How to ask a good question

[jordandsullivan]

The world of quantum computing moves at a fast pace, and we all have questions! We've found that the process of thinking through how to communicate your problem to another person often ends up helping you find a solution to that problem. In fact, writing is a form of thinking!

Before posting a question to our Mitiq Discussions page or Discord, we recommend checking out the resources on this page to see if you can find the answer you're searching for.

Note: You don't need to search through every single one of these places before asking your question; they are just here to provide you a helpful starting place to explore and help you find useful language to express your question. :]

Looking for answers...

1. ...by reading our FAQs. You can also browse through our other open Discussions.

2. ...by checking out our Mitiq Documentation. We try to make these really clear, and reading through them should give you a good sense of Mitiq's fundamental components and how they fit together.

3. ...by checking out our Mitiq Examples.
   A) Look for one that includes the problem you're trying to solve, and try to match your code with a similar example.
   B) Is there anything present in the example code that you're missing? Experiment with small changes and try to isolate where the problem is coming from.

4. ...by searching the Web. Search for any error messages + the relevant packages you're working with. StackExchange, StackOverflow, and Quantum Computing Stack Exchange are your friends here.

5. ...by reading the Mitiq source code. Check out the code that defines the function you're calling or the module you're working with. If you get an error that references a line in a specific file, go ahead and try find it.

If you still haven't found the answer to your question, you can use what you've learned so far to...

Write out your question

6. Write out your question like you were trying to explain it to a busy colleague and have to sum up your entire question in one sentence: what details can you include that will help someone identify and solve your problem? Include any error messages, key APIs, or unusual circumstances that make your question different from similar questions in the Mitiq FAQs or examples as well as any forums you tried.
   Hint: it might help to try imagining you're explaining your problem to a rubber duck!

7. Create a Discussion post of the relevant type and paste your question from step 6. into the description. Be sure to include a minimum reproducible example.

If you're followed all these steps (wow, well done you!), you probably now have a stronger understanding of the tools you're using and hopefully a few ideas on how you might solve similar problems in the future! If you still need help, feel free to ping the #mitiq channel on Discord.

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Adapted from these resources:
http://catb.org/esr/faqs/smart-questions.html,
https://codeblog.jonskeet.uk/2010/08/29/writing-the-perfect-question/,
https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-ask,
https://blog.codinghorror.com/rubber-duck-problem-solving/

[jordandsullivan]

Answered in Original Post. If you have additional suggestions, please feel free to comment here!