Wikipedia:How to save an article nominated for deletion
This is an essay on the deletion policy. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints. |
This page in a nutshell: Don't panic; discuss, familiarize yourself with the deletion process, and address the issues. |
The following are the best ways to save an article that has been proposed for deletion. |
Wikipedia discussions |
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Arguments to avoid in |
Arguments to make |
Common outcomes |
When an article, especially one that you wrote or are otherwise attached to, is up for deletion, you may be upset or in shock. Your first thought may be "what do I do now?".
The first thing you should know is
Types of deletion
There are three types of deletion:
If an article is nominated for speedy deletion
Speedy deletion is the deletion of an article, usually on the same day, and most frequently within an hour of the nomination, without a discussion. It is only done in certain extreme cases, mostly with articles that are not written
This can also happen if you are writing about an article that is relatively fringe (Norwegian Hot-tub culture) or is dangerously close to advertising (Bob Smith Motorhomes). While articles that are not notable or are considered blatant advertising should not be on Wikipedia and are likely to get deleted, this essay deals with those that should.
The first step is to write a short note on the discussion page explaining that you understand the concerns of the editor who tagged your article and are about to address them. If you cannot address them immediately, be sure to note a timeline as to when you will address them. Wikipedia does not require you to be logged on 24/7 and to quit your job but people want to know that you are dealing with their tag in a timely fashion. Speedy Deletion requests are often applied by
At this point you have to breathe deep and edit your article to:
- explain why it is notable, and
- source your explanation.
Once you've done this, go to the talk page of the person who tagged the article (available in the article history or in the deletion notice on your talk page) and ask them to remove the tag. As with all tags, this is far more polite than removing someone else's tag.
At the very least, add some information to the article's talk page explaining how it is notable. If you plan to improve the article with additional sources, make it clear on the talk page when this will be completed.
If an article is proposed for deletion
When an article is proposed for deletion using the
Deprodding
Unlike speedy deletion, anyone (including the article's creator) may remove the {{
Alternatively, you can leave the {{
If an article is sent to Articles for Deletion
With proposed deletion (known as "PROD"), you have the option to remove the {{
Don't panic
An article that is proposed for deletion may seem like a done deal. Especially for
Know what AfD is all about
In case you don't know, this is a good time to learn about Wikipedia's
Learn about Wikipedia's inclusion guidelines
If an article is to be deleted, this would likely happen because for one reason or another, it does not conform to one or more of Wikipedia's inclusion guidelines, or at least the nominator believes this is the case.
There are many possible reasons why an article may not be worthy of inclusion. Even if most do not see this, it only takes one editor to make a deletion proposal. Anyone who is registered has the right (in good faith) to propose an article for deletion, regardless of editing experience. Even IP editors may make deletion proposals, though registration is required to complete the AfD process, since it involves creating the discussion page.
The commonly cited page
Read the nominator's comments
When an article is sent to AfD, it is sent there because the nominator has a particular concern about the article, and therefore feels it should not be included at all; it should be deleted and not even be merged. While others may say that the article should be kept, merged, redirected, renamed, or something else for some reason they explain, this may not have been the case at the time the proposal was made.
Read the comments of others
Once the discussion begins, others may comment, even within minutes, giving their point-of-view or some ideas. There may be others who believe an article should be deleted for a reason other than the one the nominator gave. If so, there may be more issues that will have to be addressed.
Address the arguments
Provided that the deletion tag is not removed, one of the best ways to save a nominated article is making necessary edits to nullify the arguments supporting its proposed deletion. If you make major edits, then you should link the article's page history differences in the AfD. Be bold in editing the article to hopefully change the consensus to "keep" and the nominator may withdraw the nomination.
For example, if the article lacks sources, then add
In some cases, the article may not need any changes; but existing policies and guidelines just need to be clarified. If so, then citing these guidelines may be the solution. They should not be simply stated alone (as "Keep per _____"), but along with the reason, in your own words, why you believe it applies and why you believe the article should be kept.
Resign yourself if needed
In some cases, no matter what you try to do,
Some alternatives to keeping an article are:
- redirectedto. In some cases, a series of article proposed together for deletion may be better off as a single page regarding the whole topic.
- Userfying: Request that the page be transferred into your userspace, where you can take your time to make necessary changes, or transfer parts to one or more other articles
- Renaming: Sometimes an article may fit better simply by changing the title. After renaming, some of the article's text may need to be modified, but by doing so, the article may then belong.
- Exporting: You may wish to export your article to Deletionpedia, so that the contents can remain viewable elsewhere.
Rest your case
Once you have made your comment, watch and see what happens thereafter, and what comments are made in response to yours or others.
You may add existing comments to those of others if you wish, or modify ones you have previously made (though if you remove previous comments you made, you are required to use the strikethrough method by enclosing the removed text with <s> and </s> as opposed to deleting it from the edited version). If you add an additional comment after you "!vote", do not use the words "keep" or "delete" again, but rather use the word "comment".
Saving non-articles
When the deletion process is applied to articles, there are