20 categories

Start Here

Orientation for new members: how this community works, how to ask a question that gets a good answer, and where to find the maintained documentation before you post.

60 topics2,911 posts30 solved Moderators: hana.sato, KLindqvist About this category

Welcome 30 How to Ask 30

60 topics · page 2 of 2

Topic	Participants	Replies	Views	Activity
Five questions in one post gets you one answer — how to split them Start Here › How to Ask guidelines site feedback worked example Closed On the subject in the title: Five questions in one post gets you one answer — how to split them Working notes rather than a conclusion. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the…	+84	90	1k	2mo
How to ask about something you suspect is a bad idea Start Here › How to Ask onboarding site feedback guidelines beginner friendly Solved The question in the title: How to ask about something you suspect is a bad idea I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to…	+81	87	16k	2mo
What "marked as solution" means and who gets to mark it — does this still hold? Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly guidelines Solved What "marked as solution" means and who gets to mark it — does this still hold? I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. I want to check my reasoning rather…	+69	74	2.4k	3mo
How to tell whether your question is already answered on a maintained page Start Here › Welcome guidelines onboarding trust levels Solved How to tell whether your question is already answered on a maintained page — that is the question, and I have not found it answered plainly anywhere I have looked. Question in the title. Context below, and I…	+5	9	30k	3mo
Second pass at: How to ask a question when you cannot say why you are asking it Start Here › How to Ask onboarding worked example guidelines Solved Second pass at: How to ask a question when you cannot say why you are asking it — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to…	+73	81	16k	4mo
Rewriting my first post: a before-and-after, with commentary Start Here › How to Ask worked example beginner friendly onboarding Closed Rewriting my first post: a before-and-after, with commentary Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion. My…		3	2.7k	4mo
Revisiting: Reading order for a first week here, and what to skip until later Start Here › Welcome guidelines trust levels onboarding Posting this under the heading it deserves: Revisiting: Reading order for a first week here, and what to skip until later Everything below is what sits behind that. I want to check my reasoning rather than…		2	60k	4mo
What to include when your question involves a chromatogram Start Here › How to Ask guidelines beginner friendly worked example Solved What to include when your question involves a chromatogram I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to…	+49	54	58k	6mo
What to include when your question involves arithmetic Start Here › How to Ask beginner friendly onboarding site feedback guidelines Solved Closed What to include when your question involves arithmetic — that is the question, and I have not found it answered plainly anywhere I have looked. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to…		2	3.1k	7mo
Second pass at: Asking a follow-up: new topic or new reply? Start Here › How to Ask guidelines site feedback worked example beginner friendly Solved Wiki The question in the title: Second pass at: Asking a follow-up: new topic or new reply? I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a…		4	81	8mo
The anatomy of a question that gets answered within an hour — the long version Start Here › How to Ask onboarding beginner friendly guidelines The anatomy of a question that gets answered within an hour — the long version Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Question in the title. Context below, and I…	+129	142	49k	8mo
Lurking for two months before posting: was that the right call? Start Here › Welcome guidelines trust levels beginner friendly Asking directly, because I could not find a straight answer: Lurking for two months before posting: was that the right call? Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the things people…	+67	71	11k	8mo
Titles that describe the question, not the situation Start Here › How to Ask onboarding site feedback guidelines worked example Closed Titles that describe the question, not the situation — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the things people…	+139	153	22k	8mo
Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post — the long version Start Here › How to Ask guidelines site feedback worked example onboarding Solved Asking directly, because I could not find a straight answer: Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post — the long version Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the…	+79	83	1.6k	9mo
What happens after your first post: likes, trust levels, and why none of it matters much — what changed since Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly trust levels guidelines Solved The question in the title: What happens after your first post: likes, trust levels, and why none of it matters much — what changed since I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I…	+105	118	57k	9mo
Titles that describe the question, not the situation — what changed since Start Here › How to Ask beginner friendly site feedback worked example guidelines Posting this under the heading it deserves: Titles that describe the question, not the situation — what changed since Everything below is what sits behind that. Question in the title. Context below, and I…	+29	33	29k	10mo
What this community means by "a source", in practical terms Start Here › Welcome beginner friendly trust levels guidelines Solved Asking directly, because I could not find a straight answer: What this community means by "a source", in practical terms Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the things people…	+107	122	1.9k	10mo
Are there stupid questions here? A staff answer, at length Start Here › Welcome beginner friendly guidelines onboarding trust levels Solved Are there stupid questions here? A staff answer, at length I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to…	+122	153	50k	11mo
Coming back to: Lurking for two months before posting: was that the right call? Start Here › Welcome beginner friendly trust levels onboarding Solved The question in the title: Lurking for two months before posting: was that the right call? I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a…	+28	32	3.3k	11mo
Revisiting: What to include when your question involves arithmetic Start Here › How to Ask worked example site feedback onboarding beginner friendly Revisiting: What to include when your question involves arithmetic — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the…	+21	25	384	12mo
A newcomer's list of things that confused me, and the fixes Start Here › Welcome beginner friendly trust levels onboarding A newcomer's list of things that confused me, and the fixes — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the things…	+9	13	34k	12mo
The five documentation pages worth reading before you post anything Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly trust levels Solved The five documentation pages worth reading before you post anything — setting out what I have, and where I think it stops being reliable. Question in the title. Context below, and I have tried to include the…	+1	5	10k	14mo
Reading order for a first week here, and what to skip until later Start Here › Welcome onboarding guidelines beginner friendly trust levels Reading order for a first week here, and what to skip until later Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion.…	+112	117	3.1k	15mo
What happens after your first post: likes, trust levels, and why none of it matters much Start Here › Welcome guidelines beginner friendly trust levels onboarding Solved Asking directly, because I could not find a straight answer: What happens after your first post: likes, trust levels, and why none of it matters much I want to check my reasoning rather than get a conclusion.…	+15	19	17k	16mo
Introducing myself and asking whether my planned first topic belongs anywhere Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly guidelines Closed Introducing myself and asking whether my planned first topic belongs anywhere Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a…	+13	18	4.2k	16mo
Coming back to: How to tell whether your question is already answered on a maintained page Start Here › Welcome onboarding guidelines beginner friendly trust levels How to tell whether your question is already answered on a maintained page I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. Question in the title. Context below, and I…		2	808	17mo
Why the Start Here categories exist, and what they are not for — one year on Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly guidelines Solved Why the Start Here categories exist, and what they are not for — one year on I have a specific reason for asking rather than idle curiosity, and the context is below. I want to check my reasoning rather than…	+11	15	566	18mo
Follow-up: What this community means by "a source", in practical terms Start Here › Welcome onboarding beginner friendly trust levels guidelines The question in the title: What this community means by "a source", in practical terms I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a…	+16	20	7k	18mo
Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post Start Here › How to Ask worked example guidelines site feedback beginner friendly The question in the title: Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post I will give what I have already checked below so nobody repeats it. I want to check my reasoning rather than get a…	+115	126	55k	20mo
Revisiting: Five questions in one post gets you one answer — how to split them Start Here › How to Ask worked example guidelines beginner friendly site feedback Solved Revisiting: Five questions in one post gets you one answer — how to split them Writing it up because I had to work it out twice and would rather nobody else did. Question in the title. Context below, and I…	+2	6	13k	20mo