Can I promote my product or myself in r/computerscience?
Direct advertising is not allowed, but you can submit new innovations in the form of an IAmA.
Subreddit guides
r/computerscience rules, stats, and what to post
A source-backed Rankhog guide to r/computerscience: public rules, community context, posting fit, and startup-promotion risk before you publish.
By Anthony Riera, founder and operator of Rankhog.
Subreddit guides combine public Reddit source URLs, captured rules, visible verification dates, and Rankhog's account-safety workflow.
Current public stats
- Members
- 521,497
- Verified
- September 18, 2026
- Category
- Science and research communities
Rules can change, so Rankhog keeps verification dates and the original public Reddit sources visible.
Rule summary
- Be on-topic: This subreddit is dedicated to the academics of the field of Computer Science. Here, we discuss CS research and theory, as well as theory behind software engineering/programming (e.g. language design).
- Be civil: A good discussion requires some back and forth and disagreements will be common. We should be civil about our disagreements and always "remember the person".
- No career, major, courses, or roadmaps advice.: There are already subreddits dedicated to career or major advice, such as r/cscareerquestions, r/csMajors and r/careerguidance. If you have a problem which classes/curses to take, what topics to review, which major to choose, what career path to pursue, what certifications to get etc. then ask on better suited subreddit. This subreddit is dedicated to the discussion about academics of Computer Science, not the career focused aspects of CS.
- No advertising: This is not a place to advertise your product nor yourself. However, new innovations should not be disregarded and can be submitted in the form of an IAmA.
- No joke submissions: We all like a good laugh, but this should not be a place that is being swarmed by memes and joke submissions. Try sticking to content that is related to Computer Science and spikes your interest and even might create fun discussions.
- No laptop/desktop purchase advice: Reddit already has a wide range of subreddits which will help you with acquiring a new personal device (e.g. r/SuggestALaptop, r/PickAnAndroidForMe, r/buildapc). However, out of the scope of personal devices, we feel that r/computerscience can be a place where you can discuss purchase advice for purposes like HPC, Machine Learning etc. In short, we try to avoid hundreds of posts of college students looking for a new personal device.
- No tech/programming support: r/computerscience is not r/techsupport, r/learnprogramming, r/programminghelp, r/CodingHelp nor your personal StackOverflow. If you want to learn programming, need help with particular language or have some computer issue, go to those subreddits or to one directly involved with the topic.
- No homework, exams, projects, etc.: Even though we like to help you out, this is not the place to solve such questions. There are ethical considerations such as how much help to give and what is the right kind of help. Posting about a generalized problem can result in a broader discussion, rather than people that are just solving your problem.
- No asking for ideas: Don't ask for project/research/app/... ideas. There already is abundant amount of such post from the past and a lot of blog posts over the Internet as well. Please, either use the search engine or ask on more appropriate subreddit.
- Sharing Research: While we encourage community members sharing their own research, all research must comply with the following: 1. For major scientific discoveries, such as P=NP, it must include a link to a peer-reviewed paper. 2. Research generated by a language model, e.g. ChatGPT, will not be accepted.
- Language model ("AI") generated posts are not permitted.: Posts generated by language models, commonly referred to as "AI", will be removed.
Works well
- An IAmA post about a new innovation in computer science, framed as a discussion of the research and theory behind it rather than a product pitch.
- A post discussing a specific topic in computing theory or language design, grounded in academic sources and inviting genuine discussion.
- A post sharing your own peer-reviewed research, with a link to the paper and a focus on the theoretical contribution.
Avoid
- Do not post career advice, major selection guidance, or course planning questions.
- Do not post laptop or desktop purchase advice for personal devices.
- Do not post tech support or programming help requests.
- Do not post homework questions, exam problems, or project help requests.
- Do not post content generated by a language model or AI.
- Do not post jokes or memes.
What r/computerscience Is For
This community is for discussing the academic field of computer science, including research, computing theory, and the theory behind software engineering and programming. The focus is on the academic and theoretical side of the field, not on practical career or support questions. People who post here are interested in the science and theory that underpin computing.
Rules That Matter Before Posting
The rules that decide whether your post survives are clear and specific. The "Be on-topic" rule keeps everything anchored to academic computer science, meaning anything outside research and theory is at risk. The "No advertising" rule bans direct promotion but leaves one door open, which is that new innovations can be submitted in the form of an IAmA. The "No career, major, courses, or roadmaps advice." rule removes anything that drifts into career planning. The "No tech/programming support" rule removes troubleshooting and learning requests. The "No homework, exams, projects, etc." rule removes anything that looks like asking the community to solve a specific problem. The "Sharing Research" rule requires a link to a peer-reviewed paper for major scientific discoveries and bans language model generated research entirely. The "Language model ("AI") generated posts are not permitted." rule removes any post generated by AI.
What To Post
A good post here is a discussion of computer science theory or research that connects to the academic side of the field. If you are a founder with a genuine innovation, the one path that fits the rules is an IAmA, which the "No advertising" rule explicitly permits for new innovations. If you are sharing research, it must be your own, and if it touches a major scientific discovery it must include a link to a peer-reviewed paper. The post should read like a contribution to an academic discussion, not a pitch.
What To Avoid
Avoid anything that reads as career advice, personal device purchase advice, tech support, programming help, homework help, or a request for project ideas. Do not post jokes or memes. Do not post any content generated by a language model or AI. Do not share research generated by AI. If you share research on a major scientific discovery, do not do it without a link to a peer-reviewed paper. Above all, avoid anything that is not strictly about the academics of computer science.
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Common questions about r/computerscience
Can I post content written by AI?
No, posts generated by language models or AI are not permitted and will be removed.
Can I share my own research?
Yes, you can share your own research, but major scientific discoveries must include a link to a peer-reviewed paper.
Can I ask for project or research ideas?
No, asking for project, research, or app ideas is not allowed.
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