It may happen from time to time that a serious historian (read: flaired users) does not have time to answer a question in full according to subreddit guidelines. In such case, they may simply not comment on the thread.
But the OP wants answers, wouldn't it be better if these experts can tell which books/resources can answer the question? Then, at least the OP knows from where to get the answers and they can do their own research according to the pointers given by experts. Some knowledgable pointers are better than no answer.
May be this kind of reference works can be suggested under a special comment starting with "Suggested References" (similar to "Off-Topic Discussion" comment on every r/WritingPrompts thread)
If there are concerns about who can post such reference suggestions, it can be restricted to flaired users - or users who have at-least 2 answers on the sub.
It's a win-win for both OP and future readers. What do you think?
Hiya OP. This sub actually has a rule against just such a thing - the "no link-dropping" rule. Here's /u/Georgy_K_Zhukov giving it the full treatment in Rules Roundtable #2: Explaining the Rules Regarding Links and Quotes, his tl;dr being:
In /r/AskHistorians, we moderate with the assumption question-askers are seeking an "AskHistorians Answer™". They want to engage with someone who knows about the topic, and can discuss it with some level of expertise. Simply posting a link or a quote does not satisfy this, so unless you are prepared to provide further information that can properly contextualize them, please don't post it!
From a personal standpoint as a moderator, I'll add one other argument against this idea. If someone simply names a book, I don't have enough information about the poster to be able to gauge the recommendation: does this person know enough about the subject matter to be able to assess the quality and appropriateness of the book? Basically such a comment is unmoderatable.
I don’t know, I feel as though it’d decrease the actual number of answered questions on this sub. Experts who might otherwise take the time to write a thoughtful answer might instead decide to let the book speak for itself, denying it context or a summary of similar historiography. There’s also the fact that many sources cost a pretty penny and might not be available to all posters, especially overseas.
It might also make things harder for the mods. How are they supposed to verify if a source really answers a question, or even points in the right direction? Even an expert can make a mistake, and if the person has to buy the book to even see if the answer is within it might turn them off completely.
Another way that this could work and wouldn't need any change to the rules would be for the historian to PM the OP with a reccommendation, and then the OP could edit it into their post.