Forum:CT:Reference desk rules

Forums > Consensus track archive > CT:Reference desk rules

This page is an archive of a community-wide discussion. This page is no longer live. Further comments should be made in the Senate Hall or new Consensus Track pages rather than here so that this page is preserved as a historic record.
The result of the debate was rules already adopted. jSarek 03:32, 9 December 2007 (UTC)


Proposed rules

  • These are all I can think of at the moment:
    1. No versus threads. Meaning no "Palpatine vs Nihilus" or "Executor vs Viscount" or anything like that.
    2. No questions about other universes. In some ways an extension of the previous rule. No "Death Star vs Borg."
    3. Answers must be independently verifiable. With page numbers, if possible.
    4. No wild fan theories. I'm not naming names, but you all know what I'm talking about. -- Darth Culator (Talk)(Kills) 14:26, 5 February 2007 (UTC)
  • More rules:
    1. No ahem biology-related questions (wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more). OK, we'll be more specific and technical when we actually write the rules.
    2. Questions may or may not be answered in a reasonable amount of time.
    3. All talk-page questions not directly related to improving an article will be directed here.
    4. The Exile is female. Shut up about it.
    5. All standard rules of Wiki/Wookiee decorum apply (NPA, NOR, DBD, etc.).
  • Come on, people. Refine the idea, don't just reject it. -- Darth Culator (Talk)(Kills) 20:36, 5 February 2007 (UTC)

Comments

  • Can we try and keep the questions down to ones that can be answered with a simple link to an article? Hence...referencing people on? .... 08:06, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
    • Most questions would probably be answerable that way anyhow -- but also, wasn't one purpose for the ref desk to point out what articles we don't have, but should? —Gonk (Gonk!) 18:04, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
  • I know during the Mofference we discussed the IRC in reference to the ref desk. Might I suggest the following somewhere on the main ref desk page: "If you need an answer fast (and are willing to possibly sacrifice thoroughness to get it), visit the Wookieepedia IRC channel. Also, if you have a stupid question, or one that violates the (ref desk)'s rules, visit the IRC channel so you can be properly shamed." —Gonk (Gonk!) 18:04, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
  • These look pretty good. I would add "No speculatory questions," which is related to the ban on versus threads. Things like "What would happen if you ejected into hyperspace" are ok, because that has a canonical answer. But we definitely want to ban things like "What would happen if Anakin lost the podrace?" -LtNOWIS 20:55, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
  • I propose, in addition to the normal rules, a list (linked from the main ref desk page) of specific Questions to Not Ask, drawn from actual submissions as they come in. Kind of like an always-shameful version of the IRC's QDB. —Gonk (Gonk!) 22:42, 22 March 2007 (UTC)
  • I propose an additional rule: no questions for which an objective answer cannot be given, only answers that depend on a point of view. An actual example is Forum:Would the universe have been better if Qui-gon didn't die?, which I deleted. - Sikon 09:19, 19 April 2007 (UTC)