Community Guidelines
Summa works when classmates can trust what's in a room and feel safe asking anything. These guidelines explain what that means in practice. They're part of the Terms of Service, so breaking them can cost you content, clout or your account.
What we want to see
- Questions about the course, however basic. Nobody should feel silly for asking.
- Answers that explain, not just state the answer, and say where they're unsure.
- Your own notes and study guides, written in your own words.
- Kind corrections. If an answer or note is wrong, say what's wrong and why.
Academic integrity
Summa is for studying, never for completing graded work. Your school's academic integrity rules apply to you on Summa too. Don't post:
- graded homework, problem sets, labs or projects, or their solutions, current or past
- take-home exams, or questions from any exam or quiz, current or past
- solutions manuals, test banks or answer keys
- course materials you don't have permission to share, such as your instructor's slides, handouts or recordings, or textbook pages
Don't ask classmates to do graded work for you, and don't do it for them. Explaining a concept is fine; handing over the answer to an assignment isn't.
Respect for people
Don't post anything that:
- harasses, bullies, threatens or mocks a person, including a classmate, instructor or teaching assistant
- attacks people for who they are, such as their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability or nationality
- is sexually explicit, or sexualizes anyone
- encourages violence, self-harm or illegal activity
- shares anyone's personal information, including your own: phone numbers, addresses, student ID numbers, grades, photos of people or private messages
- pretends to be someone else, including an instructor or Summa
Anonymous questions are for asking without embarrassment, not for saying things you wouldn't put your name to. The same rules apply, and moderators can see who posted an anonymous question when they review a report.
Honest play
- Use one account. Don't use a second one to preview answers or give yourself clout.
- Don't swap likes or upvotes, or like your own posts, to earn clout.
- Only flag a question if you believe it's wrong, and only report content that breaks these guidelines.
- Don't use bots, scripts or automation, or try to get around Summa's limits or security.
- No spam or advertising, and don't paste answers from AI tools without checking them.
Reporting
Every question, answer, note and comment has a Report button. Reports are private: the person you report isn't told who reported them. Content reported by several students is hidden automatically until a moderator reviews it.
If someone is in danger, don't wait for a report. Call 911 (or your local emergency number). In the US, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Your school's counseling center can help too.
What happens when the guidelines are broken
A moderator looks at what was posted and its context, and how serious it is. Depending on that, and on whether it has happened before, we may:
- hide or remove the content
- remove clout, scores or badges earned from it, or from gaming
- limit what the account can do, or suspend it for a while
- close the account
- report it to the authorities, if the law requires it or someone's safety is at risk
Serious harm, such as threats, sexual content involving a minor, or targeted harassment, can lead straight to closing the account. Removed content is kept hidden for up to 90 days, in case of an appeal or a legal request, then deleted.
Appeals
If you think we got a decision wrong, email summacapybara@gmail.com from your school address within 30 days. Say which post or decision it was and why you think it was a mistake. Someone will look at it again and reply. If we were wrong, we'll restore what we removed.
Copyright
If you think something on Summa copies your work without permission, follow the Copyright Policy.
Contact
Summa. Email: summacapybara@gmail.com.