292 views

### The need for “context” in certain cases

Prove that every subgroup of index $2$ is normal. Evaluate this integral: $\displaystyle\int_0^1 x^2 \, dx.$ If a question like that is posted, one suspects that the poster copied it from a homework ...
252 views

### Closing a question because it contains an error

I asked a short time ago whether there is a policy the following: If a question contains a mathematical error that could be pointed out in a posted answer, or is ill-formulated for reasons that could ...
848 views

### Should homework questions from advanced subjects be closed?

When I say homework question, I mean the kind of questions frequently seen where the question is just a direct copy of an exercise from a textbook without any work from the OP. These questions appear ...
1k views

### Can we stop the “Show your work craze”? [duplicate]

For some reason, it seems that more recently the users of this site have adopted the fashion of commenting things like "What have you tried?", "Show your work", etc. In almost every question for which ...
217 views

### Overemphasis of context? [duplicate]

After collecting little experience in MSE, it appears to me that the demand for context might be overemphasised. That has two bad consequences: (1) If you are not only allowed but even required to ...
2k views

### “What have you tried?”…

Sometimes this "What have you tried" thing seems silly. Take this question [edit: question deleted/link broken] for example. It's obvious that one should try to do it by induction, but it's not the ...
97 views

### Is there a better way to improve question asking skills?

The goal of Math StackExchange is to serve people studying maths at every level. However, being able to ask a good question is a skill in and of itself. In order to ask a good question, you need both ...
218 views

### What if I don't know where to begin

I've read the responses, and still feel that my concern is not being addressed. I am leaving my original query/suggestion as is, below the (====...) line, merely for reference. Also, I respect ...
2k views

### Is deleting a question while it is still on hold too quick?

This is a follow-up (not a duplicate) to an old question on Meta: Are we too trigger-happy about deleting (relatively) new posts? I have noticed recently that there are lots of on-hold questions ...
929 views

### Should we encourage upvotes on more advanced questions, that are seemingly well written, even if you don't understand it?

Something I notice is when there's an advanced/specialized question, it often receives very few upvotes. Even if it is seemingly well written. I try to upvote advanced questions that I might not even ...
72 views

### Make new users feel a bit more involved when they first submit a question [duplicate]

Very simple thought triggered by the overwhelming amount of new users who clearly haven't read the excellent threads how-to-ask-a-good-question and how-to-ask-a-homework-question: it would perhaps be ...
362 views

Should phrasing questions as multiple-choice be discouraged? In general, would it be justified to edit questions to remove lists of proposed answers (e.g. a, b, c, d)? It seems to me that including ...
178 views

### How to ask a question if I would like to answer it on my own?

According to an instruction in Help Center: Can I answer my own question? and an answer to a meta question Can I post a question and an answer just because I think it helps others?, answering one's ...