| Revision as of 12:56, 12 December 2006 editStuRat (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers88,546 edits Added pointer from one section to another.← Previous edit | Revision as of 14:01, 14 December 2006 edit undoMaelwys (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,866 edits →What the reference desk is not: Clarifying the wording to match Answerer instruction #2 belowNext edit → | ||
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| The ] is a part of Misplaced Pages; its purpose is to facilitate access to and promote encyclopedia content. When possible, replies given on the desk should direct the questioner to a Misplaced Pages article or articles which fully or partially answer their query. Though most questions may not be immediately answerable with a simple wiki-link, it's the rare reply that cannot direct the questioner to at least some article content. Giving personal opinions in answers should be avoided. | |||
| <small>Some people claim the following are guidelines that have been decided based on consensus; others dispute this. Please don't make any changes here without discussion.</small> | |||
| ---- | |||
| Certain Misplaced Pages policies, but not all, apply to the Reference Desk. The Ref Desk is not an article, and is not subject to any policies specific to articles. In general, the rules for talk pages apply at the Ref desk, although we strive to provide a level of quality matching that of Misplaced Pages articles. Since the Ref Desk is unique, some Ref Desk interpretations of Misplaced Pages policies are unique, as well. | |||
| The reference desk should also encourage article contributions. A question may bring to light areas in which Misplaced Pages lacks coverage, where article names and redirects could better serve those seeking information, or where article quality needs improvement. | |||
| == Reference Desk Guidelines == | |||
| == What the reference desk is not == | |||
| *Are answers with references outside of Misplaced Pages allowed ? '''Yes.''' | |||
| Just as there are some things that ], there are certain things the reference desk is also not. Remember, the reference desk is a ''part'' of Misplaced Pages. The reference desk should maintain high standards in order to avoid bringing the project into disrepute. | |||
| *The reference desk is not a chatroom. There are plenty of chatrooms on the internet, but ]. | |||
| *Are references required for all statements of fact ? '''Required, no. Encouraged, yes.''' | |||
| *The reference desk is not for promoting opinion. An encyclopedia is supposed to be ], not opinionated. | |||
| *The reference desk is not for legal or medical advice. See also ]. | |||
| *The reference desk is not a place for ]. Whenever possible, answers should be sourced to ] references. | |||
| *The reference desk is not censored. Although we try not to give offense, and will endeavour to remove gratuitously offensive material as quickly as possible, it is possible that some viewers may occassionally be offended or shocked by something they see or read here. | |||
| == Instructions for questioners == | |||
| *Are opinions allowed ? '''See below:''' | |||
| :*Questions which contain an opinion ? '''Yes.''' | |||
| :*Questions which solicit an opinion ? '''Yes.''' | |||
| :*In responses to factual question ? '''Yes, but opinions should be identified as such, i.e., with "I think..." or "I believe...".''' | |||
| Questions should be seeking information. As such, we have some basic guidelines to the form of your question: | |||
| *Is original research allowed: '''Yes, but it should be clearly identified as such, i.e., "I've found that...".''' | |||
| # You should not seek opinions. While we have opinions, we're not going to tell you what they are, so don't ask for them. We will give you the facts, and allow you to form your own conclusions. | |||
| *Is humor allowed ? '''Yes, in moderation, but only after at least one serious answer has been given. | |||
| # We don't do novel research. While we may check things, we will not test your experiment, your theory, or your thoughts. We can point you to other people's work, however. We will not answer your homework question. We will, however, direct you to sources that will help you answer your homework question. | |||
| # We're an encyclopedia reference desk. While you might find some of our responses humorous, your question should not be silly, or a joke. | |||
| == Instructions for answerers == | |||
| *Is sexual content allowed ? '''Yes, but not prurient sexual content, and only in response to a sexual question.''' | |||
| Questions are seeking information. As such, we should aim to provide information in our answers. | |||
| *Are signatures required ? '''Yes.''' | |||
| # If your response does not answer the question; seek clarificaton; or responds constructively to a previous answer, please don't chat, because this is not a chat room. Just joking around is not acceptable. | |||
| *May we edit the posts of others ? '''See below:''' | |||
| # Wherever possible provide links to Misplaced Pages articles or ] for your answers. Your personal knowledge, while valuable, should not make up the entirety of your answer, unless there is no other way of answering the question. <small> This point is under significant debate. Please see the talk page regarding personal knowledge </small> | |||
| :*The title ? '''Yes, but only add to the title, as the original title may be used as a search keyword.''' | |||
| # If a questioner is asking for an answer to a homework question, please do not provide complete answers, no matter what the questioner wishes. Hints, partial answers, suggested strategies and references are, of course, allowed. | |||
| :*The original question ? '''Yes, but for format only, not to add links or fix spelling.''' | |||
| :*The responses ? '''Yes, but for format only, not to add links or fix spelling.''' | |||
| :*Should responses be edited for content? '''No, but they may be deleted (see section below).''' | |||
