<p>Of course I really don't think that there are so few good statistical questions left to exhaust all questions, I have noticed that I will answer a question and find someone else saying that the question shouldn't be answered because it is the same as a previously answered question.</p>

<p>I am relatively new to the site and don't know a lot of the history but I find that very oftn it is happening that a question is a repeat of something from 6 months or 1 year or more in the past.</p>

<p>What should a new member do?  When a question comes in should I be searching the site to see if it has been answered previously before I give my own answer?  When asking questions should we be searching the site to make sure it is a new question before we ask it?</p>

<p>I would also like to know what the community members think of answering a question that is a repeat.  I have done this on occasion and see no harm in it.  If the answer is simple and brief isn't it better to help the OP by giving the answer rather than to ask them to search the site for the answer? I know that some moderators feel that duplicate questions should be closed immediately and the OP should be directed to the previous questions.  The argument is that answering these questions puts too much repetition and clutter on the site.  But isn't good service to the OP more important than the tidiness of the site.  Some of the clutter and repetition could be cleaned up later.  I expect that some or many of you will disagree with me.  So let me hear it.</p>
