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Many questions on the site share the feature of seeking clarification regarding content found in a third source that seems authoritative, such as a printed textbook or online site. An example is this recent q regarding content in the turkish Wikipedia.

These questions can be similar to amirite questions which seek to confirm whether the OPs train of thought regarding solution of a problem is sensible. However in the case of "source accuracy verification" questions the OP is facing a greater challenge to acceptance of their own conclusions.

Such questions could be rejected on the recommendation that the OP turn to other sources or search the site more carefully. However that is not always helpful or a practical solution for the OP to implement and puts into question the purpose of this site.

My recommendation is to be more lenient when encountering such questions. They are particularly difficult for the OP to answer on their own, and the usefulness of this site is greatly enhanced by answering such questions.

What opinions have you?

(Thanks to @NilayGhosh for pointing out that there is an tag for such questions).

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Questions about errors or inconsistencies in reputable sources (textbook) or peer-reviewed/wiki sources seem valuable to me.

On the other hand, if you don’t feel like that, go ahead and vote down those questions.

The criteria for putting new users on a break are too harsh, I think. Sure, a new user who urgently needs an answer to a somewhat basic question might be annoying to some of us, but the system should not discourage them from asking these questions and asking follow-up questions in the comments.

Questions about incorrect answers on Chegg or Quora etc. are useless, of course, and deserve downvotes and closure, in my opinion.

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  • $\begingroup$ I think people will happily ignore your opinion (or mine) and do as they wish. The question is whether they should do this. In other words, can you convince others that it is worthwhile to not downvote? $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn Mod
    Commented Mar 5 at 9:52
  • $\begingroup$ "the system should not discourage them from asking these questions and asking follow-up questions in the comments" Ok, the system provides downvoting as a way to discourage participation, so I guess you think people should not downvote such questions. Also, I disagree on the second to last point, but that's an opinion that tends to fluctuate. "This is not a forum". "Comments section is for clarification not extended discussions" etc.... $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn Mod
    Commented Mar 5 at 9:54
  • $\begingroup$ Chegg and quora are arguably not authoritative. Are we more so (we try to be but) ? We often link to other answers on this site as correct or supporting evidence. Where to draw the line? $\endgroup$
    – Buck Thorn Mod
    Commented Mar 5 at 9:58
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    $\begingroup$ We do have a tag called erratum specifically for such type of questions. But it's again good to not challenge sites like Chegg or any other generic homework delivery sites (cc @BuckThorn). $\endgroup$
    – Nilay Ghosh
    Commented Mar 12 at 4:09

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