The reference-request tag (or whatever we end up calling it), as it currently seems to be used, is really rubbing me the wrong way.
As is, it is basically requesting that answers provide references to support their conclusions. A good practice to follow, to be sure, but it's such a general-use ...
i feel that the tag is useful for questions that are actually about digging up a particular reference. using it as a meta-tag (as in many of the questions under it right now) should be discouraged, but the tag itself still has value.
I think that 'reference-request' could be put into the questions themselves. I think all answers should be backed by references where possible. The use of this tag implies that some questions do not *have* to have references.
The problem with not providing references is that there are various opinions, and interpretations. I think Christianity.SE and Judaism.SE both have a citation-strongly-preferred policy, as does Skeptics.SE. This is because they all have various viewpoints.
This post makes allusion to a particular hadith, and I recall having read something similar elsewhere. However, I have no clue what the actual source is, or if it is even a hadith of the prophet at all.
The meaning is, in effect, as follows:
In whatever language the Qur'an is read, the ange...
"Meta-tags are actually a subset of a larger problem that I usually call dependent tags. These are tags that don't say anything by themselves - you can't tell what the question is about unless they're paired with some other tag (or several of them). These tags are a problem because people don't realize this and will often use that as the question's only tag."
(reference-request as I'm suggesting it doesn't fall under that category, since it is sufficiently stand-alone on a question)
The reference-request tag (or whatever we end up calling it), as it currently seems to be used, is really rubbing me the wrong way.
As is, it is basically requesting that answers provide references to support their conclusions. A good practice to follow, to be sure, but it's such a general-use ...
Jaami'at StackExchange al-Islamyya
Jaami'at StackExchange al-Islamyya