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I am confused about whether showing research is a requirement when posting a question on WebApps SE. Requirement means that if the OP doesn't show research, then the question must be closed.

One of my questions got closed (mirror) with the comment "Please add a brief description of your search/research efforts as is suggested in How to Ask. – Rubén♦ 1 hour ago", however:

  1. "suggested" doesn't mean "required".
  2. The vast majority of SE sites allow questions without research, and I never read any special show-research policy on WebApps.
  3. My previous attempts to ask a mod for a clear answer failed: I've asked the question to a WebApps mod 10 days ago and didn't get any answer. I've asked again 4 days ago one of my closed questions and didn't get an answer.
  4. If showing research was required, most questions (>80%, likely >90%) on webapps should be closed. Note that very few SE sites enforce showing research as a requirement: medicalsciences is one of the exceptions, and you'll see that most questions (~80%) get closed there because of that.

Could someone please make it clear whether showing research in the question body is a requirement when posting a question on WebApps SE?

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    Hi Franck. I'm interested in hearing answers to this question. The "prior research" thing on SE is ambiguous and enforced very selectively. To avoid questions being closed, I feel like for every question I have to copy a template that states: "Before posting this question I spent 15 minutes searching on search engines, called 3 friends to see if they know the answer, and prayed for 30 minutes asking for divine inspiration."
    – Amazon Dies In Darkness
    Commented Dec 21, 2020 at 6:15
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    "I tried X and I stuck with Y" is better than "How do I Y?", because at least it has some context to give answer that can really be helpful
    – user159892
    Commented Dec 23, 2020 at 16:44
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    @RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket I know what you mean, though it might cut down on the number of duplicates
    – Tedinoz
    Commented Jan 1, 2021 at 5:34
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    I often ask Webapps SE questioners to provide details of their research. Questioners aren't obliged to reply but my purpose is to provide motivation to engage with the question - for myself (and other volunteers): to establish whether any research was done, and/or to understand the nature, relevance and depth of research, and/or to ensure that the research is consistent with the question, and/or to avoid "reinventing the wheel". Of course, this is my request - other volunteers are not bound by it.
    – Tedinoz
    Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 2:17
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    @RockPaperLz-MaskitorCasket 2 years later and still the same issue. Mods still enforce the "prior research" close reason at will (eg webapps.stackexchange.com/q/169569/18147), despite the community stating it is not a close reason.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Mar 2, 2023 at 23:21
  • Closed as unclear / needs needs details because it includes deceitful content. 1) The link with text "The vast majority of SE sites allow questions without research" points to an answer posted by the OP to a question in Meta Stack Exchange. That answer has a score of 2 while there is another answer to the same question with higher posted from someno not involved in the refered disputes. Such answer says the opposite "Virtually all Stack Exchange sites require you to do enough research to:".
    – Rubén - Volunteer Moderator - Mod
    Commented Mar 8, 2023 at 21:51
  • 2) The links with text "I've asked the question to a WebApps mod 10 days ago and didn't get any answer" points to a comment to the answer referred in the previous comment in Meta Stack Exchange, as anacdote might be fine but it's irrelevant here. The link "I've asked again 4 days ago one of my closed questions and didn't get an answer" points to an archived version of an OP question in Web Applications were the OP maliciously omitted to provide context. By the other hand point 4 doesn't look to have constructive purpose.
    – Rubén - Volunteer Moderator - Mod
    Commented Mar 8, 2023 at 22:03
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    @Rubén 1) "Virtually all Stack Exchange sites require you to do enough research to:" doesn't mean one has to show research. 2) What context is missing? I asked "is showing research effort required on this website?" and you never replied. You've only made that requirement a bit more clear on webapps.meta.stackexchange.com/q/4893/18147 (where it wasn't well received).
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Apr 11, 2023 at 2:03
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    @Rubén Why is this meta question closed? What clarity or details does it lack, exactly?
    – Flimm
    Commented Apr 14, 2023 at 11:51
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    @Flimm Let's try again... Is showing research is a requirement when posting a question on WebApps.SE?
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Apr 16, 2023 at 0:28
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    Relevant meta post: Do the moderators plan to close most questions on this site?
    – galacticninja
    Commented Apr 17, 2023 at 21:53
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    Relevant meta discussion post by a community manager who asked the community whether we should require research for questions: Does Web Apps Stack Exchange Require Research?.
    – galacticninja
    Commented Sep 29, 2023 at 14:15

1 Answer 1

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Talk about red herrings!

No. IMO, showing research in the question body is not a requirement when posting a question on WebApps SE.

You imply that your question on Webapps SE was closed because of a comment asking for a description of your research. Regrettably you chose not to disclose the actual reason given for closure. And since your question has since been deleted (by you?) we can’t find out for ourselves.

It is also a pity that you did not spend as much time reading What does it mean if a question is "closed"?. You would have found that search and research are simply not a basis for closure, and might have better understood why your own question was closed.

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    "You imply that your question on Webapps SE was closed because of a comment asking for a description of your research" -> that's because the mod who closed the question left the comment "Please add a brief description of your search/research efforts as is suggested in How to Ask". This is the actual reason given for closure. So there is no red herrings here.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 1, 2021 at 11:40
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    "And since your question has since been deleted (by you?) we can’t find out for ourselves." -> I did not delete the question but here's a mirror.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 1, 2021 at 11:41
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    I beg to differ. The reason for closure is disclosed above the question body. "This question needs details or clarity.". Also you had the opportunity to reopen!->"Add details and clarify the problem by editing this post". The question was expressed as a single sentence in the title, the body provided only a sample image of a LinkedIn request. You provided no context, no mention of anything that you had tried, no mention if you had asked the question at/of LinkedIn, etc - nothing. This closure has zero to do with research - it is simply a poorly expressed question.
    – Tedinoz
    Commented Jan 2, 2021 at 2:01
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    I disagree on the reason for closure for that specific question on LinkedIn (if the mod closing the question left a comment "add a brief description of your search/research efforts" right after closing the question as "needs details or clarity", that pretty obviously means to me that this is the reason for closure as it specifies what the mod meant as "needs details or clarity"), but anyway what matters is that we agree on your statement "No. IMO, showing research in the question body is not a requirement when posting a question on WebApps SE.".
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 6:49
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    @FranckDernoncourt There is no silver lining in this answer, nor in my views. If you feel that this answer has confirmed your perceived mistreatment by this mod on this topic then you are sadly mistaken. At best, yours is a Pyrrhic victory.
    – Tedinoz
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 7:49
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    No idea what you're talking about but my question was "Is showing research is a requirement when posting a question on WebApps SE?", and you've answered it so end of story.
    – Franck Dernoncourt
    Commented Jan 5, 2021 at 7:56
  • Added the post notice due that this answer is been deceitfully referred as the community consensus in this answer and in this question
    – Rubén - Volunteer Moderator - Mod
    Commented Mar 8, 2023 at 22:09
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    @Rubén FWIW, I concur. I do not and cannot accept that this answer could be regarded, under any circumstances, as the consensus of the community.
    – Tedinoz
    Commented Mar 9, 2023 at 1:54
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    @Rubén Why is this meta question closed? How do you expect the community to come to consensus if you close meta questions like this one?
    – Flimm
    Commented Apr 14, 2023 at 11:50

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