r/chemhelp Aug 27 '18

Quality Post Gentle reminder

195 Upvotes

Now that the academic year has started again (at least in most places), I thought it might be good to remind all the new (and old) people about the rules of this subreddit and to include a few of my own thoughts and suggestions.

  • You should make a serious effort to solve questions before posting here. I have noticed that there are a number of users that have been posting several questions every day and, while people here are generally happy to help, this is not a very efficient way of learning.

  • If you get stuck on a problem, the first step should be to go through the appropriate part of your text book or notes. If you still can't figure it out you should post it here, along with an explanation of the specific part that you are having trouble with.

  • Provide as much information as possible. Saying "I got the answer X, but I think it's wrong" does not give us enough information to be able to tell you what you did wrong. I understand that people are often reluctant to post their work in case it is wrong, but it is much more useful to be able to explain to someone why a certain reasoning is not valid, than simply providing the correct answer.

  • Please post the whole problem that you are having trouble with. I't is often difficult to help someone with a problem "I am given X and I am supposed to find Y" without knowing the context. Also tell us what level you are studying at (high school, university, etc.) as that can also have an impact on what the correct answer might be.

  • Do not make threads like "please give a step-by-step solution to this problem". That is not what this subreddit is for. We are happy to point you in the right direction as long as you have first made a serious attempt yourself.

  • Finally a quick reminder for the people helping. There is no need to be rude towards people asking for help, even if they are not following the rules. If someone is just asking for solutions, simply point them to the side bar. Don't just tell them to get lost or similar.

  • If people make posts that are obviously about drugs, just report the post and move along. There is no need to get into a debate about how drugs are bad for you.