Somebody posted a question that makes an assumption I disagree with or think might be wrong. How do I best inform the asker of this? Do I post a comment or an answer, or should I vote to close the question or do nothing at all?

This is called a ***frame challenge**:* I claim or suggest that the question is based on a misconception, wrong assessment of a situation, or similar. The frame set by the asker is challenged by the answer or comment I want to post.

*This FAQ is mostly a set of guidelines that should give an idea of best practices and avoid unnecessary confrontation. There often is a lot of leeway, but drastic deviations will be moderated.*

*It is mainly based on [this discussion](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/q/4947).
If you want to propose changes, please [ask a new question](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/ask).*

### Table of Contents

We primarily distinguish frame challenges by what the false premise is about:

* [Misconceptions about academic procedures, norms, or similar](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/a/4978)
* [Misconceptions about off-topic aspects](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/a/4979)
* [Wrong goal (XY problem)](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/a/4980)
* Wrong assessments of individual experiences
* [General rules of thumb](https://academia.meta.stackexchange.com/a/4977)