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I edited this question to make it as less opinion-based as possible. I think this question would really be helpful for users more generally, and although the answers do have some opinion attached to them, I've found that to be the case for other open questions. I'm also considering adding my own answer to this question if it is re-opened. Could this question please be re-opened?

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  • I rejected the edit, but voted to reopen. In my opinion, this question is one of those opinion-based that should not be closed, but possibly protected. Commented Dec 16, 2023 at 17:14

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I doubt that it can be reopened unless people vote that way, but you raise an important general idea.

I think that some "opinion" based questions and answers are actually quite valuable on this site and this may be one of them. There are some things that are important, even vital, in academia for which there is no real consensus and a search for policy is valuable.

This site is, among other things, a gathering place for people with experience in all of the nooks and crannies of academia. We have seen success and failure. The advice of such folks as ourselves on questions like this are worth some flexibility in the rules (IMO). How to select a good advisor is a pretty vital question for many doctoral students. There are lots of posts here about the consequences of getting it wrong.

Some questions here, even those not opinion based, are looking for advice, not just answers to questions. We can ask whether this is the right site for that, but I know of no others with the same potential impact.

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  • I agree with you and voted to re-open. Academia has several non-written rules that are learned by personal experience and transmitted person-to-person. Opinion based answers backed up by personal experience and supported by the community are still valuable, especially for those that are first generation academics.
    – The Doctor
    Commented Dec 17, 2023 at 14:41

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