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Guides/Community/How the community works
Community11 min read · Beginner · Updated Sep 2026

How the CitePep community works

The community is where verified people ask, check and fix information together, and where a good thread ends with a real page corrected. This guide covers what to post, how to answer, how discussions become fixes, and the few rules that keep it trustworthy.

Open to readopen to everyone
Verified to postevery name is a real person
Outcome-driventhreads lead to accepted fixes

1What the community is for

Every post has a type. The type tells readers what kind of help you want, and decides where it appears: questions can be marked resolved, open problems gather investigators, requests reach experts in the topic.

TypeUse it toExample
QuestionAsk experts something specificIs “1.5°C by 2030” accurate?
Open problemFlag a page that may be wrongA patient guide gives the wrong starting dose
DiscussionShare practice or ask for viewsHow to describe confidence intervals
SourceShare evidence others should knowA new dataset replacing an old one
CorrectionShow an accepted fix and where else it appliesSatellite records start in 1993
RequestPublishers: ask for specialistsReview six sea-ice pages
Office hoursReviewers: host a Q&A for authorsResponding to major findings

2Who you will meet

One community serves four kinds of account. Every name carries a tag showing which account it posts from, and, for contributors and reviewers, their authority in the topic, so you can weigh an answer at a glance.

AccountPosts aboutReads only
ContributorQuestions, open problems, sources and accepted correctionsClaims without a source
ReviewerMethods, practice, office hours for authorsAnything about a manuscript they reviewed
PublisherRequests, official responses, how their corrections workUndisclosed comments on competitors
AuthorHow to write, revise and respond: optionally anonymouslyTheir review, or quotes from it

3Asking a good question

Questions with a specific claim and a link get expert answers fastest. Say what you read, where, and what you think might be wrong.

VAGUE
“Is the stuff about sea levels on that site right?”
SPECIFIC
“publisher.example/overthinking-and-rumination says satellite records began in 1990. I thought TOPEX/Poseidon launched in 1992: which is right?”
Before you post
  • Search first: the answer may already be resolved
  • Quote the exact sentence and link the page
  • Choose the community for the topic
  • Say what you already checked, to save others the work

4Answering well

The most useful answers state the conclusion first, then the evidence. Add a source to every factual claim: comments with sources are shown first under Best, and a claim without one gets a gentle prompt asking for it.

SignalWhat it means
✓ Expert answerWritten by someone with high authority in this community’s topic
✓ ResolvedExperts in the thread agree; a short community answer sits at the top
Sources on a commentEvidence a reader can open and check
DisclosedThe writer has a connection to the page or publisher discussed

5From a thread to a fix

This is what makes CitePep different from a forum: a thread can end with the page itself corrected, and the thread records it.

  1. 1Someone flags a pageAn open problem or question names the page and the doubtful claim.Anyone
  2. 2People investigateMembers join, find the right source and agree what is wrong.Hours
  3. 3A correction is proposedOne person turns the thread into a proper correction with exact wording.Minutes
  4. 4The publisher decidesThey see the correction, with the discussion linked.Median 2 days
  5. 5The thread shows the outcome“What this thread changed” lists the page as Accepted.On acceptance

6Votes, thanks and reputation

Helpful votes and thanks decide what rises to the top and show people their help mattered. Reputation comes from work a publisher accepted.

ActionSorts the feedChanges reputation
▲ Helpful voteYesNo
Thanks or congratulationsNoNo
Answer marked as expertYesNo
Correction accepted after a thread–Yes, for the person credited

7Rules and moderation

Everywhere on CitePep
  • Cite what you claim
  • Disclose any connection to a page or publisher you discuss
  • Focus on claims and evidence
  • Keep manuscripts under review private

Each community adds its own rules, shown beside the feed, and has named moderators. Anyone can report a post for being unsourced, an undisclosed conflict, discussing a manuscript, or a personal attack. A moderator reviews every report, usually within a day. The full rules are in the community guidelines.

8What is public, and what stays private

Visible to
Posts and commentsAnyone, including people without an account
Your name, account type and authorityAnyone, on every post
Anonymous author questionsName hidden from everyone; moderators can see it to prevent abuse
Reports you sendModerators only
Manuscripts and reviewsKept out of the community entirely
Open the communityEditorial standards