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I am thinking about a new question that is based on a premise that I stated in (I did not claim that it - the premise - was a new idea), and comments and answers I received in response to a previous question that I posted.

Can I (and, if so, should I- ethically/ or in good taste etc.) identify the question title for reference within the body of the text of the new question?

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  • $\begingroup$ I took out your tag request because that should be posted separately. You can bring it up in Physics Chat if you like, to get preliminary feedback before posting on meta. $\endgroup$
    – David Z
    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:00

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Absolutely, it's a good idea to refer to previous questions (yours or other people's) when doing so is useful. But don't just use the question title; you should include a link to it. If you include just the URL of the question, the SE software will automatically convert the link to display the question title, e.g. if I write 

https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9508

then I get Can I refer to a previous question I asked within the content of a new question?.

Alternatively, you can give your own link text by using the appropriate Markdown:

[the question about referring to previous questions](https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9508)

gives the question about referring to previous questions.

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Sure, why not?*

* We can't really give you clear advice on yes or no without seeing the exact wording of the question in mind. But in most cases, it's fine. Imagine "If pV = nRT, then what happens in a nozzle flow" can easily lead to "Why does pV = nRT anyway?"

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  • $\begingroup$ I see you have read some of my answers - I originally did describe why PV=nRT in the errata question, but I edited it out - the answer seemed too long. I appreciate the touch of levity in your comment, $\endgroup$
    – John Fletcher
    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:11
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    $\begingroup$ @JohnFletcher Actually, I didn't read anything beforehand! My only contribution around here is fluid dynamics related and that was the first thing that popped into my head... $\endgroup$
    – tpg2114
    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:15
  • $\begingroup$ The odds of that are in the entropy realm! I have answered three questions - one was on the purpose of a combustion chamber and nozzle in a rocket engine, another was on the possible misinterpretation of Boyle's Law in a textbook. $\endgroup$
    – John Fletcher
    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:22
  • $\begingroup$ @JohnFletcher Well, combustion, rockets, fluids, and computer simulations are all my PhD area... So I imagine we'll be crossing paths again and again. Welcome to the community (and sub-community)! $\endgroup$
    – tpg2114
    Jan 18, 2017 at 3:24

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