diff --git a/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..cb7152cc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+## Description
+
+*(Instructions: replace text in this and all sections with your own text)*
+
+Provide a detailed description of what this PR does.
+
+What problem does it fix? What new capability does it add?
+
+### Issue(s) addressed
+
+- fixes #<issue_number>
+
+## Acceptance Criteria (Definition of Done)
+
+What does it mean for this PR to be finished?
+
+## Dependencies
+
+If there are PRs that need to be merged before or along with this one, please list them below
+Waiting on the following PRs:
+- [ ] waiting on org/repo/pull/<pr_number>
+- [ ] waiting on org/repo/pull/<pr_number>
+
+## Impact
+
+Please list the other repositories (if any) that this PR will require changes in (example below)
+
+- [ ] repo
+- [ ] ...
diff --git a/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml b/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f09c7a68
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/codestyle.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+name: Coding Norms
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
+
+jobs:
+  pycodestyle:
+    name: Check Python Coding Norms
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+    - uses: actions/checkout@v2
+    - uses: actions/setup-python@v2
+      with:
+        python-version: '3.9'
+        cache: 'pip'
+    - run: pip install -r requirements.txt
+    - run: python3 pycodestyle_run.py
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8b9a996d..162d858a 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
-
 # Evaluation and Verification of the Analysis (EVA)
 
+### Continuous integration:
+
+| Test      | Status  |
+| --------- | --------|
+| Python coding norms | ![Status](https://github.com/danholdaway/eva/actions/workflows/codestyle.yml/badge.svg) |
 
 ### Installation
 
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..746950df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+pyyaml>=5.4
+pycodestyle>=2.8.0
+netCDF4>=1.5.7
+matplotlib>=3.4.3
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 48c94b52..9bf2560b 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
         'Operating System :: OS Independent'],
     python_requires='>=3.6',
     install_requires=[
-        'pyyaml>=5.3.1',
+        'pyyaml>=5.4',
         'pycodestyle>=2.8.0',
         'netCDF4>=1.5.7',
         'matplotlib>=3.4.3',
diff --git a/src/eva/base.py b/src/eva/base.py
index f16f2a9a..079087e8 100644
--- a/src/eva/base.py
+++ b/src/eva/base.py
@@ -143,7 +143,6 @@ def main():
                         'by the configuration file [madatory]. E.g. eva ObsCorrelationScatter ' +
                         'conf.yaml')
 
-
     args = parser.parse_args()
     args_list = args.args