Community guides · Education
r/statistics commenting guide — what works, what tanks
Want to comment in r/statistics? Cite the source, name what's still being debated, and let the reader follow your reasoning.
What's hot in r/statistics now
What people are actually discussing
Top threads from the last month — what's getting engagement right now.
What this sub rewards
How replies earn upvotes here
- Concrete code or runnable examples are welcome where relevant.
- Back specific claims with evidence — research, data, or named sources. Primary sources beat secondary. Wikipedia is a starting point, not a citation.
- Acknowledge limitations, trade-offs, or uncertainty when relevant. Mark what's contested vs settled. Historical interpretation evolves; physics doesn't.
- Offer multiple options or perspectives, not a single prescription. Name 2–3 frameworks for the same question. Single-framework answers get pushback.
What good looks like
Real comments that landed in r/statistics
Two recent highly-upvoted replies. Notice what they have in common — concrete, no preamble, no self-promotion.
"No. Bayesian models are useful in certain contexts, as are frequentist models. Being sectarian is extremely weird, considering that statistics is about deriving truth from observed patterns in the world. I am intoxicated, hope this makes sense."
"Networks, Causal Inference and Spatio-temporal statistics come to my mind"
Your pre-reply checklist
Before you hit Reply — four quick checks
Does my comment add something specific, not just an opinion?
A useful reply names a number, a method, a personal experience, or a concrete example. If you could replace your draft with "I agree" and lose nothing, rewrite.
Have I read the top 3 comments already on this thread?
If the highest-upvoted reply already says what you were about to say, your comment will sink. Add what's missing — counterexamples, edge cases, the next step — not what's there.
Would my reply still work if my username was removed?
If it only makes sense because it promotes you, your product, or your platform, this sub will spot it. Frame the value as "this solved it for me," not "check out my…"
Did I skim the sidebar rules one more time?
Every sub has at least one rule that surprises outsiders — peer-review only, no images, no specific tags, no off-topic. Five seconds in the sidebar can save you a removal.
Want to draft this reply with the rules already baked in?
Try Redimates — free, 10 replies / week