How do I provide good answers

Question

In a recent question about registering for Freedly, I felt that an answer did not provide any help to the questioner, and was actually misleading. So here are my quick guidelines for answering questions. I will incorporate these into the main forum guidelines soon.

To make this even better, what do you think makes a good answer to a question?

Answer 1

The golden rule is, an answer should provide relevant knowledge to the person asking the question.

Before you start to answer a question, read it out loud and try to imagine who is asking it. This gives you a clearer idea of  what the question is about, and helps you word your answer in a way that is understandable by the questioner.

If you are unsure at this stage, add comments rather than answers. Keep adding comments until you become certain that you can answer the question properly.

When answering the question, quote parts of the question if you can, such as:
You asked what I think makes a good answer to a question, and I believe I can explain it by running through the thought processes before, during, and at the end, of answering a question.

It does not need to be a direct quote, but at least use similar language.

You may be aware that my guidelines indicate that questions should be in one part - i.e. people with 5 issues should ask 5 separate questions, not one question with a list of 5 issues.

When you answer multi-part questions, it is up to you if you answer just one or more. If there are parts that you do not answer, you should make this clear. Be tactful, but all you need to say is along the lines of:
I have not answered your other points because I think you should ask them separately, or, because I do not know the answer.

Before you click the "Add answer" button, stop.
1. Read your answer out loud. If it is hard to read, make it better. Short sentences are good.
2. Check that the answer matches the question. You may think that is obvious, but many times I see somebody (usually me) writing a long answer, but missing the point of the question.
3. Does the answer give knowledge? Facts should be backed up with references where possible, or at least "in my experience". Personal views should be clearly marked as such with "in my opinion" Never give the impression that something you believe is an established scientific fact.

If there are vital references that must be read for the questioner to fully understand your answer, try to list them at the end of your answer. Do not add links just for the sake of it. You can usually make references clear by giving the full title and where it was published.