diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index bf946d2e..4b19cd8d 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -186,6 +186,62 @@ guidelines:
 - If you're not sure what to name it, pick any name and we can help you
   with it.
 
+### Borrowing Request Types
+
+In order to reduce the number of `.clone()`s necessary to send requests
+to a server, we support borrowed types for request types. (We hope to support
+borrowing in response types sometime, but that is dependent on GATs.)
+
+#### Types to borrow
+
+| Field type  | Borrowed type        | Notes                                  |
+| ----------  | -------------        | -----                                  |
+| strings     | `&'a str`            |                                        |
+| identifiers | `&'a IdentifierType` |                                        |
+| `Vec<_>`    | `&'a [_]`            | The inner type should not be borrowed. |
+
+#### Types not to borrow
+
+Inner types of `Vec`s _should not_ be borrowed, nor should `BTreeMap`s and such.
+
+Structs also should not be borrowed, with the exception that if a struct:
+
+- has fields that should be borrowed according to the table
+above (strings, identifiers, `Vec`s), and
+- is only used inside request blocks (i.e. not in response blocks or in
+events),
+
+then the struct should be lifetime-parameterized and apply the same rules to
+their fields. So instead of
+
+```rust
+ruma_api! {
+    request: {
+        my_field: MyStruct,
+    }
+    // ...
+}
+
+pub struct MyStruct {
+    inner_string_field: String,
+}
+```
+
+use
+
+```rust
+ruma_api! {
+    request: {
+        my_field: MyStruct<'a>
+    }
+    // ...
+}
+
+pub struct MyStruct<'a> {
+    inner_string_field: &'a str,
+}
+```
+
 ### Tracking Changes
 
 If your changes affect the API of a user-facing crate (all except the `-macros` crates and