Wikipedia:What to do if your article gets tagged for speedy deletion

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

My article was tagged for speedy deletion!

If you're reading this, it's probably because a page you created was tagged for deletion based on Wikipedia's

speedy deletion policy
.

What does a "Speedy Deletion" tag look like?

A Speedy Deletion (CSD) tag looks something like this:

The contents inside the tag will differ according to the

speedy deletion criterion
that it is based on.

So why was my article tagged for deletion?

There are four major reasons why an article gets tagged for speedy deletion: it is asserted to be non-encyclopedic, a copyright violation, an advertisement or spam, or an attack page, hoax or other form of vandalism.

Non-encyclopedic pages

The most basic standard for inclusion in Wikipedia is

reliable sources
. Wikipedia is not a place to establish one's notability, and so things like the band you started with your friends (even the ones that are so close to being noticed/signed/gigged), the shop down the street that sells good donuts, the hot guy/girl that sits across from you in study hall, or the sweet awesomeness of your best friend, don't belong in Wikipedia (unless they've been written about elsewhere, reliably and independently, first).

If your subject has been written about elsewhere, you have to say why. Creating an article that just says "Paul is a really good cook" doesn't provide a starting point for other editors to build on. Who is Paul? What kind of food does he cook? Who says he's good? How do we find out more about him? Now, an article that says "Paul Prudhomme is a world-class cajun chef who hosts the show Paul Prudhomme's Always Cooking! on PBS"... that gives you something to sink your teeth into!

And finally, articles which just can't become articles – articles with random text or no content.

Applicable Speedy Deletion Criteria
A7
(no assertion of importance)
Related Policies and Guidelines
Notability of internet content

Copyright violations

Sadly, all the notability in the world can't save a copyright violation. Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia, and as such we must use free content (with a

source
– but pure copying is a big no-no.

Applicable Speedy Deletion Criteria
G12
(blatant copyright violation)
Related Policies, Guidelines, and Resources
Dealing with copyright violations - Non-free content
WikiProject Resource Exchange

Advertisements or spam

Wikipedia is not an advertising service, and the community is very sensitive to being treated as one. If you wrote an article that reads like

advertising copy – if it extolls the virtues of your product, uses marketing
terms like "dynamic" and "capable" and "world-leading expertise" to describe your company, boasts about how your website is the fastest growing "ceramic-doll related forum on the internets" – it's probably going to stay deleted.

Surprisingly enough, this includes companies you may not be associated with. An overenthusiastic analysis of a company by a genuine fan can be mistaken for something drafted by that company's marketing department (after all, it's not that difficult to fake). If this is the case, then I'm sorry your article was deleted but you simply need to tone it down next time. Also, see reason one above about Notability. If no one else, outside of Wikipedia, has written about your company yet, it's highly unlikely that Wikipedia will be willing to be "Your Big Break".

Applicable Speedy Deletion Criteria
G11
(blatant advertising)
Related Policies and Guidelines
Wikipedia is not an advertising platform

Attack pages or other forms of vandalism

Writing an article saying "Damian is a jerk" will lead to deletion. So will writing an article comparing his gaming skills to a sloth. Wikipedia

punching bag or bulletin board
. The same goes for pages created to vandalize or otherwise disrupt the project.

Applicable Speedy Deletion Criteria
G10
(attack pages)
Related Policies and Guidelines
Vandalism

So what now?

If you contest the speedy deletion, stop and think. Why shouldn't the article be deleted? If you can think of a valid reason why the article shouldn't be deleted, go ahead and click the button. Then replace "(your reason here)" in the edit field that appears, with your reason. Then click save. If the reviewing administrator thinks your reason is valid enough, they won't delete the page straight away, but will give you time to edit the article first — go on, now's your chance! On the flip side, if your reason is not good enough, or the page will never meet policy, then the reviewing administrator may just delete the page anyway.

But don't despair!

My article was speedily deleted. What does this mean?

If you want your article back, it's definitely possible. Reading this far is a good first step and means you're serious about it. Keep in mind though, you need to ask a

Wikipedia deletion review
, although your time and energy would more likely be better spent writing a new and improved version from scratch.

References

  1. ^ "Your" article, in the sense that the article is the result of your work, not in the sense that you own the article.

See also