Questions tagged [general-reference]
The general-reference tag has no usage guidance.
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Commonly-available reference issue
This user posted this answer in October 2018.
I have an issue with the link they have provided.
The user has provided a definition from the OED and a link that takes you to the OED's homepage.
The ...
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Is this question about Boners too simple for E.L.U. or not, and if it is, should it be migrated to E.L.L?
We were just having a little debate about the question What does it mean to give someone boners? in chat, and it strikes me as a rather borderline case. The matter under consideration was whether or ...
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How does the current version of the "cyan" pronunciation question not show research?
How is "cyan" pronounced and where is the stress?
Note that the question covers both the pronunciation of the vowel and the position of the stress. I edited this post to quote dictionaries, ...
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What Are The Implications of Closed Questions on Authors?
I am new to Stack Exchange and would like to know how greatly having one of your questions closed is detrimental and if such possible "offenses" end up penalizing your account in any way (especially ...
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Update the "list of community recommended resources"
Quoting from the help center:
Where can I find answers to simple and basic questions?
If your question is simple and can probably be easily answered by
looking it up, then you may find common online ...
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Proposal: Add a "too basic"/"uninteresting" off-topic option
Also see: Proposal: Require a whitelisted URL to close as General Reference
It is clear that many close-voters use the "commonly available references" option as a catchall for questions that they ...
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Proposal: Require a whitelisted URL to close as General Reference
Also see: Proposal: Add a “too basic”/“uninteresting” off-topic option
It is clear that many close-voters use the "commonly available references" option as a catchall for questions that they just don'...
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Show Me the Reference!
It's time for everyone's favorite game show, Show Me the Reference! The following seven questions were each placed on hold as general reference within the past week:
Is it correct to use an ...
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Question is on hold - should it be? What is considered a "general reference"?
My question is put on hold for being off-topic: How do I pronounce the name "Aurelius"?
Since I wasn't exactly sure what the "general reference" reason actually is (When looking at the Help ...
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General Reference = general clairvoyance?
This question asked what you call those words that sound like the sound they make. It was closed as general reference. Really!? How the hell is the guy supposed to look up the answer when he doesn't ...
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Why was this grammar question closed as general reference?
The question What does “would not have been possible had I remained” mean? was closed as general reference.
It's a grammar question. Of course any grammar question can be looked up in a grammar ...
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About Reference Questions
It seems that we must once again clarify what questions should and should not be closed with the close reason:
Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic. A ...
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Please help define the limits of General Reference
As mentioned here, the General Reference close reason is dead. In its place, I've added a custom "off-topic" option:
Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are ...
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Why is this question not GR?
Why is this question not GR?
What phrase is “o'clock” contracting?
See:
o'clock
Of or according to the clock: three o'clock.
and:
o'clock
c.1720, abbreviation of of the clock (...
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Short answers to GR (General Reference) questions should not be converted to comments
Short answers to GR (General Reference) questions should not be converted to comments. The best way to deal with a short answer to a GR question is the usual way: close the GR question, and ultimately ...
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Providing links to ELL
Can a descriptive link to the ELL proposal be added to one or more of the following?
The FAQ
The General Reference description
A block in the sidebar or, if not, then as a sticky link in the "...
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Why was the amber/yellow lights question closed as general reference?
My question Amber or yellow lights was closed as general reference. I do not understand why: what general reference?
The one reference that was cited in a comment is the Wikipedia article about the ...
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What good reference works on English are available?
Questions that can be answered using commonly-available references are off-topic.
What good reference works on English are available, and what kinds of questions are they good at answering?
General ...
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What is a "General Reference": Wikipedia? TV Tropes? Urban Dictionary?
I ask because the question "https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/10659/what-does-tldr-mean#comment111627_10659" has been closed as general reference, but the only links I see are:
http://en....
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Google is not General Reference
The description for the "General Reference" close reason states,
This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently
answered by a single link to a standard internet reference ...
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Is the *lingua franca* question to be closed as "General Reference"?
This question asks about the etymology of the term lingua franca. It can be looked up on Etymonline or Wikipedia with satisfactory result. But this isn't a word definition, and I actually found the ...
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What is the General Reference qualification for questions on word or phrase origin?
Piggy backing off of "How important is a word origin?", what level of an etymology question is safe to close as general reference?
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