diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 67e1b44307..af25dd5ff7 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -48,6 +48,22 @@ All samples must have tests. We use `mocha` as testing framework. The
 executes the `mocha` tests via `npm test`
 ([example](https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/nodejs-docs-samples/blob/main/batch/package.json#L13)).
 
+### Third party libraries
+
+Contributors are encouraged to use vanilla Node.js as much as pragmatically
+possible to standardize writing, reviewing, and maintaining samples and their
+tests, ideally reducing dependencies on third party libraries.
+
+For tests, we recommend using the standard
+library [assert](https://nodejs.org/docs/latest-v18.x/api/assert.html). The library provides a strict and a legacy mode; please use the
+strict mode as shown below:
+
+```js
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+```
+
+### CI testing
+
 For new samples, a GitHub Actions workflow should be created to run your tests
 on the CI system: