In the help center, there are many links that contain standard information which is the same on all SE sites.
The most personalized link on all sites is "What topics can I ask about here?"
We decide what goes there. As an example, here is math.stackexchange.com's page:
What topics can I ask about here?
Mathematics Stack Exchange is for people studying mathematics at any level and professionals in related fields. We welcome questions about:
Understanding mathematical concepts and theorems Hints on mathematical problems (but please read our FAQ about homework questions) History and development of mathematics Solving mathematical puzzles Software that mathematicians use Before you ask, however, maybe you want to peruse our list of common math questions?
There are certain subjects that, while still being on-topic here, you can get better response on our sister sites:
- Research-level mathematics — Math Overflow
- Research level algorithm design, complexity theory, etc — Theoretical Computer Science - Stack Exchange
- Algorithm implementation/design, computer simulation and modelling, etc — Stack Overflow
- Other computer science topics — Computer Science - Stack Exchange
- Statistical analysis — Statistical Analysis - Stack Exchange
- Numerical analysis and scientific computing — Computational Science - Stack Exchange
- The use of the software package Mathematica — Mathematica - Stack Exchange
And some kinds of questions are considered off-topic:
- Physics, engineering and financial questions — it is fine to ask the mathematical model and techniques, but concepts of the field would be off-topic. You should instead ask those questions at other Stack Exchange sites such as:
- Physics - Stack Exchange
- Electrical Engineering - Stack Exchange
- Quantitative Finance - Stack Exchange
- Typesetting equations — you can read our guideline for writing equations on this site, or visit TeX, LaTeX and Friends for questions about TeX
- Numerology
- Questions about the site itself — please ask on meta instead
For more help, see "What types of questions should I avoid asking?"
Our interface supports the use of MathJax by using a LaTeX-like syntax after enclosing mathematics expressions in dollar signs $ [put math expression here] $. For a quick tutorial and command reference, please see this FAQ item; see also this Meta discussion for some additional pointers and references. ack Exchange communities are democratically created.
For a less elaborate example, there is academia.se:
This site is for academics of all levels—from aspiring graduate and professional students to senior researchers—as well as anyone in or interested in research-related or research-adjacent fields. If you have a question about...
- Life as a graduate student, postdoctoral researcher, university professor
- Transitioning from undergraduate to graduate researcher
- Inner workings of research departments
- Requirements and expectations of academicians
- University-level pedagogy
... then you're in the right place!
To help people answer your question, please recognize that this forum is frequented by academicians from across the globe, from across diverse fields research, and with a wide range of experience, from first-year graduate student to tenured professor. State your question as much context as you can to help ensure that you'll receive a directed, relevant answer.
Can I ask questions about my specific situation?
You should not ask "a question that will help only me," but rather "a question that will help people like me." If your question is so limited as to be useful only to you, consider broadening the scope so others can learn from your question as well. As a general rule, if you're asking about a particular institution, course, or journal, it's likely your question is too limited in scope. Try to extract the fundamental question from the specific problem at hand.
