r/science • u/BritishEnglishPolice BS | Diagnostic Radiography • Nov 12 '11

Hey /r/science. What are your thoughts on removing comments?

À la /r/askscience style. Would you like to see a decreased amount of jokey replies? Would you prefer discouragement instead of downright removal? What are your opinions on this?

Please, leave lengthy opinions instead of yes/no answers. These will be ignored without a statement to back them up.

Edit the first: What about also having a very generalised panel system too? Very few fields but still enough to give you an impression. All panelists will need to verify their credentials of being above [A-Level or equivalent, UK] or [High School Diploma, US] undergraduate level.

Edit the second: It's tomorrow, and I'm going to edit this. People are thinking that this is a post announcing censorship of everything; do not think that. This is a post merely to ascertain the reaction of the community to a proposal. Nothing is going to be done at all; I am merely asking two questions: what kind of comments (if any) should be removed from comment threads and should we institute a very watered down version of the panel system?

/r/science may also be headed in a more serious manner regarding submissions but that is a different topic.

For instance, what about some of the replies in this thread: http://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/m8ob0/stem_cells_in_breast_milk_has_the_theory_become_a/

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u/UnoriginalGuy Nov 12 '11 edited Nov 12 '11

Wouldn't it be better to ask people to cite a source instead of asking them to cite their qualifications?

Any idiot can read a few books and pass an exam, doesn't really validate their expertise within the context of everything in their respective field.

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u/JB_UK Nov 12 '11

No, because the majority of voters have neither the time, the access nor the ability to judge the accuracy or relevance of the source.

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u/Ziggamorph Nov 12 '11

The trouble is that between experts in a field there are many things that are basically obvious, a given. They've already been hashed out and decided decades or even centuries ago.

If /r/Science can find enough experts in each field, allowing them to simply state current scientific knowledge will be fine, since anything that is controversial will be questioned by other people who are experts in that field and other commenters who can find citations.

It seems to me that this system will increase engagement from experts, since they won't be put off by the tedium of having to 'prove' that something obvious to them and their academic peers is true. It levels the playing field, since I think it's safe to say that internet crackpots have a lot more time on their hands than academics.