GitHub pull request templates provide a default text when creating a pull request, ensuring a standard process for every request and offering a to-do list for authors. To add a template, create a file called "pull_request_template.md" in the repository's root directory. The article presents seven examples of pull request templates, including simple ones with checklists, detailed descriptions, external contributions with related issues, checklists for open-source projects, and more comprehensive templates that combine checklists and detailed descriptions. Additionally, it mentions GitHub issue templates, which can be useful for managing open-source projects.