Documentation Link

https://matplotlib.org/devdocs/devel/contribute.html

Problem

I have noticed comments on "good first issues" about pull requests (where people ask how they can help, and others respond with, this issue wouldn't be a good place to start because there's already a pull request), and have seen a trend of people starting multiple pull requests for the same issue instead of collaborating. I think it may be more efficient to include a section in the contribution section of the documentation about how to decide what issues to contribute to.

Suggested improvement

Include a section called "Determining How to Contribute" with some text along the lines of "When determining what issues to work on, take steps to ensure that there is a reason to work on a particular issue. Read through the existing comments, click on links between comments, check for existing pull requests, and communicate with people who are already trying to solve the issue. Having multiple competing pull requests for the same issue stretches reviewer resources."