Is Stack Exchange for students?

Question

I mean that can the school studying students (class 10 that i am in) answer questions on stack ? If yes then from where and which part ? My question pertains not only english but also other subjects (maths.stack , physics.stack)

{Because i dont have reputation points so i can't do much on stack and so i feel it quite boring} {this may not be the correct place to post this type of queries but i dont know much about stack and so please dont remove the question before even answering it ...}

Thank you.

Answer 1

Stack Exchange, as a network, does not discriminate between users. If you ask thoughtful questions and give useful answers, you will gain reputation, acquire privileges, and become more respected; it does not matter whether you are still at school or are a university professor.

However; it is more likely that a professor will provide a good question or answer, since "English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts", and a certain level of knowledge and research is expected; other sites have similar policies. (The original site, Stack Overflow, was set up for professional computer programmers to exchange views on complex computer problems). So if your question is "I don't know the answer to question 3 in this week's homework", it is probably not suitable for SE; you should reread the textbook, look up similar questions, and think about what your teacher expects you to know and to do. If your question is "The point glancingly raised in question 3 seems to be unanswerable: hours of research have produced the answer "Yes" in authority X and "No" in authority Y", it will be a fair SE question.

Once your question is asked, though, (or your answer posted) and the authorities (moderators and high-rep users) have decided not to close or delete it, it is up to other users to decide whether it is good or not by voting. This is true of all SE sites, but particularly so of ELU, since the correct use of English is the way English-speakers use it; dictionaries are descriptive, not prescriptive. If you as a new user post a question then I, as a reasonably high-reputation user, might edit it (I should be capitalised) or vote to close for reasons set out on the help page ("class 10" without explanation is unclear); those are privileges you do not yet have. I might also vote on it (up or down); but my vote counts exactly the same as that of anybody else, whether you, your teacher, or Professor John Lawler (probably the most respected user on ELU (sorry, Barrie)).

Answer 2

As others have said, welcome to the Stack Exchange.

I'd like to add one piece of advice: people will take your questions more seriously if you take your own questions more seriously. For example, ELU is a site dedicated to "linguists, etymologists, and (serious) English language enthusiasts," yet in your question, you wrote:

Because i dont have reputation points

which should, of course, be written as:

Because I don't have reputation points

I think any Stack Exchange site appreciates well-thought-out questions (as opposed to a hastily-written ones), but the language sites in particular might frown on improper grammar.

Moreover, each site on the Stack Exchange has its own Help Center, including one page explaining what kinds of questions are welcomed, and another explaining what kind of questions you should avoid asking. I'd recommend looking at that information carefully before diving in.

One last thing: I'd encourage you to look on the web for an answer before asking your question here. If people can find an answer to your question in one minute on Google, they will wonder why you didn't do the same thing, and your question may attract downvotes. Many of the best questions on SE don't simply ask the question, but also summarize what research was performed prior to asking, explain what was found, and provide a clear explanation of why the issue is still unresolved.

Answer 3

Welcome to English Language and Users! Feel free to contribute answers and, for that matter, questions.

The main thing to bear in mind when contributing answers is to put in enough detail for them to stand on their own.

With your help, we're working together to build a library of detailed answers to every question about English language and usage. - tour

Stack Exchange is set up as a Q&A repository, with the intention that questions and answers would benefit future visitors as well as the person who originally asked the question.

As such, try to back your answers with (as appropriate) logical reasoning, links to authoritative sites, citations, dictionary entries, and relevant quotes from pages that you link to, etc.

Some questions require very little, whereas others require quite a bit of work. If you're not sure about a question, ask in comments for clarification before answering. Don't try to guess - or if you feel you can make a good contribution anyway, make it clear in your answer what your assumptions are. It doesn't take very much to gain enough rep to write comments. Take this time to look around. There's a lot of information stashed about the place.

Enjoy your EL&U experience!

Answer 4

SE doesn't discriminate beyond their policies -- which (I think) are for persons aged 13 and up. I'm sure there must be a significant percentage of SE users who are students, between high school and graduate school.

I don't use SE much as a contributor yet (because I feel I don't have something new to say or add), but I suppose answering questions and other community activities gives you reputation points. This makes sense - reward those who contribute with the ability to make greater contributions.

Stick around, explore, answer some questions. All good things will come to those who try.

Answer 5

Sristy, Stack Exchange starts with YOU. Each individual member contributes towards building this question and answer database for the benefit of future readers. Please note that you don't need reputation points to start answering questions here. Once you start giving good answers, you will soon earn enough points to be able to post comments as well.

I am sure there are many questions that you can start answering, but as Lawrence kindly pointed out in the earlier answer, you should first feel confident that your answer is correct, and try to support it with references whenever possible, so that other members can follow your reasoning and also learn more by reading your sources.

I am also new here and found that by reading all the good answers here, writing many answers ourselves, and listening to the constructive comments from senior members, we can quickly learn to write clear answers that include adequate citations. This is a direct case of "learning by doing"!

We need young members with a genuine interest and enthusiasm for these subjects. Your contribution can greatly help new English learners and non-native speakers who post their doubts and questions here.

We learn not only by answering but also by asking questions. You can ask your English language questions here and also ask/answer questions at the closely related 'sister site' English Language Learners Stack Exchange.

I have improved my language, communication and writing skills a lot by writing answers here. So welcome to English Language & Usage website and remember, Stack Exchange starts with YOU!