I think you’re right; Askhistorians is a great example of the power and necessity of moderation. Not every community needs to be so heavily moderated, but askhistorians knew what they were going for and we’re willing to work to maintain it.

Tangentially related, I had a friend who had studied History at Oxbridge who was excited to discover ask historians existed, but bewildered (and slightly offended, ha) when one of his answers was rejected. The problem was that he was used to speaking to other academics, and that uses a different style of speaking and citing sources; on the internet, and ask historians more specifically, it’s much harder to lean on one’s credentials than in real life, and I think that’s a good thing. (My friend get over himself and resubmitted the answer)

In context, it’s straightforward and logical, but it does tickle me to remove that context and consider it as “ask historians has higher standards than Oxbridge”