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As the title says, given a question of mine with one or more answers by other users, is it rude to provide a more focused answer by myself? I find that sometimes I solve my own doubts through the input of other users but the answers they provide sometimes remain obscure even if the answers aim to the same solution (even after requesting more details in the answer's comments).

I have seen some posts where people answer their own question but still give the checkmark to another user.

What's the etiquette here?

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    $\begingroup$ Why would it be rude to provide an answer to your own question? $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 15:00
  • $\begingroup$ @KyleKanos it would be rude if there are other valid (even if less flesh out) answers to validate. $\endgroup$
    – Mauricio
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 15:34
  • $\begingroup$ I perhaps could see why it would be rude to accept your answer in such a case, more so if one of the other answers provided you the key insight to resolve the question, I fail to see why providing an answer at all would be rude. And answering "why is it rude" with "it's rude" is very unhelpful, I'm asking for a reason and not a restatement. $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 15:44
  • $\begingroup$ @KyleKanos now are you using the question "why it would be rude?" to say it is not? You seem to perhaps get the point anyway. As I see it, self-answering the question after long discussion with other answerers could be seen as a move to win internet points/way to disqualify other points of view. Note that validating others answers is in general recommended because it usually legitimizes the answer more than if you only accepted your owns. This is a matter of subjective impression and etiquette of the site. I was looking for different opinions in order to asses when is the right time for such $\endgroup$
    – Mauricio
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 17:36
  • $\begingroup$ Well my point of view is it isn't rude, so I'm wondering why someone might think that it is because I cannot think of a reason why it would be so. I also don't know why posting an answer would invalidate other answers, excepting the case where your answer contradicts the others (even then I'm not sure that "invalidate" is correct term here). $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 18:37
  • $\begingroup$ physics.stackexchange.com/help/self-answer $\endgroup$
    – hft
    Commented Dec 20, 2022 at 20:34
  • $\begingroup$ Do you plan to accept your own answer? $\endgroup$
    – Qmechanic Mod
    Commented Dec 21, 2022 at 13:30
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    $\begingroup$ @Qmechanic yes, sorry if I was not using the correct terms. $\endgroup$
    – Mauricio
    Commented Dec 21, 2022 at 14:14
  • $\begingroup$ Can "doubt" sometimes mean "question"? $\endgroup$
    – Peter Mortensen
    Commented Dec 27, 2022 at 22:58
  • $\begingroup$ I did it one time even it had two positive scored answers at the time of self answering. Although, I accepted one of the answer, I wasn't fully in sync with the answer and hence I compiled my own answer with my own thoughts. Point is it is not rude and you are free to compile your answer even there are other answers. $\endgroup$
    – Nilay Ghosh
    Commented Dec 29, 2022 at 9:03

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...is it rude to provide a more focused answer by myself?

...but the answers they provide sometimes remain obscure even if the answers aim to the same solution (even after requesting more details in the answer's comments)

As an avid SE question-asker, I try to keep future readers as the primary focus of all my actions, with the balance towards answer authors. So the more answers the merrier as long as each brings something new and different, and is actually an answer or important supplementary information to existing answers.

Go for it!

If you're not seeing persistent down-voting of your answers or complaints in comments, then what you are doing is probably fine :-)

I have seen some posts where people answer their own question but still give the checkmark to another user.

I do this exact thing regularly (when I actually have something of value to add) and I don't recall any complaints. Again, focus is squarely on future readers and the value we bring them. They are our customers as question-askers, not the other answer authors.

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Is it rude to answer your own question yourself after other solutions are available? given a question of mine with one or more answers by other users, is it rude to provide a more focused answer by myself?

If you are just copying one of the other answers, then yes. But generally, no.

What's the etiquette here?

See: https://physics.stackexchange.com/help/self-answer

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This is a question-and-answer community. It is not rude to provide original and useful answers.

It is entirely possible for restatement of another answer, or a synthesis of multiple other answers, to be original and useful.

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The scenario you describe is analogous to writing a review paper where you summarize the current contributions in a field or discipline. The same etiquette applies.

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