your Research

Use reliable sources (academic studies, government data, reputable media).
Document your sources clearly (include links, citations, summaries).
Keep your research organized and easy for others to verify.

3. Submit Your Findings

Option A: Directly via GitHub (recommended):
- Navigate to the appropriate policy-lab folder.
- Click ✏️ Edit and add your findings directly, or create a new markdown file (e.g., housing-affordability-data.md).
- Submit a Pull Request (PR) clearly titled (e.g., “Housing Affordability Data Research”).
Option B: Via Issues/Comments:
- Paste your research directly into the Issue comments if short and concise.

📖 Writing & Editing Policies

Find the relevant policy document (e.g., housing-policy.md).
Propose your edits or additions via a Pull Request.
Clearly explain the rationale for your changes in the PR description.

Example PR Title: "Edit: Clarify eviction protections (Housing Policy)"

🔍 Fact-Checking Policies

Your role in fact-checking is crucial:

Verify stats, claims, and references in existing policies.
Open Issues to highlight inaccuracies or propose clearer wording.
Submit Pull Requests directly correcting errors with sources included.

🌍 Translating & Making Policies Accessible

Visit our dedicated translation folder (policy-lab/translations/).
Follow the same contribution process outlined in translations.md.

📋 Best Practices for Contributing

Be transparent: Clearly cite your sources and reasoning.
Be accessible: Use plain, understandable language wherever possible.
Stay respectful: Our discussions focus on ideas, not individuals.

💡 GitHub Features You’ll Find Helpful

Pull Requests: Submit research findings, edits, and proposals transparently.
Issues & Discussions: Ask questions, request additional research, or suggest new policy ideas.
GitHub Pages: Policies published openly for community feedback.
Projects Board: Quickly see policy tasks and research priorities.

🔖 Example Research Contribution Workflow

Claim Issue #78: “Research eviction data in GA‑05.”
Open a PR: housing/eviction-data-2025.md
- Clearly formatted data, citations, and brief analysis included.
PR reviewed, discussed, improved, then merged.
Updated eviction policy reflects your contribution!

🙋 FAQs for Policy Contributors

“Do I need policy expertise?” Nope! Solid research skills and clear writing go a long way. Experts are here to help.

“How do I know which sources to trust?” Prioritize official government data, peer-reviewed studies, and reputable news organizations. If in doubt, open a Discussion.

“Can I suggest a completely new policy area?” Absolutely. Open an Issue labeled policy-suggestion and describe your idea.

🚨 Need Help or Have Questions?

Visit our Help Desk Discussion.
Join weekly office hours via Zoom (link provided in Discussions).

🚦 Ready to Contribute?

Visit our Policy Research Issues.
Claim your first task and start making a real-world impact.

Thank you for contributing your research, analysis, and writing skills—your work helps build policies that genuinely represent and empower the working families of GA‑05!

Policy Research Guide