Field guide for readers
How to write a great community note
Community notes are how a protocol gets better after it is published. A good note saves the next reader a misstep, or hands them a shortcut you found the hard way. Here is how to write one worth reading.
The rules.
Write from experience.
Share what actually happened to you, not what other people should do. A note about your own run of a protocol is worth more than general advice.
Be specific.
A number, a dose, a duration, or a date beats "a while" or "a lot." Specifics are what make a note useful to the next reader.
Add something new.
Skip notes that only restate the step. Add the context, the variation, or the result that is not already on the page.
Keep it short.
Say it in as few words as you can. One clear observation lands better than three loose ones.
Cite anything that is not yours.
If a claim is not your own experience, link to where it came from. Your experience needs no citation. Everything else does.
Skip dosing advice and medical claims.
Describe your own routine. Do not prescribe anyone else's, and do not frame a note as treatment. When in doubt, point the reader to a healthcare professional.
Flag what went wrong.
If something did not work for you, or it caused a problem, say so plainly. Honest notes about side effects protect the next person.
Be kind and objective.
A note helps the next reader. It is not a review of the creator. Disagree with the protocol, not the person.
Make it last.
Avoid time-bound words like "recently" or "last month." Write the note so it still reads true a year from now.
A note is small. Its effect on the next person is not.
For the full rules on conduct and what is not allowed, read the community guidelines.