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Skeptics is a great place to get information on reliable sources and facts. Usually, one posts a claim (one is skeptical about) and the community comes back with really good links or citations for fact-checking.

This made me wonder:

Is Skeptics also the right place to post questions when one is trying to find reliable sources to a specific, but general topic?

Obviously, this is not the case for easily Google-able things (but such post would also be ill-received in general on StackExchange), but if one f.e. wants to know where one could get most reliable data/facts on a certain topic, could he just place that question here?

It is essentially looking for the identical answer and the only difference, really, would be that the question is phrased as:

I want to know about [fact]. What is a reliable source?

instead of

[some source] claimed [fact]. Is it really true? (What is a reliable source?)

And yet, it seems to be a bit off-topic to ask in that way. So, what is the general opinion about these types of questions? And if they don't belong on this site, is there a better StackExchange site for this? And if there isn't, is it worthwhile to suggest it in Area51 ?

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[Note: This is just one opinion - it is the community's choice.]

I am in this to be a soldier in the fight against misinformation being foisted upon an undeserving public.

I am in this to help push toward a world where people aren't casually lied to to push a product or a political party without any fear of consequences or backlash.

I am not in this to be an unpaid Research Assistant on someone's project, to settle some bar bet or to to satisfy someone's idle curiosity.

So, I don't want the site's scope to be extended in this way.

Related question, where the community disagreed with me: Should we limit [quote] questions?

  • Fair point and also part of my own doubts. The 2nd question, however, would be: Is it worthwhile to build such a community on SE, i.e. propose such an idea in the Area51. And would there be enough "partners" willing to support this from this site. – BmyGuest May 28 at 13:52
  • @BmyGuest: I can't answer that, sorry. My apathy toward the idea doesn't mean you might not find a thriving community. – Oddthinking♦ May 28 at 14:12

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