Questions tagged [close-reasons]

The tag has no usage guidance.

Filter by
Sorted by
Tagged with
0 votes
1 answer
22 views

Is it a problem when the original claim has ambiguities?

I've seen this happen a few times on this site, most recently with my own question Are 20% of automobile drivers under the influence of marijuana? . Some users asked me about whether I expected an ...
Robert Columbia's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
120 views

Closed because it lacks focus. But there's only one question. What to do?

The question about the Arizona 2021 recount is closed and the message says: Update the question so it focuses on one problem only. I am finding it challenging to make the question more focused than ...
Mari-Lou A's user avatar
  • 1,041
1 vote
2 answers
62 views

Please configure display texts for custom close reasons

As of several weeks ago, questions closed as off-topic on skeptics.SE display a banner indicating that they are off-topic but without any information on exactly which custom off-topic close reason the ...
jwodder's user avatar
  • 494
0 votes
0 answers
84 views

My new close reason: "the claim itself is too vague (and unremarkable)"

I've always had qualms about "unclear what you're asking" being a bit problematic on Skeptics because it's not clear who is "you" in there. Due to the Skeptics question format, which is about ...
Fizz's user avatar
  • 57.1k
8 votes
3 answers
306 views

Should we close question about claims taken from reputable peer-reviewed publications?

I'm seeing an increase in questions that cite as their source of claim an article that would itself count as a reputable source for this site. It's from a reputable source, it's peer reviewed, or it ...
DJClayworth's user avatar
  • 57.4k
-2 votes
1 answer
63 views

Reopen "white people crimes" question

This question: "White people" crime? was closed as duplicate of this one: Are white people more likely to commit mass murder in the United States? They are clearly two very different ...
ventsyv's user avatar
  • 7,136
1 vote
2 answers
113 views

How can this question be closed?

Would a full scale Thermonuclear War create centuries of Nuclear Winter? This question has been closed as duplicate of this question: Do we have enough nuclear weapons to wipe out all of humanity? ...
user6119's user avatar
  • 101
1 vote
1 answer
61 views

Where is the line between primarily opinion based and not

This question about the reliability of RationalWiki was closed as primarily opinion based. If a similar question were asked about Wikipedia, I think that question could have a definite fact-based ...
BobTheAverage's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

Can users close questions regardless?

Is the community of users allowed to vote to close a question for no particularly good reason? For example if a lot of people see a question they don't like (and want to close it), and none of the ...
ChrisW's user avatar
  • 26.6k
-6 votes
3 answers
317 views

Biblical claim isn't notable? Really?

So there's this question: Could a man survive in the belly of a fish for 3 days? It was closed for not being "notable enough". Apparently not enough people in the world believe in a literal ...
LCIII's user avatar
  • 2,077
3 votes
1 answer
92 views

Request support with this question: Do US vaccines increase the risk of cancer?

I asked this question: Do US vaccines increase the risk of cancer? It was put on hold by Oddthinking with a request that I focus on one claim at a time. That's a clear and reasonable request, so ...
Reinstate Monica - Goodbye SE's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
85 views

Two similar questions, one closed, one open, why?

Here are two very similar questions (and even used the same picture): Is this a photo of Margaret Hamilton standing next to Apollo Project code that she wrote? Was this pile of code written by a ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
114 views

Can we reopen my question about ISIS and antimuslim backlash?

My Question "Is an anti-Muslim backlash an explicit policy goal of ISIS?" is on hold as of now. The story so far: I asked the question in a similar form, it was put on hold as too broad (or so). ...
mart's user avatar
  • 568
2 votes
1 answer
155 views

Why my UFO question has been closed and removed?

My question: I've found UFO on Google Maps, what is it? has been closed as off-topic. It seems there are lot of questions about UFO here, like: Is this a genuine UFO sighting or a hoax? (which is ...
kenorb's user avatar
  • 512
1 vote
2 answers
154 views

Why is the Charlie Brown question closed?

Why is https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/28207/2703 closed by @LarianLeQuella? It apparently passed @Sklivvz's inspection with only a title edit. Should I have not answered it, and flagged or ...
ChrisW's user avatar
  • 26.6k
9 votes
4 answers
495 views

Why is the mass-shooting question locked/closed?

The following question is currently under a temporary lock, and I expect it to be closed soon. https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/28146/what-are-the-rates-of-mass-shootings-in-various-...
Oddthinking's user avatar
  • 140k
4 votes
1 answer
151 views

Why is this question on hold and marked as primarily opinion based?

