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The way I see it for now (and I reserve the right to change my mind in response to discussion in response to this :-))

All of these points are valid for both questions and answers in the standard Q&A category as well; it's just that, in *Researched Q&A*, we take the normal *nice to haves* and bump many of them to more like *requirements*.

# Questions

Questions in the *Researched Q&A* category should:

 * Be well-researched. This isn't the place to drop random ideas just for the fun of it. Take some time to consider the implications of what you are asking about. Try to *anticipate* follow-up questions, and handle them prematurely in the question (without going overboard). You don't need to have every answer, but at least show that you understand potential issues surrounding whatever you're asking about.
 * Be clearly explained. Take some extra time to show that you have done your homework. Be extra specific about what you want help with, or what you want answers to focus on.
 * Be supported with references, equations, or empirical evidence based on current, widely-accepted science. *This doesn't mean that your question cannot be about imaginary things!* It's *fine* to ask a *Researched Q&A* question about, say, faster-than-light travel, or terraforming, or shapeshifters. However, in that case, you *must* specify enough about how they work so that answerers can reason about them rigorously. Be prepared to get questions about whatever fictious element you're introducing, if any, and answer those by editing the question to include additional information. *In the absence of any special mentions in the question*, answerers should be able to assume that the world you're asking about works exactly like our real world.

# Answers

Answers in the *Researched Q&A* category should:

 * Be well-researched. Don't just say something because you've heard someone mention it, or because you've come across it somewhere. Make sure it actually applies in the first place. (For example, is the formula you're using *appropriate* for the problem you're trying to solve?)
 * Be clearly explained. This of course applies everywhere, but goes double in *Researched Q&A* because answers there are likely to rely on specialist knowledge of some kind. Don't just give the answer, but also take extra steps to describe how you *arrived* at that answer. (For example, explain *why* you choose to use that particular formula to derive a particular value.)
 * Be supported with references, equations, or empirical evidence. *Show your work!* The concept of the World Wide Web was born out of researchers' desires to share their work and easily cross-link between it. You don't necessarily have to link to scientific papers, although if you can, that's a bonus (but don't rely on others having access to the full paper, unless it's open access). Make sure to summarize the salient point from what you're linking to *as it relates to the answer you're writing*. (For example, insert the formula, with appropriate values, and describe why you're using it and what the value you're using it to calculate means, *in the context of the answer*.)
 * ...based on current, widely-accepted science. This isn't the place for one's pet fringe idea. If you base your answer to a significant degree on retracted scientific papers, superceded scientific knowledge, or claims that are either widely disputed by established scientists in the appropriate field, or go against widely accepted scientific knowledge, then you're probably going about this the wrong way. (For example, if you base your answer on the premise that the speed of light is infinite, unless that's actually somehow postulated in the question, your answer is probably not going to be particularly helpful.) *This doesn't mean that answerers cannot make reasonable extrapolations!* For an example of how one might extrapolate in answers, uplifted animals don't exist in our world, but it's possible to make plausible extrapolations of fields such as genetic engineering that, while challenging in engineering terms, are *plausible* scientifically; such extrapolations are allowed, but should be clearly indicated as such.

I would like to add another little detail: *Don't rush!* Particularly people who post in the Researched Q&A category should recognize that it will probably take longer before they get an answer, because the requirements they place on answers by posting there are higher. Take the time to make your answer as good as you possibly can, at a minimum meeting the category criteria; then consider whether there is any way at all you can make it even better.