Merging Questions

Merging is one of the most important features of WikiAnswers, and is a key factor in maintaining a well-organized collection of unique questions.

Background

When a visitor asks a question, our system automatically searches for existing questions that might be asking the same thing with different words. If the visitor selects one of these possible matches, their new question wording becomes an Alternate Wording of the existing question.

We see this in history items like "Joe Schmoe asked 'What is the moon?' and said it was the same as 'What is a moon?" If visitors comes along and ask "What is the moon?" they will be redirected to "What is a moon?" If they decide that these are different questions they can split "What is the moon?" into a new, separate question.

This system saves contributors from countless hours answering duplicate questions and saves Supervisors from having to merge them manually. It also enables tens of thousands of visitors to get instant answers to their questions, as opposed to a long list of subtly different ones. But some visitors don't understand (or care!) what they are doing, so mistakes do happen.

How to merge

You have the option to manually merge questions, including their answers, using the tool called Merge into Another, located on the left-hand menu. Merging questions takes a little work, as you will need to search for duplicates. You can do this using the Advanced Search feature or by asking a question at the top of all pages. If you find an exact version or close to it, don't be afraid to merge them together. Simply click on the secondary question and cut and paste (or type) the primary question into the space shown below.

Example:

Rules of thumb

• Ask yourself this: Even though the question wordings are different, would this one answer be a good match for each version of the question?
• Do not merge questions when you're not sure. Ask for a second opinion at WikiAnswers @ answers.com (remove spaces) or contact another Super via the message boards.
• Review our niche questions philosophy

Guidelines and examples

1. Merge questions that ask the exact same thing.
   
   Example: "How did WW2 begin?" should be merged into "How did World War 2 start?"
   Explanation: This is an easy one. (And common!)
2. Do not merge questions that could have different answers.
   
   Example: "How did World War 2 start?" should not be merged with "Why did World War 2 start?"
   Explanation: Although these are extremely close a careful answer could give different explanations for "how" and "why" the war started. It would be better to link these two questions together using the Related Questions section.
3. Do not merge questions when one is broader than the other.
   
   Example: "How did World War 2 start?" should not be merged into "How did World War 2 start and end?"
   Explanation: The latter question encompasses the former, but it would be better to keep them separate. In fact, it would be best to change the latter question so that it reads, "How did World War 2 end?" and then link the two as Related Questions. We always want questions to be as simple as possible.
4. Do not merge questions that could be asked in many completely different ways.
   
   Example: "Can you move out at 17?" should not be merged with "How old do you have to be to move out?"
   Explanation: There are hundreds of questions that could be merged into one question in this sort of example. Both of these questions can and will be asked in so many different ways that they should exist independently. Rule of thumb: if a question could have more than a dozen alternate wordings, don't merge them.

Choosing the primary/final wording

• Choose the shortest, simplest version of a question that is still a complete sentence.
  
  Example: "How do you explain how World War 2 started?" should be merged into "How did World War 2 start?"
  Explanation: Although both are grammatically correct, the latter is concise and to-the-point.
• Choose the question that fits our Stylebook guidelines. Consistent wording makes it easier for us to merge new questions into existing questions.
  
  Example: Choose "How did World War 2 start?" instead of "How did World War II start?" or "How did WW2 start?"
  Explanation: We are starting to develop rules of style relating to certain terminology and phrasing. This is important for a few reasons. First, it looks better to have consistently-worded questions such as "Can you move out at 17?", "Can you move out at 16?" etc., rather than "Can you move out at 17-years-old?" and "If you are 16 can you live on your own?" and "Is 15 old enough to leave home?" etc.