Hot answers tagged

20 votes
Accepted

Users that post every question in their homework/exams

Recently I've noticed a few people posting questions in rapid succession, each with a screenshot of a problem. If you look at the questions as a whole, it's obvious they've split their entire problem ...
  • 80k
19 votes

Users that post every question in their homework/exams

To discourage rapid postings of the type alluded to in the question, methinks screenshots of text should be outright banned. I can understand a screenshot of a figure, but if it can be easily done ...
  • 42.2k
16 votes

Where can I find a statement of the Physics SE policy on self-citation?

The main place for this is How do you cite yourself? It's perfectly OK to use text from previously-published own work in your answers, so long as you (i) cite the source, and (ii) make it clear that ...
15 votes

Please use gender neutral language

Thus, my question: do we, as a community, want to discourage gendered language? Or should we just leave it to the discretion of users what kind of language to use? As I understand it, this proposal ...
  • 74.8k
15 votes

Data collection: When should (or shouldn't) we exclude questions from the Hot Network Questions list?

Questions about perpetual-motion machines should meet a stricter-than-usual bar in terms of clarity and prior research to get on HNQ. Questions about perpetual-motion seem to have a particularly easy ...
14 votes

What is our position on answers that consist almost entirely of copied content?

Unacknowledged or unmarked quotes are plagiarism, plain and simple, and they deserve the full weight of community displeasure to be heaved on them: comments, downvotes, and eventual deletion. On the ...
13 votes
Accepted

Using Comments as Answers

Good idea to make this a question so I can post my comment there as an answer: yes, this is fine. Actually, in order to avoid arguments over whether it does constitute an answer or not, I'll say this: ...
  • 74.8k
13 votes
Accepted

How to handle references to literature in predatory journals

I don't think we need any additional policies about referring to or questioning about papers published through predatory journals. Assuming the paper is mainstream... Well, we don't really need to do ...
  • 26.3k
13 votes

Does SE allow me to publish my own material (Qs/As) in a peer-reviewed journal?

As mentioned in the comments, the Stack Exchange terms of service speficy that: You retain the copyright of any content you post to Stack Exchange When you post, you are making the content available ...
13 votes
Accepted

Languages of references

Yes, while the language of the main body of a SE post should be in English, non-English references are acceptable for various reasons: A non-English reference is better than no reference. It is ...
  • 184k
12 votes

Radically editing closed questions

There's a subtlety to the guidelines for editing here that many people (even some aged, veteran users) don't quite pick up on... So I'll try a different approach here There's a famous interview with ...
  • 101
11 votes

Meta-commentary in questions should sometimes be allowed

If you're not satisfied with my answer, you're under no obligation or expectation to accept it. We all write answers that aren't accepted all the time, and I've also written many questions to which I ...
  • 98.1k
11 votes

Should we leave technical astronomy questions to Astronomy SE?

Both of the existing answers seem to be based on a mischaracterization of how migration and off-topic closures are related, particularly with things like I would like to see Astronomy SE added to the ...
10 votes
Accepted

Book recommendations: On-topic, on-topic but community wiki, or off-topic?

Resource recommendation questions should be on-topic, but community wiki (and with the same expectation for the content of the answers as currently set in the faq post). The faq post should be altered ...
  • 116k
10 votes

Can moderator or user with high reputation be held to the rules?

The main mechanism for the reversal of serial voting is automated, because the moderators have access only to summaries of inter-user voting, (not to detailed records) even when our tools alert us to ...
10 votes

Asking physics joke questions

Although it is related to physics, I don't think such questions and answers are really useful to the purpose of this site, which is to share knowledge of physics concepts; not to share physics humor. ...
  • 54.5k
10 votes

What's the policy around a jocular political comment within a post?

We don't really have a policy around jokes - they are, for better or worse, mostly irrelevant. Some users like to include humor in their posts, others don't. In general, this falls squarely under the ...
  • 116k
10 votes

Language that can be perceived as sexist

Any time one finds language that could be considered unwelcoming, I think the right course of action is to edit the post to change or remove it. The usual editing guidelines still apply, so: Make ...
  • 16.2k
10 votes

Should users answer questions that they think should be closed?

I am the (or at least one of the) user(s) in question, and I think that your impression of my motivation is mistaken. Since at least part of your concern is your view of my motivation let me state my ...
  • 81.3k
10 votes

Why do we still apply the homework policy even when there are many opposite opinions?

There is in fact massive consensus for closing most homework-like questions. The most recent expressions of this consensus are found in this post and this post. Every so often someone complains about ...
  • 42.2k
9 votes

When should moderators close questions?

I would say that moderators get it right most of the times. But sometimes they err, in which case I can think of four routes you can take: Vote to reopen. If the question is very clearly on-topic, it ...
9 votes

Is a moderator's Approach to Delete the Answer Provided When No Comment Was Possible Consistent with a Metrocracy or Hypocracy?

Discussions on meta Stack Exchange sites are discussions, but they are still expected to have some structure. If you post an answer, then just as on the main site, it is expected to address the ...
  • 10.6k
9 votes

Allowing questions regarding typos in books

This question is based on a bit of a false premise. Errata related to the concepts seems to be accepted as on-topic. See here. The difference in this post is that you're not asking about a ...
  • 15.1k
9 votes

Easing our policy for some topics

You seem to think that fluid-dynamics questions get closed as homework more often than threads in other tags. This is wildly inconsistent with my observations of the site (as well as many others', ...
9 votes

Language that can be perceived as sexist

@tpg2114's answer is the right one from a policy standpoint, but it's worth making an extended comment to observe that "guys," specifically, occupies a strange place at the intersection of ...
  • 80k
9 votes
Accepted

Should we leave technical astronomy questions to Astronomy SE?

Thank you for your thoughtful replies. In view of the current (3) answers and comments let me spell out my suggestion and perhaps clarify a few points first: Emilio Pisanty already provided an ...
  • 12.2k
9 votes
Accepted

Keeping track of “abuse” (or other) flags?

There is no automatic consequence for repeated flags for rudeness or abuse. However, there are automatic flags raised when particular users accrue a number of these flags in a certain timeframe, ...
  • 116k
8 votes

Which duplicated question should be closed?

There are several competing desires for how to close (and possibly merge) duplicates (listed in my preferred order, but that shouldn't be taken to represent official policy): Priority to the best ...
8 votes

Chat and the moderation thereof

My view is that the h bar should be a place where the users of Physics SE can hang out and discuss any topic under the sun with other users of Physics SE while maintain respect for one another. ...
  • 5,439

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible