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As it was pointed out in chat, Skeptics has the following disclaimer when asking a question:

Disclaimer

Our site has a disclaimer displayed when new users try to answer questions also, but ours currently looks like:

CogSci Disclaimer

Your Answer

Thanks for contributing an answer to Cognitive Sciences - Stack Exchange!

  • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

But avoid …

  • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
  • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.

Are we happy with our new user answer disclaimer, or do we want to change the wording at all?

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  • Yes, I think this would be a good idea-- something similar to Skeptics would be nice. Was this the original warning message or did they once have a generic one like us? Do they have data on the percentage of questions from new users that were closed prior to changing the wording of the question? – Jeff Apr 5 '13 at 4:17
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    Personally, my answer is an emphatic YES PLEASE. There are lots of low-quality answers floating about with no actual information, that boil down to "That happens to me" or "That doesn't happen to me". – Krysta Sep 4 '14 at 20:42
  • Viz. to wit., the answers to cogsci.stackexchange.com/questions/4808/…. Entirely anecdotal and philosophy-based; the question may be on-topic, but the answers sure aren't. – Krysta Jan 6 '15 at 17:40
  • Please, please, please add this. What is the obstacle here? Who makes these changes? – Christian Hummeluhr Mar 20 '15 at 17:33
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    @Christian please post an answer proposing what change you'd like to see made to the existing message so the community can vote on it. Thanks! – Josh Mar 20 '15 at 18:13
  • @JoshGitlin I'm done with the computer for tonight, but I'm on it first thing in the morning, boss. – Christian Hummeluhr Mar 20 '15 at 18:18
  • Did you mean to write "disclaimer when answering a question:", rather than "disclaimer when asking a question:"? Can we modify both? – Steven Jeuris♦ Apr 22 '15 at 12:44
  • We can modify the disclaimer when answering questions, however we need to contact a community moderator to make those changes, thus we will need to showcase considerable agreement. I believe the help section is shown to new users asking questions, which we can also modify to some degree. – Steven Jeuris♦ Apr 23 '15 at 16:42
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New answer notification proposal:

I tried to keep the lengths identical (8 lines).

Thanks for contributing an answer to Cognitive Sciences - Stack Exchange! The best response to a Cognitive Science - Stack Exchange question answers the question, the whole question, and nothing but the question. Please consider these questions:

  • Is my response a self-contained answer to the question as it was asked?
  • Is my answer concise, or does it contain unnecessary information?
  • Is my answer based on verifiable information, or on anecdotal experience?
  • Have I provided enough sources for a reader to verify my answer?

To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.

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  • Hmm, I prefer Skeptic's phrasing much more. "nothing but the question" is also taking it a bit too far. – Steven Jeuris♦ Apr 22 '15 at 12:43
  • As I said in chat, someone less abrasive should probably write this. :) – Christian Hummeluhr Apr 22 '15 at 14:01
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I agree. I'd like to make this a red flashing warning on all scientific boards. After some accident I'd make that a flashing <H1> on chemistry.stackeschange.com where wrong advice can kill you if you're naive enough to trust it.

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