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How to ask about something you suspect is a bad idea

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Solved by t.duarte in post #6
Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

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SV
s.vanheckeTL2 Moderator3 Aug 2025#1

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 include the things people here always have to ask for.

What I have already read: the relevant maintained document, the two topics it links to, and the tag page. What I could not find is the specific case I am in, which may simply mean it is uncommon.

I am happy to be told this is answered elsewhere if someone can point at where.

21 likes 12mo
RZ
r.zielinskiTL2 Moderator12 Aug 2025#2

Disagreement-style questions: "I read this and it contradicts what I heard here, which is right?" is answerable. "Is this a bad idea?" without giving the context is not.

3 likes 12mo
RA
r.aldana_pharmdTL4Pharmacist18 Aug 2025 · edited#3

On the opening post — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

Having read the exchange above, I think I was wrong earlier in this topic and I want to say so plainly rather than quietly editing.

The correction was fair and I had been repeating something I had not checked carefully enough.

0 likes 11mo
EV
e.vargaTL2 Moderator23 Aug 2025#4
r.aldana_pharmd, post #3: On the opening post — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification. Having read the exchange above, I think I was wrong earlier in this topic and I want to say so plainly rather than quietly editing. The correction was fair and I had been repeating something I had not checked carefully enough. Go to post

post #3 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

Disagreeing with an answer you got: cite what you disagree with, say what contradicts it, and ask which one holds. Do not open with "I think you are wrong". Lead with the evidence.

32 likes in reply to #3 11mo
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e.ferreiraTL3Regular29 Aug 2025#5
e.varga, post #4: post #3 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different. Disagreeing with an answer you got: cite what you disagree with, say what contradicts it, and ask which one holds. Do not open with "I think you are wrong". Lead with the evidence. Go to post

Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead.

7 likes in reply to #4 11mo
TD
t.duarteTL2 Moderator Solution2 Sep 2025#6

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

8 likes 11mo
DB
dr_bhattacharyaTL3Physician7 Sep 2025#7

Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible.

0 likes 11mo
DV
d.vukovicTL2 Moderator12 Sep 2025#8

post #7 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

The specific question in the title is more useful than you might think. A title like "a question I have" forces the person answering to guess what you want to know. A title with the actual question gets you an answer in two hours instead of two days.

24 likes 10mo
DT
d.tammTL2 Moderator16 Sep 2025#9

Coming back to post #7, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Questions you cannot explain: "I cannot say why I am asking this, but is this compound stable at room temperature?" is more productive than no question at all. People here know that some questions cannot be asked in public and they will work with that constraint.

23 likes 10mo
AZ
a.zamoraTL2 Moderator20 Sep 2025 · edited#10
s.vanhecke, post #1: 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 include the things people here always have to ask for. What I have already read: the relevant maintained document, the two topics it… Go to post

Picking up post #7: that is the part I would want checked first.

What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver.

10 likes in reply to #1 10mo
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v.sjobergTL2 Moderator24 Sep 2025#11
dr_bhattacharya, post #7: Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible. Go to post

Context that matters: compound, how long in, current dose, relevant history. Context that does not matter: how you feel, your hopes for the outcome, your medical history beyond what affects this specific question. The first set gets you answered. The second set makes the reply longer without making it better.

1 like in reply to #7 10mo
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t.vasquezTL4 Moderator28 Sep 2025#12
a.zamora, post #10: Picking up post #7: that is the part I would want checked first. What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver. Go to post
Staff post. Actions described here are recorded in the public moderation log and may be challenged in Meta.

Five questions in one post gets you one answer: the easiest one, usually not the one you needed most. Post them separately or pick the one that depends on the others least and ask that one first.

5 likes in reply to #10 10mo
SD
s.dziedzicTL2 Moderator2 Oct 2025#13

post #12 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

Arithmetic questions: write out the steps. "I have a 10 mg vial, I added 2 mL, I want a 0.25 mg dose, and I get this number for the syringe mark" is answerable. "How many units" is not.

15 likes 10mo
SC
so.cardosoTL2 Moderator6 Oct 2025#14

On post #10 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

Chromatogram questions: describe the method first. Column type, gradient, wavelength, detection method. Everything else follows from method. A chromatogram without method is a number without context.

30 likes 10mo
NP
n.petrovTL2 Moderator10 Oct 2025#15

Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up.

