diff --git a/news/rm-placeholders.rst b/news/rm-placeholders.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..694c6a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/rm-placeholders.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+**Added:**
+
+* No news needed: rm scikit-package placeholder files.
+
+**Changed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Deprecated:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Removed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Fixed:**
+
+* <news item>
+
+**Security:**
+
+* <news item>
diff --git a/src/diffpy/cmi/functions.py b/src/diffpy/cmi/functions.py
deleted file mode 100644
index e7e2c8e..0000000
--- a/src/diffpy/cmi/functions.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,31 +0,0 @@
-import numpy as np
-
-
-def dot_product(a, b):
-    """Compute the dot product of two vectors of any size.
-
-    Ensure that the inputs, a and b, are of the same size.
-    The supported types are "array_like" objects, which can
-    be converted to a NumPy array. Examples include lists and tuples.
-
-    Parameters
-    ----------
-    a : array_like
-        The first input vector.
-    b : array_like
-        The second input vector.
-
-    Returns
-    -------
-    float
-        The dot product of the two vectors.
-
-    Examples
-    --------
-    Compute the dot product of two lists:
-    >>> a = [1, 2, 3]
-    >>> b = [4, 5, 6]
-    >>> dot_product(a, b)
-    32.0
-    """
-    return float(np.dot(a, b))
diff --git a/tests/test_functions.py b/tests/test_functions.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 3cbc345..0000000
--- a/tests/test_functions.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-import numpy as np
-import pytest
-
-from diffpy.cmi import functions  # noqa
-
-
-def test_dot_product_2D_list():
-    a = [1, 2]
-    b = [3, 4]
-    expected = 11.0
-    actual = functions.dot_product(a, b)
-    assert actual == expected
-
-
-def test_dot_product_3D_list():
-    a = [1, 2, 3]
-    b = [4, 5, 6]
-    expected = 32.0
-    actual = functions.dot_product(a, b)
-    assert actual == expected
-
-
-@pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    "a, b, expected",
-    [
-        # Test whether the dot product function works with 2D and 3D vectors
-        # C1: lists, expect correct float output
-        ([1, 2], [3, 4], 11.0),
-        ([1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], 32.0),
-        # C2: tuples, expect correct float output
-        ((1, 2), (3, 4), 11.0),
-        ((1, 2, 3), (4, 5, 6), 32.0),
-        # C3: numpy arrays, expect correct float output
-        (np.array([1, 2]), np.array([3, 4]), 11.0),
-        (np.array([1, 2, 3]), np.array([4, 5, 6]), 32.0),
-    ],
-)
-def test_dot_product(a, b, expected):
-    actual = functions.dot_product(a, b)
-    assert actual == expected