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I was wondering whether placing a question and answering it right away is a bad thing. It has happened a few times that an interesting question pops up due to comment-questions from peers, and that I subsequently search and find a nice answer, which I think is worth sharing. As of now I have asked a question while already knowing the answer, and as such answered it straight away: Are sensory receptors neurons?.

However, this may be deemed as a form of cheating to gain reputation, or it may well be otherwise be deemed malpractice.

Is there a consensus about this issue? It is interesting to note that I cannot upvote my own answer, but I can accept it (after 48 hours). Hence, it is a potential source of easy reputation.

PS: There is this question Why aren't people answering their own questions?, but it does not cover my question as mine deals with deliberately posting a question with an answer.

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  • $\begingroup$ Does accepting your own answer give you reputation? No. So it is ok to accept your own answer $\endgroup$
    – One Face
    Feb 18 '15 at 14:16
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    $\begingroup$ In response to your point about cheating: the aim of the site is to answer questions, not gain reputation. $\endgroup$
    – canadianer
    Feb 18 '15 at 20:52
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Yes, it has been encouraged from the beginning to ask and self-answer questions - that's why the "Answer your own question" option is on the Ask page. While you correctly note that you cannot upvote your own answer, you also do not gain any rep from marking your answer as correct. You are not "cheating" or engaging in "malpractice" by self-answering.

Obviously, the question has to be on-topic, and the answer similar to what you would give for any other question - don't self-answer just to write a whole blog post on your favorite topic.

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