In an effort to maintain the integrity of this site and to provide a comfortable environment for people to communicate, we ask that you please follow these Guidelines when posting on this site. These guidelines are global and apply to every area of this site. Mentors may choose to enact specific guidelines for their forum, which are to be taken as an extension to the global guidelines when posting and visiting that specific forum. These specific guidelines are usually sticky topics placed at the top of the specific forum.
Any comments posted on the Physics Forums that violate our Guidelines are routinely removed.
We reserve the right to close the accounts of persistent violators of these Rules of Conduct at any time and without warning.
(i) All posts must be in English--posts in other languages will be deleted;
(ii) Only one account/username per person; multiple accounts are not allowed--no sockpuppets;
(iii) Only one person per account/username--accounts are not to be shared.
All messages express the views of the author, and neither the owners of Physics Forums nor its developers will be held responsible for the content of any message.
Posting Guidelines:
When posting a new topic, please select the forum that best relates to the subject matter of your topic. If you are unsure, contact a mentor or the admin. Posting the same topic (or homework question) across multiple forums or multiple threads is considered spamming and is not allowed. (No cross-posting.)
Do not hijack an existing thread with off-topic comments or questions--start a new thread.
Any off-topic posts will be deleted or moved to an appropriate forum per administrator or mentor discretion.
Please clearly state what you wish to discuss. In general, one should attempt to flesh out questions and arguments adequately enough that readers will have a good understanding of the issue.
When posting a new topic do not use the CAPS lock (all-CAPS), bold, oversized, or brightly colored fonts, or any combination thereof. They are hard to read and are considered yelling. When replying in an existing topic it is fine to use CAPS or bold to highlight main points.
In the interest of conveying ideas as clearly as possible, posts are required to show reasonable attention to written English communication standards. This includes the use of proper grammatical structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. SMS messaging shorthand, such as using "u" for "you", is not acceptable.
Replying to Posts:
Please use the correct buttons! If you wish to quote a previous post in your reply, use the "Quote" button; if you do not, use the "New Reply" button. (DO NOT use the "Report" button to reply to a post.)
When you quote from a post, please delete large sections that are not directly relevant to your response, to make reading easier, but do not distort the original poster's meaning in the process. You may add colors or change the font of words or phases for emphasis, provided that you state explicitly that you have done so. Other forms of purposeful misquoting are dishonest and are not permitted.
Homework Help:
On posting questions: Any and all high school and undergraduate homework assignments or textbook style exercises for which you are seeking assistance are to be posted in the appropriate forum in our
Homework & Coursework Questions area--not in blogs, visitor messages, PMs, or the main technical forums. This should be done whether the problem is part of one's assigned coursework or just independent study. The reason for this is that the scientific and mathematical sections of Physics Forums are to be reserved for discussions and not academic assistance. Since graduate level assignments are meant to be more thought provoking (and hence more worthy of discussion), graduate level questions will be allowed in the relevant part of the main section of PF, provided that the graduate student attempts the problem and shows his work. NOTE: You MUST show that you have attempted to answer your question in order to receive help. You MUST make use of the homework template, which automatically appears when a new topic is created in the homework help forums.
We do not support
cheating in any form: Do not ask for solution manuals, answers to exams, or instructor's manuals. Every school and instructor has their own policies or honor codes on what constitutes cheating, and it is up to the individual student to adhere to those policies when seeking help here. If you are in doubt as to whether you are permitted to seek help, consider erring on the side of caution and not asking for help.
On helping with questions: Any and all assistance given to homework assignments or textbook style exercises should be given only after the questioner has shown some effort in solving the problem. If no attempt is made then the questioner should be asked to provide one before any assistance is given. Under no circumstances should complete solutions be provided to a questioner, whether or not an attempt has been made.
Overly Speculative Posts:
One of the main goals of PF is to help students learn the current status of physics as practiced by the scientific community; accordingly, Physicsforums.com strives to maintain high standards of academic integrity. There are many open questions in physics, and we welcome discussion on those subjects provided the discussion remains intellectually sound. It is against our Posting Guidelines to discuss, in most of the PF forums or in blogs, new or non-mainstream theories or ideas that have not been published in professional peer-reviewed journals or are not part of current professional mainstream scientific discussion. Personal theories/Independent Research may be submitted to our
Independent Research Forum, provided they meet our
Independent Research Guidelines; Personal theories posted elsewhere will be deleted. Poorly formulated personal theories, unfounded challenges of mainstream science, and overt crackpottery will not be tolerated
anywhere on the site. Linking to obviously "crank" or "crackpot" sites is prohibited.
Attachments & Links:
Images, material or links to images and or material whether real, satirical or implied depicting obscene, indecent, lewd, pornographic, violent, abusive, insulting, or threatening in nature are not permitted on this bulletin board. This includes Gifs or cartoons.
Guidelines on Language and Attitude:
Foul or hostile language will not be tolerated on Physics Forums. This includes profanity, obscenity, or obvious indecent language; direct personal attacks or insults; snide remarks or phrases that appear to be an attempt to "put down" another member; and other indirect attacks on a member's character or motives.
Please treat all members with respect, even if you do not agree with them. If you feel that you have been attacked, and the moderators or mentors have not yet gotten around to doing something about it, please report it using the "Report" button. If you choose to post a response, address only the substantive content, constructively, and ignore any personal remarks.