| *Is "just Google it" a good response ? '''No, you should do the search yourself, verify that it provides useful results, and provide a link to those search results, instead.''' | |||
| *May the same people post both questions and answers ? '''Yes.''' | |||
| == Deletion == | |||
| Unnecessary escalation is both rude and nonproductive. The proper procedure should be followed: | |||
| #First, mention the post on the author's talk page, politely list your objection, and request that they remove it. | |||
| #If they refuse, and if the comment is so outrageous as to warrant further action, then bring it up at ], again politely. | |||
| #If a consensus is reached there to remove it, then the author can again be given the opportunity to remove the comment. At this, point, however, once community consensus exists that it should be removed, other members of the community may delete the comment, if the author refuses. | |||
| #If, and only if, the author replaces the comment four times, should an Admin be summoned, via a ] violation complaint. | |||
| There are also grounds for a "speedy deletion" by anyone, such as death threats, etc., but only the most severe cases of disruption warrant such actions (see ]). And, even in these cases, the author should still be notified of the deletion (on their talk page) and the reason (policy violations) given. An exception exists for anonymous I/P users, where notification is not required. | |||
| We should also discuss the reasons to do things according to the above procedure: | |||
| :a) To be polite. Politeness goes a long way. | |||
| :b) To avoid "revert wars". (If a comment is removed without consensus having been reached to do so, then the author is entirely justified to disagree with the opinion of the person who removed it and restore the comment.) | |||
| :c) To avoid a POV bias in the removals. For example, a politically liberal editor might tend to delete any slightly off topic politically conservative comments, and vice-versa, even though they would leave such comments in if they were more in line with their political ideology. This could escalate to having all liberal statements removed by conservatives, and vice-versa, even if entirely on-topic. | |||
| :d) To avoid personal vendettas in the removals. That is "you removed my post, so I'll remove yours". If a consensus is required for such removals, this type of petty behavior is unlikely. | |||
| == See also == | |||
| *] | |||
Revision as of 14:01, 14 December 2006
 | The following is a proposed Misplaced Pages policy, guideline, or process. The proposal may still be in development, under discussion, or in the process of gathering consensus for adoption. |
The reference desk is a part of Misplaced Pages; its purpose is to facilitate access to and promote encyclopedia content. When possible, replies given on the desk should direct the questioner to a Misplaced Pages article or articles which fully or partially answer their query. Though most questions may not be immediately answerable with a simple wiki-link, it's the rare reply that cannot direct the questioner to at least some article content. Giving personal opinions in answers should be avoided.
The reference desk should also encourage article contributions. A question may bring to light areas in which Misplaced Pages lacks coverage, where article names and redirects could better serve those seeking information, or where article quality needs improvement.
What the reference desk is not
Just as there are some things that Misplaced Pages is not, there are certain things the reference desk is also not. Remember, the reference desk is a part of Misplaced Pages. The reference desk should maintain high standards in order to avoid bringing the project into disrepute.
- The reference desk is not a chatroom. There are plenty of chatrooms on the internet, but Misplaced Pages is an encyclopedia.
- The reference desk is not for promoting opinion. An encyclopedia is supposed to be factual, not opinionated.
- The reference desk is not for legal or medical advice. See also Misplaced Pages:Medical disclaimer.
- The reference desk is not a place for making stuff up. Whenever possible, answers should be sourced to verifiable references.
- The reference desk is not censored. Although we try not to give offense, and will endeavour to remove gratuitously offensive material as quickly as possible, it is possible that some viewers may occassionally be offended or shocked by something they see or read here.
Instructions for questioners
Questions should be seeking information. As such, we have some basic guidelines to the form of your question:
- You should not seek opinions. While we have opinions, we're not going to tell you what they are, so don't ask for them. We will give you the facts, and allow you to form your own conclusions.
- We don't do novel research. While we may check things, we will not test your experiment, your theory, or your thoughts. We can point you to other people's work, however. We will not answer your homework question. We will, however, direct you to sources that will help you answer your homework question.
- We're an encyclopedia reference desk. While you might find some of our responses humorous, your question should not be silly, or a joke.
Instructions for answerers
Questions are seeking information. As such, we should aim to provide information in our answers.
- If your response does not answer the question; seek clarificaton; or responds constructively to a previous answer, please don't chat, because this is not a chat room. Just joking around is not acceptable.
- Wherever possible provide links to Misplaced Pages articles or WP:Reliable Sources for your answers. Your personal knowledge, while valuable, should not make up the entirety of your answer, unless there is no other way of answering the question. This point is under significant debate. Please see the talk page regarding personal knowledge
- If a questioner is asking for an answer to a homework question, please do not provide complete answers, no matter what the questioner wishes. Hints, partial answers, suggested strategies and references are, of course, allowed.