Thank you for coming to About The Student Room with your issue - it helps to inform members of site news and is the place to have site usability questions answered

Frequently asked questions

A. Account issues

1. Account deletion
2. Account banning
3. Changing username
4. Freezing a subscription
5. Transferring a subscription

B. Inappropriate site content

1. Inappropriate threads/posts
2. Inappropriate wiki content
3. Inappropriate private messages (PMs)
4. Inappropriate reputation

C. Complaint procedure

1. Warning disputes
2. Ban disputes
3. Complaints about a moderator

D. Site development and getting involved

1. Creating a subforum
2. Becoming a Personal Statement Helper
3. Becoming a CV Helper
4. Becoming a Moderator

A. Account issues

1. Can you delete my account/all of my posts?
Our policy is not to delete your account or all of the posts associated with your username. This would mean getting rid of a lot of potentially helpful information available to other users, and furthermore we have no way of mass deleting posts, so would have to go through each post manually. If you would like to become anonymous, we can ban your account permanently thus making it hard for anyone to search posts as you would not appear on the member list. Please note, however, that your profile page would remain accessible by clicking on your username above each of your posts.

You can edit or delete your own posts in open threads. We are also usually prepared to remove up to ten threads that you have started, or up to ten posts. If you would like us to remove some of your posts/threads, please post a thread in Ask A Moderator explaining your request and providing links to the thread(s)/post(s) in question.

If you believe your case is exceptional, please post a thread in this forum providing as many details as possible.

2. Can you ban me from the site for X days/permanently?
Yes. To be banned from the site entirely, please post a thread in Ask A Moderator telling us when you would like to be banned until and we will suspend your account until this time. You may alternatively be permanently banned if you wish. If you want to return during a ban that you have requested, please send an email to admin@thestudentroom.co.uk.

To request a 'local' ban, i.e., a ban from certain areas of the site, again please post a thread in Ask A Moderator. However, in this case the ban will be in effect until you specifically request for it to be lifted by posting a further reply to your original thread requesting the ban.

3. Can I change my username?
Changes in usernames can often be confusing for the community so we normally ask that people don't request a username change unless there are exceptional circumstances. Feeling like a change in username or not liking a username are sadly not exceptional reasons. If you'd like to change your username, please post up in the Ask a Section Leader forum and let us know your reasons and we'll review it. All usernames should be three or more characters long and fit with out community guidelines.

4. Can I freeze my subscription?
No. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to freeze subscriptions since the changes to the subscription model outlined in this thread came into action. The exception to this is that if your subscription was taken out before this new subscription model was implemented then you may still request a freeze while your 'old' subscription remains active. Please be aware that once your subscription is renewed this will no longer be possible.

5. Can I transfer my subscription to someone else?
Yes. Please post a thread in Ask A Moderator and let us know who you would like your subscription to be transferred to.

B. Inappropriate site content

The moderation team always attempt to remove any inappropriate content from the site as soon as possible, but given the size of the site it's not practical for everything to be specifically reviewed. We rely to a significant extent on reports from members to flag up any instances of rule-breaking and this is a key way in which you can help us out. Please don't assume that just because content remains on the site that it's been approved and we will usually welcome any reports - even if these only give us the opportunity to clarify the rules to you. You can report any suspected rule-breaking by posting a thread in Ask A Moderator, but there are other ways of notifying the team to specific types of content which may allow for a faster response.

1. Inappropriate threads/posts
Any inappropriate threads or posts can be reported to the moderator(s) of the forum in question by clicking on the post report button at the top-right of the post(s) in question. Please enter a short message explaining the reason for your report to help us to respond appropriately.

2. Inappropriate wiki content
At the top of each page on the TSR wiki you will see a yellow bar with various options, titled "Article Tools". Click on "Report This Article" and enter a short message to help the moderation team to respond appropriately.

3. Inappropriate private messages (PMs)
The TSR rules apply to PMs just as they do to the rest of the site. However, PMs cannot be viewed by any member of the moderation team unless the recipient specifically reports them. To report a PM, click on the PM report button at the top-right of the PM and enter a short message explaining the reason for your report. If there more than one PM or it is a more convoluted issue then please report all PMs and also post a thread in Ask A Supermoderator.

4. Inappropriate reputation
Reputation (rep), either positive or negative, may be left for any reason. However, abuse of the rep system is not allowed - this includes leaving offensive rep comments, groups of members 'ganging up' to leave rep to a specific member, etc.

Please be aware that we do not remove reputation unless it's part of a targeted neg rep campaign (also known as 'donning'). Similarly, we will not remove rep that you did not intend to give, or change negative rep to positive rep (or vice versa) if you accidentally gave the wrong type.

C. Complaint procedure

1. Warning disputes
If a moderator considers that you have broken the site rules, you will receive a PM notifying you of this. Please be aware that you may receive one of two forms of notification - either a warning, or an alert - the PM will specify which you have received. Alerts are intended simply as a reminder of the site rules rather than as any form of punishment, and as a result do not carry any associated warning points.

The warning/alert PM will include a comment from the moderator who warned you explaining the reason for the warning. If, having read this comment, you do not understand your warning or feel that you have been unfairly warned, please post a thread in Ask A Moderator. You will then receive an explanation of the warning from an appropriate moderator - this will be the moderator who warned you, another moderator of the same area of the site, or a supermoderator/administrator. Warnings are issued anonymously and as such you should not direct your query to any specific moderator; even in an area with only a single dedicated moderator your warning may have been issued by a supermoderator, for example.

If you believe that you have been unfairly warned and the initial reply does not resolve this, you may of course discuss this further within your original thread. You may also request a second opinion on your warning, which will be given by another moderator of the area in question or a supermoderator/administrator. As a final recourse you may contact the site administration team by sending an email to admin@thestudentroom.co.uk if you feel that the response that you have received remains unsatisfactory. The decision of the administration team will be final and cannot be appealed further.

2. Ban disputes
If you wish to dispute a ban of your account - temporary or permanent, you may do so in the same way as for disputing a warning, by posting a thread in Ask A Moderator, or by sending an email to admin@thestudentroom.co.uk. It is permissible to create a duplicate account for the purposes of posting a thread to dispute your ban, but if this new account is used for any other purpose (including creating posts, threads or PMs) while the ban on your other account remains in force it is also liable to be banned.

3. Complaints about a moderator
If you feel that the conduct of a member of the moderation team has been unacceptable you may lodge a formal complaint. The place to make this complaint depends upon the status of the moderation about which you wish to complain.

To make a complaint about a 'local' moderator (with a purple username), please post a thread in Ask A Supermoderator in the first instance. Your thread will not be visible to the moderator in question and a supermoderator/administrator will look into your concerns in consultation with the other members of the team. You will be notified of the outcome of these discussions in due course via a further response to your thread. If unsatisfied with the outcome of a complaint about a 'local' moderator you may also escalate your complaint to a member of the administration team by sending an email to admin@thestudentroom.co.uk.

To make a complaint about a supermoderator (with a cyan username), you may either post a thread in Ask A Supermoderator or if your prefer may alternatively send an email to admin@thestudentroom.co.uk. Another supermoderator, or an administrator, will look into your concerns and will reply to you in due course.

D. Site development and getting involved

1. Can you create a forum for my uni/subject/hobby?
Empty forums do more harm than good to TSR, so we need to see evidence that it will be used. We usually ask for the names of ten active members (i.e. members that have over 100 posts and who are currently posting regularly on the site) who would post in such a new forum before considering it.

2. How do I become a Personal Statement (PS) Helper?
To become a PS Helper you need to already be at university or a graduate, and be able to prove it (usually by posting/logging in from a computer on the university's network or by sending an email from your ac.uk email address).

Please apply here and request to join the "PS Helper" group. Please state in the "Request Reason" box whether you are at university or are a graduate, along with your subject and your university. You also need to create a thread in the Ask an Assistant sub-forum. Ideally this should be from your university network for verification by IP address, but if this is not possible then please post and ask for the address to which you should send an email from your university email account.

3. How do I become a CV Helper?
We are primarily looking for people with experience in the following areas:

• Graduate
• Gap Year
• Work Experience
• Part time and Temporary
• Permanent Employment
• Apprenticeships

If you feel that you have experience in one or more of these areas then please post in Ask A Moderator stating that you would like to apply. You need to upload your CV as an attachment (no direct posting or zip files). We will then review your CV for layout, content, consistency, and experience and let you know if you are what we're looking for from our helpers.

4. How do I become a Moderator?
When a position opens up within the moderation team, the existing moderators will identify suitable candidates from amongst those members active within the area in question. In many cases, nominations will be collected for a brief period (usually around a week or two), which can be posted in the Moderator Nominations forum. You can nominate yourself here. Candidates must have been members for at least three months to be considered for appointment as a moderator. Some of the qualities that are looked for when deciding on new appointments are as follows:

• A keen interest in the topic they are being nominated to moderate.
• Posting frequently into the forum area in question.
• Posting sensible and useful replies.
• Adhering 100% to the site rules.
• Coming across as being friendly and welcoming to new and established users.
• Having an interest in the development of resources and functionality based around the topic area they are being asked to moderate, in the forum and articles.

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