0 likes 10mo
BN
b.nilsenTL2 Moderator14 Oct 2025#16
n.petrov, post #15: Thank you for the correction. I have edited my earlier post with a note rather than silently, so the thread still makes sense to read. The error was mine and it was the kind that comes from remembering a figure instead of looking it up. Go to post

I read post #14 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

Asking a follow-up: new topic or reply in the old one? If the answer depends on the previous post, reply. If it is a question that makes sense without the previous post, new topic. The second gets faster answers.

3 likes in reply to #15 9mo
VK
v.krastevTL2 Moderator18 Oct 2025#17

post #16 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

Context that matters: compound, how long in, current dose, relevant history. Context that does not matter: how you feel, your hopes for the outcome, your medical history beyond what affects this specific question. The first set gets you answered. The second set makes the reply longer without making it better.

10 likes 9mo
MA
m.achebeTL2 Moderator21 Oct 2025 · edited#18

What you have already read matters. Saying "I read the maintained page on this and I still have a gap" tells people they do not need to point you at the same resource you have already found. That is a genuine time saver.

22 likes 9mo
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PSkarbekTL3Regular25 Oct 2025 · edited#19

Picking up post #16: that is the part I would want checked first.

Chromatogram questions: describe the method first. Column type, gradient, wavelength, detection method. Everything else follows from method. A chromatogram without method is a number without context.

0 likes 9mo
AS
a.silvaTL2 Moderator29 Oct 2025#20
r.zielinski, post #2: Disagreement-style questions: "I read this and it contradicts what I heard here, which is right?" is answerable. "Is this a bad idea?" without giving the context is not. Go to post

Two things before anyone answers the substance.

First, the context in the first post is clear and specific. Second, the question is framed so that an answer can actually address it. Both are the norm here and both matter more than they sound.

1 like in reply to #2 9mo
OA
o.abrahamsenTL3Regular1 Nov 2025#21

Arithmetic questions: write out the steps. "I have a 10 mg vial, I added 2 mL, I want a 0.25 mg dose, and I get this number for the syringe mark" is answerable. "How many units" is not.

28 likes 9mo
MN
m.nwosuTL2 Moderator5 Nov 2025#22

Picking up post #19: that is the part I would want checked first.

Lab result questions: state the result, the reference interval, and what else is on the same panel. A single flag on a single draw is usually uninformative without context.

13 likes 9mo
EK
e.kjeldsenTL2Member8 Nov 2025#23
dr_bhattacharya, post #7: Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible. Go to post

Five questions in one post gets you one answer: the easiest one, usually not the one you needed most. Post them separately or pick the one that depends on the others least and ask that one first.

2 likes in reply to #7 9mo
PL
p.lindqvistTL2 Moderator11 Nov 2025#24
r.zielinski, post #2: Disagreement-style questions: "I read this and it contradicts what I heard here, which is right?" is answerable. "Is this a bad idea?" without giving the context is not. Go to post

Disagreement-style questions: "I read this and it contradicts what I heard here, which is right?" is answerable. "Is this a bad idea?" without giving the context is not.

0 likes in reply to #2 8mo
CI
c.inglethorpeTL3Regular15 Nov 2025#25

I read post #23 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

The specific question in the title is more useful than you might think. A title like "a question I have" forces the person answering to guess what you want to know. A title with the actual question gets you an answer in two hours instead of two days.

0 likes 8mo
HB
h.bhattacharyaTL2 Moderator18 Nov 2025#26

This follows post #23 rather than contradicting it.

Asking a follow-up: new topic or reply in the old one? If the answer depends on the previous post, reply. If it is a question that makes sense without the previous post, new topic. The second gets faster answers.

19 likes 8mo
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CSagredoTL3Regular22 Nov 2025#27

Two things before anyone answers the substance.

First, the context in the first post is clear and specific. Second, the question is framed so that an answer can actually address it. Both are the norm here and both matter more than they sound.

5 likes 8mo
HR
h.ramosTL2 Moderator25 Nov 2025#28
e.ferreira, post #5: Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead. Go to post

Units. Everything needs units. This is why we ask every single time. I have seen the same arithmetic done three different ways depending on whether the person was thinking mg/mL or mg/dose or something else entirely. Stating the units makes that impossible.

0 likes in reply to #5 8mo
AK
a.kwiatkowskiTL2Member28 Nov 2025#29

Coming back to post #27, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.

Disagreeing with an answer you got: cite what you disagree with, say what contradicts it, and ask which one holds. Do not open with "I think you are wrong". Lead with the evidence.

0 likes 8mo
KO
k.ogunleyeTL2 Moderator1 Dec 2025 · edited#30

Avoid "any advice?" at the end. It is so generic that people do not know which part of the post it refers to. Pick the specific part and ask that specific question instead.

26 likes 8mo