 | This page in a nutshell: A specific, well-contextualised question gets a useful answer. A vague one usually does not. This page explains how to write both good questions and good answers. |
This page offers practical guidance on asking and answering questions at the reference desk. It is a companion to Bharatpedia:Reference desk/Guidelines, which covers what the desk is for and what it is not for. Read that page first if you are new to the desk.
Asking a question
Anatomy of a good question
A question that gets answered well usually has four things:
- A clear subject. The section heading should say what the question is about, not just "Question" or "Help".
- Enough context. Name the book, the film, the year, the region, the field — whatever narrows the subject down.
- A specific ask. Say what you want to know, not just what topic interests you.
- Evidence of prior effort. Mention what you have already searched or read, so editors do not repeat it.
Weak and strong questions
| Weak | Why it is weak | Stronger |
|---|---|---|
| "Tell me about the Mughal Empire." | Too broad to answer in a desk reply. | "What was the administrative structure of the Mughal Empire under Akbar?" |
| "What's the name of that song?" | No identifying detail. | "What is the name of the song used in the opening credits of the 2019 film Gully Boy?" |
| "Is coffee good for you?" | Invites a medical opinion. | "What have recent reviews concluded about the association between coffee consumption and cardiovascular risk?" |
| "Why is the sky blue?" | Answerable, but no context on what part is unclear. | "I understand Rayleigh scattering explains why the sky is blue, but why is it red at sunset rather than just dimmer blue?" |
| "Who will win the next election?" | Asks for a prediction. | "What did the most recent published opinion polls say about the next general election?" |
Common mistakes
- Asking several unrelated questions in one section. Open a separate section for each. Editors answer questions one at a time, and a post containing five questions often gets a reply to only the first.
- Asking for opinions. The desk is for factual questions. "What do you think of..." belongs on a discussion forum, not here.
- Leaving out the context you already have. If you know the author but not the title, say so. Partial information helps.
- Assuming the desk knows what you mean. If you are referring to something you saw, read, or heard, describe it. Editors cannot see your screen or read your mind.
- Forgetting to sign. Unsigned questions may be missed or delayed. Use four tildes at the end:
~~~~. - Posting to the wrong desk. If you are unsure, use the Miscellaneous desk — editors there will route it if necessary.
Formatting your question
- Start a new section using the "Ask a new question" box at the top of the desk, or the
+tab if you are editing manually. - Give the section a descriptive heading.
- Write your question in plain prose. Long questions are fine, but keep them focused.
- Sign with four tildes.
- If you are quoting a source, use quotation marks and, where possible, say where the quote is from.
Answering a question
What makes a good answer
- It answers the question asked. Not a related question, not a broader one, not the one you think should have been asked.
- It is sourced where possible. Naming the source lets the questioner verify the answer and read further.
- It is concise. Two sentences that answer the question beat two paragraphs that circle it.
- It is honest about uncertainty. "I believe X, but I am not certain" is a useful answer. A confident wrong answer is not.
Things to avoid
- Lecturing. A short answer with a source is usually better than a long explanation of why the question reveals a misunderstanding.
- Speculating. If you do not know, say so. Do not fill the gap with a guess presented as fact.
- Giving legal or medical advice. Even when the questioner asks directly. Point them to a qualified professional.
- Editing the questioner's words. You may fix indentation and formatting, but do not rewrite their question to suit your answer.
- Answering in a way that assumes bad faith. Some questions are naive. Treat them as genuine unless there is clear evidence otherwise.
If you do not know
You do not have to answer every question you read. If you have nothing to add, leave it for someone else. A brief note that you looked and could not find anything can still be useful, especially if you say where you looked, so the next editor does not repeat the same search.
If you disagree with another answer
Reply politely, explain the disagreement, and cite your source. Do not remove or strike through the other editor's answer. The desk works by accumulation of sourced responses, not by one editor being declared correct.
Following up
Asking for clarification
If a question is unclear, anyone may ask for clarification in a reply beneath it. Questioners should check back on their section — most desks do not notify you when someone replies.
Responding to a follow-up
Follow-up questions should stay in the same section as long as they are about the same subject. If the discussion moves to a genuinely new topic, start a new section.
Thanking an editor
A brief thank-you is welcome but not required. If an answer was particularly helpful, you can also leave a note on the answering editor's talk page, or use the thanks feature if it is available.
When a question is resolved
There is no formal "resolved" process on the reference desk. Questions are simply archived once they have gone quiet. You do not need to mark your question as answered, though you may add a note saying so if you wish.
Handling problems
Inappropriate questions
Questions asking for legal or medical advice, or that fall outside the desk's scope, may be removed or collapsed by any editor, with a brief note explaining why. See Bharatpedia:Reference desk/Guidelines for the full list of what is not appropriate.
Disruptive posts
Vandalism, trolling, and repeated posting of inappropriate questions after a warning are covered by Bharatpedia's behavioural policies. Report persistent problems at the administrators' noticeboard.
Incorrect answers
If an answer is wrong, correct it with a reply and a source. Do not edit the other editor's answer in place. If a wrong answer has been cited further up the thread, add your correction as a reply so the record stays intact.