7
$\begingroup$

I recently made it to $3,000$ reputation and earned the "Cast close & reopen votes" privilege. I am a bit confused on how I would choose the correct reason when closing a question.

As I am sure many of you know, there are $5$ overarching options to choose from when opting to close a question. I am confused about differentiating between "Missing context or other details" under "A community-specific reason" and "Needs details or clarity". These two options and the text explaining each are very similar to me, and I can't tell which option to choose when closing a question. If a question is missing details or doesn't have any attempt at a solution, it seems that it could fit under both headings.

It may not matter which reason I choose, as long as the question gets closed, but are there any clear distinctions between these two reasons?

$\endgroup$
6
  • $\begingroup$ Good question. See also this question asked very recently. $\endgroup$
    – amWhy
    Jun 6, 2020 at 1:37
  • $\begingroup$ For questions that read like they are written or slightly modified, from a textbook exercise, or assignment, or that lacks effort or other context, choose the "community specific reason" and "Missing context or other details." For questions that may have a lot of words, but are unclear, choose "Needs needs details or clarity". But don't fret too much about getting the choice exactly right; if it needs to be closed, it needs to be closed. Choose the reason you think fits most. And you can always add clarification as to your reason for closure in a comment below the question. $\endgroup$
    – amWhy
    Jun 6, 2020 at 1:43
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ And, congrats on your achievement!. $\endgroup$
    – amWhy
    Jun 6, 2020 at 1:45
  • $\begingroup$ @amWhy Thanks! Regarding your second comment: Is there an official area where this is all explained? $\endgroup$
    – Varun Vejalla
    Jun 6, 2020 at 1:49
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ @VVejalla: I am in the same boat, and have had the exact same confusion over those same two alternatives. I wish there was a "question shows zero effort, and it looks you're asking us to do your homework for you" option. $\endgroup$
    – JonathanZ supports MonicaC
    Jun 6, 2020 at 5:08
  • $\begingroup$ @JonathanZsupportsMonicaC That option would be pretty helpful and would fit for more than half of the questions in the close queue. $\endgroup$
    – Varun Vejalla
    Jun 6, 2020 at 16:09

0

Reset to default

You must log in to answer this question.

Browse other questions tagged .