diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 3d5dc3221bb..08b2fa609e5 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ If a particular commit references another issue, please add the reference. For
 example: `refs #1234` or `fixes #4321`. Using the `fixes` or `closes` keywords
 will cause the corresponding issue to be closed when the pull request is merged.
 
+Commit messages should never contain any `@` mentions.
+
 Please refer to the [Git manual](https://git-scm.com/doc) for more information
 about Git.
 
@@ -135,6 +137,10 @@ before it will be merged. The basic squashing workflow is shown below.
     # Save and quit.
     git push -f # (force push to GitHub)
 
+Please update the resulting commit message if needed, it should read as a
+coherent message. In most cases this means that you should not just list the
+interim commits.
+
 If you have problems with squashing (or other workflows with `git`), you can
 alternatively enable "Allow edits from maintainers" in the right GitHub
 sidebar and ask for help in the pull request.