One goal of Quora is to be the best resource in the world for a given question. Duplicate question pages hurt this goal by splitting helpful answers across different pages. In the Question Duplicate Suggestions queue and Question Redirect queue, you will decide whether questions should be merged into one, or left separate. Correct merges help Quora grow and share knowledge, while incorrect merges create a bad user experience and bad question pages.
Here's an example of a question that has had many duplicate questions merged into it by the queues: https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-most-clever-life-hack-youve-learned/merged
Questions can be merged in one of two ways on Quora: 1) by a user merging the questions, or 2) by an algorithm that thinks the questions are highly likely to be duplicates.
The Question Duplicate Suggestions queue surfaces new, OK questions with up to five questions that have been identified by our algorithms as possibly being duplicates. In this queue, you will proactively merge questions.
The Question Redirect queue includes merges/un-merges that Quora users have tried to make. In this queue, you will verify whether the user made the correct decision.
If you merge questions in either queue, the questions will be immediately merged in the product. This means the answers to both questions will be compiled onto the same page. Accuracy is important because incorrectly merged questions lead to confusing question pages where a user's answer to a question no longer makes sense. This is frustrating for users, so defer to not merging if you are not sure.
If you choose not to merge questions, in the Question Duplicate Suggestions queue nothing happens, and in the Question Redirect queue the questions get un-merged immediately.
In the Question Duplicate Suggestions queue, you will see the main question at the top, followed by a list of suggested duplicates to merge into the main question:
Follow these steps to process the queue:
Read the main question
Use the keyboard shortcuts or click on all of questions that are duplicates of the main question.
Questions are duplicates if they seek the same information and good answers would be the same for both questions.
A good answer is an answer that answers the question and provides explanation.
Even if the phrasing or details are slightly different, questions should be marked as Duplicates when you expect all good answers to apply to both questions.
See "Common Types of Question Pairs" below for more detailed instructions on duplicates vs. not duplicates.
If you are unsure, you should lean on the side of not merging the questions. Merging questions incorrectly has harsher consequences in the product than not merging questions.
After selecting all of the duplicate questions, click Apply Merges.
If there are no duplicate questions OR if the main question is completely unclear, click Skip.
In the Question Redirect queue, you will see question pairs.
Follow these steps to process the queue:
Read the two questions.
Decide whether the questions are Duplicates (should be merged) or Not Duplicates (shouldn't be merged).
Questions are Duplicates if they seek the same information and good answers would be the same for both questions.
A good answer is an answer that answers the question and provides explanation.
Even if the phrasing or details are slightly different, questions should be marked as Duplicates when you expect all good answers to apply to both questions.
See "Common Types of Question Pairs" below for more detailed instructions on duplicates vs. not duplicates.
You should generally ignore the Question Page link, but you can use it if you need extra context.
If you are unsure, you should lean on the side of not merging the questions. Merging questions incorrectly has harsher consequences in the product than not merging questions.
Questions with grammatical mistakes
It is OK to merge questions with typos and grammatical mistakes if they essentially ask the same thing.
Questions with multiple questions
Two questions should be merged if all possible good answers to either question apply equally to both questions. If a question contains multiple questions, you should evaluate all of the individual questions.
Say you are considering questions A and B. Between A and B, identify the least common question (i.e. the most specific question).
If the answers to this least common question would apply to both A and B, then you should merge the questions.
If the answers to this least common question would only apply to A or only to B, then you should NOT merge the questions.
If there is more than one least common question (i.e. multiple follow-up/specific questions), then they should all apply to both A and B for A and B to be merged.
Example
Why is the sky blue?
Why does the sky appear blue? Why is the color of the sky at the horizon different during sunrise and sunset?
Don't merge. The least common question is “Why is the color of the sky at the horizon different during sunrise and sunset?”. Answers to this question will not apply to the question “Why is the sky blue?”.
Example
How is life in London?
What is life really like in London? How does it compare to life in New York City?
Don't merge. The least common question is “How does [London] compare to life in New York City?”. Answers to this question will not apply to the question “How is life in London?”
Example
What is Jet Li's best movie? Why?
What are the best Jet Li movies of all time? Which one had the biggest plot twists?
Don't merge. The least common question is the question “Which one had the biggest plot twists?”. Answers to this question will not apply to the question “What is Jet Li's best movie?".
Example
What is Jet Li's best movie? Why?
What are the best Jet Li movies of all time?
Merge. The least common question is “Why?”. Good answers to “What are the best Jet Li movies of all time?” should explain why.
Example
How do I prepare for a software engineering job interview, and what are some tips for a new grad?
How can I get ready for my software engineering interview? What advice would you give a new grad?
Merge. Answers to one question would apply to the other question since the two parts of each have the same meaning.
This document contains more examples with in-depth explanations.
Examples - spreadsheet with many more examples for both QR & QDS.
Click here for QDS audit instructions.