1. Link relevant [issues](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/issues) and/or [feedback items](http://feedback.gitlab.com/) from the merge request description and leave a comment on them with a link back to the MR
1. Be prepared to answer questions and incorporate feedback even if requests for this arrive weeks or months after your MR submittion
-Please keep the change in a single MR as small as possible. If you want to contribute a large feature think very hard what the minimum viable change is. Can you split functionality? Can you only submit the backend/API code? Can you start with a very simple UI? The smaller a MR is the more likely it is it will be merged, after that you can send more MR's to enhance it.
-
-We will accept merge requests if:
-
-* The code has proper tests and all tests pass (or it is a test exposing a failure in existing code)
-* It can be merged without problems (if not please use: `git rebase master`)
-* It does not break any existing functionality
-* It's quality code that conforms to the [Ruby](https://github.com/bbatsov/ruby-style-guide) and [Rails](https://github.com/bbatsov/rails-style-guide) style guides and best practices
-* It is not a catch all merge request but rather fixes a specific issue or implements a specific feature
-* It keeps the GitLab code base clean and well structured
-* We think other users will benefit from the same functionality
-* It is a single commit (please use `git rebase -i` to squash commits)
+Please keep the change in a single MR **as small as possible**. If you want to contribute a large feature think very hard what the minimum viable change is. Can you split functionality? Can you only submit the backend/API code? Can you start with a very simple UI? The smaller a MR is the more likely it is it will be merged, after that you can send more MR's to enhance it.
+
+The **official merge window** is in the beginning of the month from the 1st to the 7th day of the month.
+The best time to submit a MR and get feedback fast.
+Before this time the GitLab.com team is still dealing with work that is created by the monthly release such as assisting subscribers with upgrade issues, the release of Enterprise Edition and the upgrade of GitLab Cloud.
+After the 7th it is already getting closer to the release date of the next version.
+This means there is less time to fix the issues created by merging large new features.
+
+We will accept a merge requests if it:
+
+* Includes proper tests and all tests pass (unless it contains a test exposing a bug in existing code)
+* Can be merged without problems (if not please use: `git rebase master`)
+* Do not break any existing functionality
+* Conforms to the [Ruby](https://github.com/bbatsov/ruby-style-guide) and [Rails](https://github.com/bbatsov/rails-style-guide) style guides and best practices
+* Fixes one specific issue or implements one specific feature (do not combine things, send separate merge requests if needed)
+* Keeps the GitLab code base clean and well structured
+* Contains functionality we think other users will benefit from too
+* Doesn't add avoidable configuration options since these complicate future changes
+* Contains a single commit (please use `git rebase -i` to squash commits)
For examples of feedback on merge requests please look at already [closed merge requests](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab-ce/merge_requests?assignee_id=&label_name=&milestone_id=&scope=&sort=&state=closed).