Asking Good Questions

Asking Good Questions
Author

Anyesha Ray

Published

January 26, 2023

Prompt:

Asking good questions is a valuable skill to have - asking questions in an online setting is both easier and harder than asking questions in person: we can prepare to ask a question but we are also expected to prepare. The links posted here give some advice on how to ask good questions:

Follow these links and read through the advice given, then

  1. Pick at least one question from stackoverflow or the R help and answer it.

Write a blog post answering the following questions:

  1. Document which question you answered (link to your answer). https://stackoverflow.com/questions/75204993/merge-two-csv-files-based-on-row-information/75205639#75205639
  2. Relate your experience of answering the question to your reading.

Based on my reading there are a couple things that we should do when asking a question: - Make sure your question is on-topic and suitable for this site - Search, and research - Write a title that summarizes the specific problem - Introduce the problem before you post any code - Help others reproduce the problem - Include all relevant tags - Proofread before posting - Respond to feedback after posting -(From https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask)

The question I answered would not be considered a good question. While the question was on topic and had an appropriate title, it was not researched and not reproducible. The question was about merging two csv files, and I am sure that question has already been asked before. Also, they gave a description of the data, but it was not very detailed. I answered the question based on what I assumed the data looked like, but the question could have been more descriptive. From looking around on Stack Exchange, it is more difficult than you think to ask a good question.

Instructions to follow.