Topics Guidelines

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Topics Guidelines

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Questions:

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<big>'''Topics are a place intended for the exchange of high-quality questions and specialist answers. 

We’ve put together some guidelines based on our observations which may help to keep Topics relevant, professional and useful.'''</big> 

== Questions ==

'''Yes!''' 

- Before posting a question, search to find out if it has been answered before. 
- A good question has a clear, concise title and a detailed explanation that provides any necessary context - you can also attach resources to support your post. 
- The community rates questions according to quality – the better your question, the more visible it will be, and the more answers it’ll receive. 

'''No''' 

- Please don’t ask vague, rhetorical or obvious questions – if you can find the answer through Google or on Wikipedia, it’s probably not worth asking. 
- Posting commercial content or using Topics to promote your business is prohibited on ResearchGate, and may result in the suspension of your account. 
- Please ask and answer questions in '''English only'''. We reserve the right to delete content posted in other languages. See below. 
- Please don’t post duplicate content - it may be marked as spam and result in the suspension of your account. 
- Please do not use topics to do the following: 
1. Post job offers or requests – You can take a look at our job board for the latest vacancies in your field. Link to Job Board 
2. Request a publication – Please try searching for the publication using our literature search, if the publication is not available you can ‘Request’ it from the publication’s detail page. Link to publications landing page. 
3. Advertise conferences – Try using services like Conference Alerts to list your event. 
4. Ask for advice on PhD titles – You can use the About Me Box in your profile to alert other researchers to your queries. Screenshot About Me box with query 

== Replies ==

'''Yes!''' 

- A good reply relates directly to the question and is supported with argument, evidence and sources. 
- Post replies that convey your point succinctly - this will help hold the reader’s attention. 

'''No''' 

- Please do not reply to a question if you have nothing to add to the discussion. “I do not know anything about this field” or “Sorry I cannot help you” are needless answers and will most likely be deleted by our editors. 
- Please don’t answer questions with just a link – try describing what you’re linking to or explaining the reason why you think the author of the question might find it useful. Posting just a link adds very little value. 
- Please do not share your contact details (including email, phone number and address) within topics – if you would like to converse privately with another ResearchGate member, try using the personal message function. 

== Style ==

- Try to be clear, informative and concise wherever possible - spelling, grammar, capitalization and punctuation make all the difference. We reserve the right to edit replies and posts for clarity, grammar and spelling. See ResearchGate editing policy below. 
- In an effort to keep the tone of Topics professional we ask that you refrain from using personal greetings (e.g. hello, hey, hi etc.) and sign offs (farewell, bye, best etc.). 

== Useful Tips ==

- Downvote questions and flag comments that you believe to be inappropriate or irrelevant - you’ll be helping us keep topics useful and constructive. 
- Vote up and ‘Like’ high quality questions and replies, this will help to make sure the best content is visible and always seen first. 
- ‘Like’ an answer instead of writing ‘thank you’ as a separate reply – this sends a notification directly to the author of the answer while keeping the topic discussion relevant. 
- Only post your question in one topic - try to find the most relevant and specific one. That way, you’ll be more likely to receive targeted answers. 
- Share your questions and replies via Twitter or Facebook to promote your contributions. 
- ‘Create a Topic’ if you think it’s missing, but be sure to check that it doesn’t already exist. 

== Creating a new topic ==

- Before creating a new topic, please make sure it doesn’t already exist – duplicate topics will be merged. 
- If you do choose to create a new topic, you will automatically be the curator and have the ability to nominate other researchers to curate the topic with you. See below for information on the role of a curator. (link) 
- Give your topic a concise and succinct description (around a sentence or two) and choose disciplines that cover your subject matter. A good description and the right disciplines will help to make sure the right researchers find your topic. 
- You know what they say: “A picture is worth a thousand words” - complete your topic by adding a relevant image. 

== The role of a curator ==

We rely on topic curators to assist us in moderating content while helping to ensure that what is shared remains of a high standard and relevant to the subject matter. In an ideal world, curators would lead and educate by example with regards to proper posting etiquette. For instance, a good curator would ask for more details if a posted question was lacking in clarity. Curators currently have several tools at their disposal to help them achieve this - they can delete inappropriate or irrelevant comments and questions and nominate other researchers to help them curate their topic (we'll be expanding these tools soon). 

'''How do I become a curator?''' 
There are currently only two ways to be become a topic curator: 
- Founding/ creating a new topic. 
- Being nominated by an existing curator. 

Stay tuned: We have big plans for curators! They will soon be playing an even more important role in deciding what’s valuable to the ResearchGate community, while helping us to ensure that the best content is always visible. 

== ResearchGate editing and deleting policy ==

To ensure that ResearchGate Topics remain useful and of a high standard, an editor may modify your question or reply for grammar and spelling errors, or inconsistencies. Rest assured, we only ever edit for clarity, not for content. In the case of a minor modification, for example a small typo or grammar correction, you’ll be notified on-page (don’t worry - this notification will only be visible to you, not the rest of ResearchGate.) Screenshot of the modified notification. If we make any major modifications, we’ll send you an email informing you exactly how your post was changed. 

To avoid having your contributions modified, try proofreading your questions and replies for grammar, spelling and clarity. 

We occasionally also delete questions and replies. We only do this in certain cases, for example when inappropriate, commercial or offensive content is posted, or if a question/ reply is posted in a language other than English. 

Our editors do their very best to inform topic contributors when their questions or replies are deleted. However, since we currently have no automated system in place for this, it may not be possible in every case.

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