This question related to sound from the Sun is on hold for primarily opinion based. I have provided multiple articles which are discussing the subject. Could you please explain what it makes an ...
MoonMind's user avatar
  • 101
8 votes
3 answers
115 views

Asking questions about things everyone has heard but there are no studies for

So my first question was put on-hold because it didn't fit site guidelines about there needing to be a published study making the claim I'm asking about. The mod is right--there aren't a lot of ...
LCIII's user avatar
  • 2,077
3 votes
1 answer
62 views

Close reason for medical advice questions

It sometimes happens that people mistake Skeptics for a medical forum, and ask medical advice. While this doesn't happen that often, if we had a custom reason, we could make sure all these questions ...
Sklivvz's user avatar
  • 78.6k
0 votes
1 answer
32 views

How to improve 'Do you learn, remember, and understand more from reading on paper than on screen?'

I wrote the question so am necessarily biased. Would someone more experienced here and more learned in writing advise on rewriting or perhaps edit it directly, with the goal of having this question ...
user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
63 views

How was it decided that this question is non-notable? [closed]

https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/q/22831/5582 This question is basically non-notable... As far as I can tell, it meets our standards of notability.
user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
179 views

Should questions about "motivation" of organizations, rather than individuals, be considered OT?

I've just had my question Was Aeroflot SU2074 intended target in MH17 shooting? closed with reason "This question is about motivations, as such, it's off topic.". This of course refers to Politics, ...
vartec's user avatar
  • 26.6k
3 votes
8 answers
156 views

What should our new off-topic close reasons be?

All close reasons are going to be significantly changed in the very near future, and we're getting the ability to define our own off-topic subreasons. There is one extremely obvious close reason that ...
Mad Scientist's user avatar
  • 43.7k
1 vote
3 answers
107 views

How should we define a question as "too localized"?

Recently there was a question about a quote made by Adria Richards that I objected to on two grounds, one being the notability and the other being (more subtly at first) that the question is too ...
rjzii's user avatar
  • 16.9k
1 vote
1 answer
130 views

Republicans racism, study correlation Democrats sound,

There have been some interesting actions taken by the Moderators on this forum regarding this question. Is racial resentment towards African Americans correlated with Republicans support of VoterID? ...
user1873's user avatar
  • 8,941
1 vote
2 answers
146 views

I have been told my question is unsuitable. I don't understand why

I have been told my question asking about facial features and nationality is unsuitable. This is after I did extensive cleaning up and editing. In the comments there is no question that the claim is ...
Sonny Ordell's user avatar
  • 8,705
15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Should we allow the Santa question?

The Santa question was closed without making the reason explicit in the comments: should the Santa question be allowed here? If not - why not?
Sklivvz's user avatar
  • 78.6k
9 votes
3 answers
752 views

Random claims from fantasy stories and movies

Here is a question from a TV-series, if I read the comments right: Is it true that if you die in your dream, you die in real life? (Charmed). Well - we can ask whether it is possible to dive into a ...
user unknown's user avatar
  • 3,968
2 votes
4 answers
70 views

Should Skeptics.SE have a more refined process for revising / modifying / closing a question?

Recently I am humbled and had to acknowledge my mistake to make the question more attention-grabbing than is necessary, and deviating from the original claim, the latter of which I believe is ...
user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
82 views

Closing "how significant" questions?

According to Skeptics' standards, the question is an answer already, as the research in question is made by [a] most respectable institution and published as peer-reviewed paper in respectable journal....
Larry OBrien's user avatar
  • 15.1k
0 votes
2 answers
71 views

Delete or close non-constructive questions

Recently Borror0 deleted a couple questions (one he has posted and one I had). My question asked whether economic bubbles could be predicted, and his was whether the extinction of bees would cause the ...
Brian M. Hunt's user avatar
14 votes
8 answers
2k views

Politics, beliefs and motivations questions should not be allowed here.

These questions should be made off-topic because they are not answerable based on available evidence. In other words, there is nothing scientific in the investigation of the evidence. Also, they may ...
Sklivvz's user avatar
  • 78.6k
3 votes
4 answers
339 views

Creating energy out of air/nothing

Ought the following two questions be deemed to be identical for the purposes of Skeptics? Did Tesla say that one could get or transmit energy through thin air Are there technologies that provide ...
Brian M. Hunt's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
481 views

How are the Fukushima questions "too localized"?

The questions Is Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster "on par" with Chernobyl? and Can a "second Chernobyl" happen at the nuclear reactors damaged by the tsunami in Japan? were ...
Andrew Grimm's user avatar
  • 38.9k
0 votes
2 answers
66 views

Questions involving groups of people - when do they have answers?

Questions about groups of people can be vague to fallacious -- the fallacy being that a group can be treated as an individual... Consider: Are religious people happier? What does this mean: Who is ...
Paul's user avatar
  • 5,390
3 votes
1 answer
61 views

Why is the "not a real question" close reason unavailable?

I was going to close this question as "not a real question": not a real question: It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or ...
Borror0's user avatar
  • 7,581