# A Step-by-step guide on creating comments on SCRF (my personal guide)

The goal of this guide is to help make writing comments on SCRF easier for you and to make the Forum a better place.

If you have a system for doing things, it always guarantees better results.
This is the same process I use and I'm working on making it better. I hope you find it helpful, if not, send a reply with your questions so I can make the guide better.

Happy reading!

## 1. Choose a topic
* This can be done deliberately or indeliberately. In being deliberate, you scan through the Forum for topics in your area of interest. For instance, I’m interested in DeFi. I go through the Forum looking for summaries or comments on DeFi that interest me. If you don't have an area of interest yet, don't worry, just pick what catches your attention.

* You can be indeliberate about it by bookmarking topics that interest you as you read the Forum.

* This can be done in one day. You can choose five topics to write about for one week or however suits you.

## 2. Read the summary
* The day you read the summary can be different from the day you select your topics. This will help you produce a better result.
* You need to understand the paper properly to be able to agree or disagree and make your input.
* If you have to read the main paper to understand the topic, then please do.
* If you also have to do extra research as you read the paper, please do. That's how I actually started. I didn't know much in the beginning.
* As you read, take note of what interests you by writing it down on a paper, notepad, or writing app.

## 3. Do your own research
* To produce a wholesome piece of writing, you need to confirm some ideas from other sources and understand what other people are saying about the topic.
* Using the ideas you wrote down while reading the summary/paper, research Google.
* Be careful not to use others' words and ideas directly as yours.
* Make sure to always cite the sources you used.

## 4. Write the comment
* Ideally, your comment should have this structure:
* Introduction
* Body
* Point 1
* Paragraph 1
* Paragraph 2
* etc
* Point 2
* Paragraph 1
* Paragraph 2
* etc
* Point 3
* Paragraph 1
* Paragraph 2
* etc
* Etc
* Conclusion
* There should be a general idea your comment is focused on. It might be against the summary or for the summary. According to @Zube.paul, this is what SCRF generally wants in a comment:
* The comment provides a particularly thoughtful question.
* The comment provides and explains external quality sources to support ideas.
* The comment includes engagement with comments and elaborates on previous ideas.
* The comment provides a summary of the discussion or raises new points in the discussion.
* Comment accurately applies the research and discussion to a current event or industry trend.
* Comment increases understanding of the original research or helps clarify the confusion.
* You should focus on about 500 to 1000 words. Don't feel intimidated, you can write less anyway.
* Write the way you talk. Your goal is to help your readers understand your point and not to impress them. Therefore, don't use *excavate* where you can use *dig*, etc
* Write in a notebook first, or use a word processor like MS word, or Google Docs. Do not write directly on the SCRF text box.

## 6. Edit your comment
* Come back to editing your piece a few hours or days after you have written it. The point here is to stay away from it for some time. Minutes? hours? days? It depends on you.
* Run your comment through [Grammarly](https://www.grammarly.com/grammar-check) for common errors and corrections.
* Ensure there are enough white spaces to make your work readable. To achieve this, make your paragraphs about 2 to 3 sentences.
* Keep a bank of written comments that you can schedule for publishing on weekdays.
* Write in short sentences. It helps your readers understand you better.
## 7. Publish
* Once you are satisfied with your writing and checked all the boxes from the other steps, hit publish.
* Finally, your goal shouldn't be to publish anything. Focus on creating quality content that will benefit others.

**Note**: This is a living document, so I will keep updating it. Always check to see what has been added or removed.