Google Summer of Code: Find a open source project and proposal preparation

In this post, we’ve shared the presentation guideline for GSoC, which will touch on the following topics:

  • Find an org. Introduce yourself to the community and which project you’re interested in working on.
  • Get familiar with their guidelines, documentation and tech stack
  • Visit the repository, look at existing issues and fix at least 2 issues.
  • Update changelog and write an unittest or integration test if applicable
  • Create a pull request and state the changes you’ve made.
  • Visit the community forum and ask someone to review it.

Proposal Structure

What should you put in your proposal?

  • Name & Contact Info
  • Github or bitbucket profile
  • University Details
  • About you (e.g. Background and if possible past experiences in the field).
  • Abstract about the project
  • Project Proposal and Goals
  • Project Timelines and Deliverables
  • Contribution History - put any project you’ve contributed to.

Proposal Tips

  • Include projects that showcase your contributions related to tech stack of the proposed project.
  • In the about you section, mention why you’re interested in the project
  • Start to contribute to their codebase by fixing minor bugs and start bonding with the community.
  • Mention mentors or community members you’ve spoken to about the project.
  • Propose possible mentors for you who’ve already contributed and familiar with the project.
  • Use Google Docs, share it with the org and allow prospective mentors to comment on your proposal.

Google Slides

Slide URL: GSoC 2021 - Student Application Period Preparation - Google Slides

Video Presentation

Useful Proposal Guides

Proposal Examples

You can find a list of GSoC proposal here