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Would it be convenient to include an automatically generated comment when voting to close a question as homework-like? The way things are set up now, if I see a question that runs afoul the homework-like policy, I just cast a downvote. Some people less lazy than me put a comment that looks like

Welcome to Physics Stack Exchange! Please note that Physics.StackExchange is not a homework help site. Please see this Meta post on asking homework questions and this Meta post for “check my work” problems.

I think this is helpful because it indicates to the asker what is wrong with his question, where an indication that he has one close vote for an unknown reason does not communicate such information.

I think automating the comment process would make comment easier for people who already do it, and would get more people like me who aren't doing to do it more, which would be a good thing.

Now as far as the implementation, the comment could be completely automatic, or the closer could be prompted with a text box so they can confirm or modify the comment. If the comment is completely automatic, maybe its author should be the wiki user instead of the closer, but this is a detail.

Anyway, do we think any feature like this would be useful? Note that I am not asking if the physics.se mods can implement this feature. There may need to be upstream changes, but I figure the first step would be to would be to see if anyone even wants this.

Note this seems not totally out of the question because similar functionality already exists for voting to close as duplicate and voting to close for an "other" reason.

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  • $\begingroup$ I suppose this feature would be unnecessary if you consider the comment to be unnecessary, and the homework policy should only be brought to the asker's attention once the vote to close passes (which already does happen automatically). I was thinking quicker feedback would be helpful. $\endgroup$
    – Brian Moths
    Commented Mar 19, 2017 at 20:23
  • $\begingroup$ I would be against this getting incorporated into the stock version of the site, since it would set that message in stone, which would make it less useful. The current ability to add personalised comments via a userscript, as in Kyle's answer, is much better. $\endgroup$
    – Emilio Pisanty
    Commented Mar 20, 2017 at 0:35
  • $\begingroup$ Closely related: physics.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7723 (not sure that it's a dupe since that one is asking how to do it while this one is asking if we'd like it to be stock). $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Mar 20, 2017 at 10:17
  • $\begingroup$ @KyleKanos I see, I will edit the title of the question you linked so that it becomes searchable. $\endgroup$
    – Brian Moths
    Commented Mar 20, 2017 at 13:19

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I don't think the SE team needs to be involved since pretty much all of us use the extremely useful StackApps project AutoReviewComments (and if you don't, you should). The message can be added to your local copy by adding the following:

###[Q]Homework Please note that this is not a homework help site. Please see [this Meta post on asking homework questions](http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/q/714/) and [this Meta post for "check my work" problems](http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/q/6093/)

(I've mentioned another related message previously, I think others have posted other AutoReviewComments in other Physics.Meta posts).

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  • $\begingroup$ Another fast downvote on Meta. Would the downvoter care to explain their position on why the SE team should implement this? $\endgroup$
    – Kyle Kanos
    Commented Mar 19, 2017 at 22:56
  • $\begingroup$ I upvoted. You are basically saying that whether or not the SE team would need to be involved, you wouldn't find this feature that useful, because there already is something that lets you do the same thing and more. That is fair. $\endgroup$
    – Brian Moths
    Commented Mar 19, 2017 at 23:16

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