2

I'm struggling with a help center topic "duplicates". If a question is marked as "duplicate" (by user votes) is it already closed as well?

If not, and the close process still has to be initialized, what are the "consequences" of the duplicate-tag? Is there just this big fat textbox saying "This question already has an answer here: [LinkAndTitleToOtherQuestion] [X] answers" and everything else stays the same?

1 Answer 1

4

Duplicate questions are essentially closed in the same way as any of the other close reasons. They simply have an extra header listing the duplicates.

You'll notice that questions that are closed as duplicates no longer have an "answer this question" box below them.

Duplicates are kept around and not removed as they are essentially now linked together, via the "related questions" list, as a source of extra answers and information.

8
  • 1
    thanks, so if I understand correctly a duplicate is a question that already has an answer fitting the question somewhere else (as the infobox says), right? Or are there other reasons a question should be marked as dublicate?
    – Albin
    Nov 20, 2019 at 16:32
  • Should I rather post the previous comment as a question?
    – Albin
    Nov 20, 2019 at 16:35
  • Either the question is essentially the same, or the duplicate has solutions that apply equally to both. There may be subtle blends of those reasons. In essence they are equivalent questions/answers.
    – Mokubai Mod
    Nov 20, 2019 at 16:37
  • Which exactly is the "duplicate" then (what do you mean)? The questions that was closed, the question that was left open, or something else?
    – Albin
    Nov 20, 2019 at 16:49
  • @Albin The question that is closed (the one with the banner) is a duplicate of the other question (the one in the banner)
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Nov 20, 2019 at 17:03
  • @DavidPostill yeah, that's what I thought, thanks for the confirmation. But why should the question with the solution be closed, as I understood Mokubai? Shouldn't it be the other way around? "the duplicate has solutions that apply equally to both [answers]"
    – Albin
    Nov 20, 2019 at 17:06
  • @Albin Both questions may have answers. The point is that the original (the one that is still open) has answers that apply to both questions.
    – DavidPostill Mod
    Nov 20, 2019 at 17:12
  • @DavidPostill ok, I hope I got it, anyway I posted my followup question here.I'll be happe if you would participate.
    – Albin
    Nov 20, 2019 at 18:00

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .