How is content moderated on StackExchange?

Content moderation on StackExchange is a collaborative effort primarily involving the community members of the platform, supplemented by a team of staff moderators. The core idea is to foster a high-quality, informative space where users can ask and answer questions effectively. The moderation process begins with community guidelines that outline acceptable behavior and content standards. Users can flag posts they believe violate these guidelines, such as those that are off-topic, low-quality, or inappropriate. When a post is flagged, it is reviewed by other community members with moderation privileges, known as "trusted users," or by the site’s moderators who are appointed by the platform. To bolster the quality of content, StackExchange employs a voting system where users can upvote or downvote questions and answers. Higher quality content receives more upvotes, thereby elevating it in visibility while less useful or inaccurate information may be downvoted into less prominence. This promotes a natural curation of content based on community consensus. Community members also play an active role by contributing edits to improve posts, providing constructive feedback, and answering questions accurately. In addition, each StackExchange site has its own meta community, which allows users to discuss moderation practices, propose new features, or seek clarification on site policies. As a result, moderation on StackExchange is a dynamic process that relies heavily on user engagement and community norms. For specific inquiries or further details, users are encouraged to explore the help center or contact resources available on the StackExchange website.