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Steven Holland

Asking Questions

20 August 2013

When you can’t solve a problem and need to get help, you can do a few things to make it easier to get an answer quickly.

First, state the problem succinctly, including (1) what you did, (2) what you expected to happen, and (3) what happened:

• For what you did, give the command exactly as you typed it, as well as any necessary commands before that. If a data file is involved, send a copy of that data file.
• For what you expected to happen, state simply what you thought the command should have done.
• For what happened, give the R output, including all of the text of any error message.

I will usually try to replicate your error. If you don"t supply your command, any necessary data files, and the exact error message, I have no way of knowing whether I"m getting the same result as you. But, if you supply all of these things, I will generally be able to answer your question in a single email.