Before asking your first question on Q&A, please read the Guidelines here
How do I ask a question in Q&A?
You can ask a question in Q&A in a few simple steps:
- Go to the Q&A overview page
- Click Ask a technical question or Start discussion
- Enter your question or title in the box provided at the top of the page
- Enter an explanation in the second field and provide as much contextual detail as possible to help other researchers answer your question
- Below the description box, select an option under 'What is your question about?'
- Attach resources that support your question, such as publications, images, graphs, or links (optional). This helps more researchers to see your question so you receive more answers
- Click Add to post your question.
Please note that there is a character limit. If your question exceeds this, the field will have a red outline. You'll have to remove some text before you can post your answer.
Who sees my question?
When you ask a question, it will be seen by your followers and researchers who we think can answer it based on their skills and expertise.
Now that I've asked a question, where can I see it?
To see all of the questions you’ve asked, go to the Q&A overview page and select Questions you asked on the right-hand side. You can also see a list of all the questions you’ve asked by going to your profile’s Research tab and then filtering for Questions on the left-hand side of your Research.
How do I make sure my question gets the best answers?
The key to getting the answers you’re looking for is to keep your questions informative and concise. Always keep in mind that Q&A is where you engage with other scientists on a professional level. Here are a few tips to get the best answers:
- Provide as many details as possible in the explanation field so other researchers have enough information to answer your question.
- Attach resources that support your question, such as publications, images, graphs, or links.
- Formulate your question in clear, concise English, and make sure it’s phrased in the form of a question. This will make sure it stands out to the right researchers.
- Profiles with a photo receive an average of 150% more views, so add a photo to get your question seen by more researchers.