I also completely agree with Deane. And I put my money where my mouth is (see the above link).
]]>I think a good example looks like the following: "I am researching X using the paper Y, where on page 6 the author says Z. I am surprised because I thought Z' was true, and it seems that the context (specifically the assumption of W), would prohibit Z because (something W implies that is far from Z). Can someone help clear this up for me?"
The example above can be modified to show what work you have done in attempting to resolve your own difficulty, and where you got stuck. You might include pertinent online references that are freely available if the paper itself is not.
Gerhard "Ask Me About System Design" Paseman, 2011.11.15
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