Update the pull request template. [ci skip]
diff --git a/pull_request_template.md b/pull_request_template.md
index 0b6965b..b719fc3 100644
--- a/pull_request_template.md
+++ b/pull_request_template.md
@@ -1,19 +1,37 @@
-Some helpful tips for a successful Apache Thrift PR:
+### Pull Request Guidance ###
-* Did you test your changes locally or using CI in your fork?
-* Is the Apache Jira THRIFT ticket identifier in the PR title?
-* Is the Apache Jira THRIFT ticket identifier in the commit message?
-* Did you squash your changes to a single commit?
-* Are these changes backwards compatible? (please say so in PR description)
-* Do you need to update the language-specific README?
+Review the following items to ensure a smooth pull request experience.
-Example ideal pull request title:
+- [ ] Did you make a breaking change? If so:
+
+ - [ ] Add (or reference) an [Apache Jira](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/THRIFT/issues/) THRIFT ticket.
+ - [ ] Add a `Breaking-Change` label to the Jira ticket.
+ - [ ] Add a note to the `lib/<language>/README.md` file.
+ - [ ] Add a line to the `CHANGES.md` file.
+
+- [ ] Is this change significant enough to be in release notes?
+
+ All release-note worthy changes require an [Apache Jira](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/THRIFT/issues/) THRIFT ticket.
+ For example:
+ - Breaking Changes
+ - New, Deprecated, or Removed Languages
+ - Security Fix
+ - Significant Refactoring
+
+- [ ] If there is an [Apache Jira](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/THRIFT/issues/) ticket:
+
+ - [ ] Is the [Apache Jira](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/THRIFT/issues/) THRIFT ticket identifier in the PR title?
THRIFT-9999: an example pull request title
-Example ideal commit message:
+ - [ ] Is the [Apache Jira](https://issues.apache.org/jira/projects/THRIFT/issues/) THRIFT ticket identifier and affected languages in the commit message?
THRIFT-9999: [summary of fix, one line if possible]
Client: [language(s) affected, comma separated, use lib/ directory names please]
+- [ ] Did you squash your changes to a single commit?
+
+ Committers can squash when they merge, but sometimes we forget, and it makes the history
+ pretty dirty. Please squash your pull requests to a single commit if you can.
+
For more information about committing, see CONTRIBUTING.md