It is better to walk away from a possible confontation and come back later with constructive arguments.
Religious Discussion Guidelines:
Discussions that assert the
a priori truth or falsity of religious dogmas and belief systems, or value judgments stemming from such religious belief systems, will not be tolerated. As a rule of thumb, some topics pertaining to religion might be permissible if they are discussed in such a way so as to remain neutral on the truth of, or value judgments stemming from, religious belief systems. However, it is essential to use good judgment whenever discussing religious matters to ensure that the discussion does not degenerate into a messy dispute. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Because of the complexity and ambiguity of this subject matter, there are no hard and fast moderation rules that apply over all possible cases. Ultimately, it is up to the administrators and mentors to decide what is appropriate and what it not on a case-by-case basis.
Discuss religious matters at your own risk: Administrators and mentors retain the right to lock or delete any religious thread or post at any time without warning or explanation. All administrator and mentor action taken with regard to religious discussions will be final and will not be up for dispute.
Religious proselytizing is strictly prohibited! PF is not the place to promote or discuss particular religious dogma.
Conspiracy Theories/Closed Topics:
Discussion of conspiracy theories and certain perennial pseudoscience topics that have been "debunked" beyond any reasonable doubt are not allowed anywhere on the site. A list of such closed topics can be found in the
post below.
Illegal/Dangerous Activities:
Explicit "how to" discussions of illegal and/or dangerous activities, or posts advocating such activities, are prohibited; such as: how to make explosives, manufacture crack, steal software, hack into the CIA, ...
Additional details regarding discussion of controlled substances and chemicals can be found in the
Chemistry Forum Guidelines.
PM Guidelines:
If exclusively personal contact is needed, use the Private Message system. Do not post a topic where only one member is expected to answer. The administrator reserves the right to, and can, view all private messages.
Copyright Guidelines:
Copyright infringement is illegal. Physics Forums will enforce the law. Never post an article in its entirety. When posting copyrighted material, please use small sections or link to the article. When posting copyrighted material please give credit to the author in your post.
Solicitations for copyrighted materials of any form will not be permitted. Advertisement of locations where copyrighted materials may be obtained will not be permitted.
Advertising/Spam:
Advertising for personal gain of any kind is not permitted in any forum. Commercial spam will result in an immediate ban. Posting science website links will be permitted occasionally, but will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Linking to obviously "crank" or "crackpot" sites is prohibited.
Contact Guidelines:
When contacting me or a specific mentor please make use of our Private Message system or email us. Do not post a topic in a forum regarding your situation.
If you have a question or comment about how a thread or post has been moderated, please send a private message to the relevant mentor. If you have more general questions or comments about Physics Forums' moderation policies, it may also be appropriate to start a thread in the Feedback & Announcement forum. Please refrain from posting questions or comments about Physics Forums' moderation policies and actions in any other forum.
Disciplinary Action:
If a member violates forum guidelines, he or she may be issued either a
warning or an
infraction by an administrator or mentor.
Infractions range from 1 to 10 "points", depending on the severity of the violation;
warnings carry no points. If a member accrues 8 or more infraction points, he or she will be automatically banned from Physics Forums for a period of 10 days. If a member receives any infraction after having returned from a temporary ban, that member will then be banned permanently. Obvious, incorrigible spamming or trouble making will be met with a permanent ban.
General:
All messages express the views of the author, not necessarily the views of the forum owners. The owners and mentors of Physics Forums reserve the right to remove, edit, move or close any thread for any reason. This is a manual process, however, so please realize that we may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately. This policy goes for member profile information as well.
Gold member signatures may not be longer than four lines.
Neither member accounts nor a member's posts will be deleted on demand. It is up to the discretion of the forum owners and admins. Posts are for everyone's benefit and should be thought of as permanent.
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Content in the PF Library assume the global guidelines. Please view the
FAQ
For Privacy Policies see this page
http://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=131804
For explanations on PF History and Medal Systems, check these two links out
http://www.physicsforums.com/library...item&itemid=83
http://www.physicsforums.com/library...item&itemid=88
Blog Guidelines:
PF welcomes you to take advantage of its blog feature. We recognize that blog entries are inherently personal; accordingly, more flexibility is permitted there than would be suitable in the main forums. Nonetheless, blog entries are subject to the same overall guidelines in effect throughout PF, as appropriate. Personal theories are not permitted in blogs. Obscenity, hate speeches, religious screeds, personal attacks on other members, and promotion of crackpottery are not welcome
anywhere on PF. Be aware that "Private" blog entries are viewable by Mentors and Admin.
TO REPORT VIOLATIONS:
If you witness a posting that violates these guidelines, please click the "Report" button, which can be found on the bottom left of the post. This will send a message to the Mentors and Admin, who will take action as they deem appropriate. Physics Forums cannot guarantee that any action will be taken as a result of your request. Please refer to this Disclaimer page from time to time for any updates Physics Forums may make to it.
Use of this Forum and your comments is not a right. It is a privilege granted you by Physics Forums under the terms of this agreement and can be revoked at any time without warning.
In accordance with the privilege of using this Forum granted you by Physics Forums, we request that you abide by the terms and conditions of our Rules of Conduct when using the Forum. We reserve the right to change the Rules of Conduct at any time.
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Physics Forums Global Guidelines
