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Why "any advice?" is the least effective ending for a post posts 31–60

This is a continuation of a long topic, addressed by post number rather than by page. Start at post 1.

TI
trough_indexTL3Regular13 Nov 2024#31
h.koodziej, post #24: 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. Go to post

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.

1 like in reply to #24 20mo
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f.novakTL2 Moderator13 Nov 2024#32

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.

7 likes 20mo
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KTurkingtonTL3Regular13 Nov 2024#33

This follows post #30 rather than contradicting it.

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.

24 likes 20mo
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s.bergstromTL2 Moderator14 Nov 2024#34

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 20mo
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t.ndiayeTL2 Moderator14 Nov 2024#35

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.

0 likes 20mo
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a.friskTL2 Moderator14 Nov 2024#36

On post #32 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

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.

4 likes 20mo
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p.mbekiTL2 Moderator15 Nov 2024 · edited#37

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.

17 likes 20mo
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n.moreauTL2 Moderator15 Nov 2024#38
an.adeyemi, post #21: 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. Go to post

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 in reply to #21 20mo
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t.steenkampTL2Member15 Nov 2024#39

post #38 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

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.

6 likes 20mo
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ak.kravchenkoTL2 Moderator16 Nov 2024#40

Worth separating two things that post #36 runs together.

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.

16 likes 20mo
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p.novotnyTL2Regular16 Nov 2024#41

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 20mo
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z.cardosoTL2 Moderator16 Nov 2024#42
v.szabo, post #17: post #16 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit. 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… Go to post

post #41 is right about the mechanism and I think understates the practical bit.

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 in reply to #17 20mo
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eire_readerTL2Regional · IE17 Nov 2024 · edited#43

I read post #41 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

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.

18 likes 20mo
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f.haddadTL2 Moderator17 Nov 2024#44

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.

7 likes 20mo
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q.zhao_qaTL3Quality assurance17 Nov 2024#45
f.novak, post #32: 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. Go to post

On post #41 — agreed on the reasoning, with one qualification.

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

1 like in reply to #32 20mo
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e.steinerTL2 Moderator17 Nov 2024#46
l.ferreira, post #23: Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive. Go to post

post #45 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.

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 in reply to #23 20mo
UC
unit_conversionTL3Regular18 Nov 2024#47

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.

25 likes 20mo
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i.lehtinenTL2 Moderator18 Nov 2024#48

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.

12 likes 20mo
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blank_injectionTL2Analytical chemist18 Nov 2024#49

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.

4 likes 20mo
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h.iyerTL2 Moderator19 Nov 2024#50

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

0 likes 20mo
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a.adebayoTL2 Moderator19 Nov 2024#51

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.

2 likes 20mo
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a.novakTL2 Moderator19 Nov 2024#52

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.

8 likes 20mo
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p.marchettiTL220 Nov 2024#53
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b.fonsecaTL2 Moderator20 Nov 2024#54
e.lokken, post #28: I disagree with the reply above, and I think the disagreement is substantive rather than terminological. The distinction being drawn does not survive when you look at the published data for this specific question. I would be glad to be shown wrong on this, because the version I am arguing against is more convenient. Go to post

Worth separating two things that post #50 runs together.

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 in reply to #28 20mo
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r.aldana_pharmdTL4Pharmacist20 Nov 2024#55

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.

4 likes 20mo
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r.zielinskiTL2 Moderator21 Nov 2024#56

Practical note that does not fit anywhere else. Whatever you conclude from this topic, write down what you did and when. The single most useful thing in your own records is not any individual result; it is that they are dated and consecutive.

13 likes 20mo
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mira.patelTL4 Admin21 Nov 2024#57
s.girard, post #12: 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. Go to post
Staff post. Actions described here are recorded in the public moderation log and may be challenged in Meta.

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.

27 likes in reply to #12 20mo
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c.boatengTL2 Moderator21 Nov 2024#58

On post #54 — 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.

0 likes 20mo
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j.silvaTL2 Moderator21 Nov 2024#59
f.novak, post #32: 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. Go to post

This follows post #56 rather than contradicting it.

For anyone arriving from a search: the marked solution above is the direct answer, and the replies underneath it add the caveats that make it safe to use.

8 likes in reply to #32 20mo
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m.stephanopoulosTL3Regular22 Nov 2024 · edited#60

I read post #58 twice before replying, because I had assumed the opposite.

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.

19 likes 20mo