How to ask a question in the UK Biobank Forum

You have questions and the UK Biobank Community has answers. Here are some quick tips and best practices for writing an effective question on the Forum:

Share the right information:

There are a few things that help us answer you better. In your post, be sure to include:

• What you're trying to accomplish/what your desired outcome is
• What you've tried so far
• Any code or other details that can help us to know what your issue is

Please see our Community User Content Policy to ensure you do not share any sensitive information, including participant level information.

Before making a post, it is worth investigating if the topic has previously been raised and answered. You can use the Search functionality in the Community to search across both support topics and the Forum.

Search

Doing a keyword search to find existing articles or posts helps to prevent duplication of effort and makes answers easier to find.

The site will attempt to identify articles that first meet your needs based on key words.

You can refine your search results and then select the topic that's most relevant to your question.

If no prior post answers your question, it's time to make that post. At the foot of each topic you will find the option to add a new post. You must be logged in at this point for the functionality to be available.

Before making your post:

Identify the right topic to make your post
Posting in the right place will ensure that your question or idea is seen by the people who are most able to help. Asking your question in the most relevant topic will increase the number of other researchers  who might be able to help.

As our understanding of the Community and Forum evolves, and new data becomes available, we will revise the topics where appropriate.

Write a clear subject line
As you write your subject line the Community site will attempt to identify other posts that may cover the same topic.

The search in Help Centre pulls from post subject lines as well as post content, so make sure your subject contains relevant keywords.

Optimising your post's subject line makes sure it shows up in related searches, and helps other members understand what your post is about.

Help the community grow and be a success
The best answers come from you, our UK Biobank community. Whenever you're posting, it's a good idea to look around and see if there are any other users' questions you can help answer. Alternatively, if you've found a good solution, submit a comment for other users.