Wikipedia:Immunity
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Immunity is the idea that an article cannot possibly be deleted, either because no one will dispute the fact it belongs, or it meets inclusion criteria so well, that no one will dare think to have it deleted. The belief that an article can have immunity is related to the concept of
In theory, some subjects are obvious for inclusion in an encyclopedia. No one would dispute the presence of an article on a country, an ocean, a head of state, a living thing, a space body, etc. that is household vocabulary. You would find these in any paper encyclopedia where inclusion is much more limited. There is no shortage of reliable sources on them available. The possibility of deleting them would never cross one's mind.
At the same time, any registered user has the right to propose any article for deletion. Of course, this should only be done in good faith, and to propose an article for deletion when one knows out of common sense that no one would
Can an article be immune to deletion?
That is a big question.
If an article meets Wikipedia's inclusion guidelines very strongly, one may wonder if it could possibly be deleted.
The
But there are other reasons articles do get deleted. Many AfD debates hinge not over whether an article has the sources needed to meet the general notability guideline or not, but on some other issue.
Some examples are:
There are many things that Wikipedia is not
There is a separate guideline page called
- News: 109 newspapers, find out if it really belongs.
- Guides: So, you know all about how to change the air filter of a car. You don't need a mechanic. It is a simple repair anyone can do in their own driveway. You have plenty of sources to prove that. The local library has 5-6 books that show how to do so, and a national bookstore chain carries even more. Safe, you think. Wrong! Wikipedia is not a guide. The purpose of the encyclopedia is not to provide how-to instructions or advice. There are sister projects that can be used for this purpose. But not the encyclopedia.
- Directories: You may think of writing a Wikipedia page listing all the residents of London. All the information would be Wikipedia is not a directory. Lists can be made on Wikipedia, but only when complying with this guideline. Lists that are tolerated are usually lists of other Wikipedia articles and are here either for navigational purposes, or as an extension of notable information that could be listed in a parent article if not for its length. Lists of subjects that are not notable otherwise are generally not accepted. But remember that the subject itself, phone books, may or may not be not notable.