Wikipedia:Deletion process 


This page describes the actual deletion process involved in recording and executing the community's decisions to delete or keep a page. In general, administrators are responsible for closing discussions about deletions, but in practice, the various deletion discussions tend to be badly backlogged, and editors in good standing who have not been made administrators may close deletion discussions under conditions described under non-administrators closing discussions. Closing decisions are subject to review and, if necessary, may be reopened by any administrator. If this happens, take it only as a sign that the decision may not have been as obvious as you may have thought.

People should not close discussions in which they have been involved. To do so presents a conflict of interest.

Deletion discussions

Deletion today
Deletion yesterday
Articles (by category)
Templates
Images & media
Categories (active)
User categories
Stub types
Redirects
Miscellany
Deletion review

Deletion policy

Processlogtools
GuideImagesAdmins

Contents

Speedy deletion

  1. Decide whether the page meets one or more of the criteria for speedy deletion.
  2. Delete the page with a good comment in the reason for deletion field. (This will be automatically recorded in the Deletion log.)

Articles for deletion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#AFD
WP:DPR#AFD
See also: Wikipedia:Articles for deletion

Every day, the day page (i.e. [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/Year Month Day]]) that is more than five days old should be moved here. The decision to keep or delete a page is to be implemented only after this move has been performed.

Process

To process an AFD debate listed on a day page containing debates old enough to be closed:

  1. If it may take significant time to assess the debate and/or perform the closing edits, consider first editing the sub-page and adding {{Closing}} to the top, to notify others that a close is in progress. This helps to avoid edit conflicts during the close.
  2. Determine (using the guidelines) whether the consensus was to keep or delete the article, and if the associated talk or sub-pages should also be deleted.
  3. Remove the line saying {{REMOVE THIS TEMPLATE WHEN CLOSING THIS AfD|something}}. This will decategorise the debate from the active-AfD categories.
  4. Remove {{Closing}} if you added it earlier.
  5. Enter the following text at the top and bottom of the AFD discussion sub-page. (Together, these two edits will create a shaded box around the discussion thread confirming that it has been closed. See the example below.) Note that the header template and closing result go above the top section header, not below it. Additional usage options are also outlined at Template:At.
  6. If the decision is DELETE, then delete the article (this will be automatically recorded in the Deletion log). Remember to paste a link to the discussion in the "Reason for deletion" box (i.e. add [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Article]); a short explanation is also appreciated, if applicable. If appropriate, delete the article's talk page or any associated sub-pages first. Also remember to check "what links here" and either delete any redirects or redirect them elsewhere. If a given title should never have an article, then remove all links to it. However, you should never remove a link to the article from its nomination for deletion.
  7. If the decision is KEEP (including any variant such as NO CONSENSUS, REDIRECT, or MERGE), remove the AFD Header from the article (be sure the AFD Category is also removed), and put a link to the discussion sub-page on the article's talk page; the template {{oldafdfull}} is recommended for this, so add
              {{oldafdfull|date= dateOfNomination |result= '''result''' |page= articleName }}
    If this is not the first deletion nomination, use {{oldafdmulti}} instead to consolidate the references to all previous AfD nominations:
              {{oldafdmulti | date = | result = '''result''' | page = articleName | date2 = | result2 = '''result''' | page2 = articleName | small = yes | collapse = 1-10 or yes | numbered = yes }}
  8. If not enough discussion took place to determine a consensus or lack thereof, add {{subst:relist}} below the last comment and relist the AFD subpage on the listings for the current date. Do not forget to remove the AFD listing from the log for the original date (if the debate is left on the old log, the "ready for closing" list at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Old is broken). See Wikipedia:Deletion process#Relisting_discussions for a more detailed guide on when to relist or not.
  9. If that was the last open entry on that day's page of deletion discussions,
    1. Edit the old day pages list by cutting the link for the day, which will look like [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Log/Year Month Day]]
    2. Go to the archive of debates and paste the link at the top in the appropriate month.

Header and footer text after closing

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was RESULT. my name date

PageName

DISCUSSION THREAD

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.


Practical advice

There are admin tools available that automate much of this process. There are several and they work differently and may or may not have full functionality depending on your browser.

One commonly used tool is activated via your monobook.js page. For instructions, see User:Mr.Z-man/closeAFD

To find pending AfDs that are awaiting closure, check WP:AFD/OLD.

Other tools may be available. Try contacting admins that frequently close AfDs, and ask them what they use.

Miscellany for deletion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#MFD
WP:DPR#MFD
MFD instructions
close after 5 days
(unless ongoing discussion)
top tag {{subst:mfd top|RESULT}} ~~~~
bottom tag {{subst:mfd bottom}}
archive un-transclude, wikilink, add to list for that day at bottom. Archive finished days.
notes note portal deletions here
If keeping
tag talk page {{oldmfd|date=|result=|votepage=}}
or personal note if user page
remove mfd tag

To process an MFD debate listed on Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion for more than 5 days, where discussion is not ongoing:

  1. If it may take significant time to assess the debate and/or do the closing edits, consider first editing the discussion sub-page and adding {{Closing}} to the top, to notify others that a close is in progress. This helps to avoid edit conflicts during the close.
  2. Determine (using the guidelines) whether the consensus was to keep or delete the page, and if the associated talk or sub-pages should also be deleted.
  3. Enter the following text at the top and bottom of the MFD discussion sub-page. (Together, these two edits will create a shaded box around the discussion thread confirming that it has been closed. See the example below.)
  4. If the decision is DELETE, then delete the page. (This will be automatically recorded in the Deletion log.) Remember to paste a link to the discussion in the "Reason for deletion" box (ie add [[Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Page] ). If appropriate, delete the page's talk page or any associated sub-pages first. Also remember to check "what links here" and either delete any redirects or redirect them elsewhere.
  5. If the decision is KEEP (including any variant such as REDIRECT or MERGE), remove the MFD Header from the page (be sure the MFD Category is also removed). Then put a link to the discussion sub-page on the page's talk page (for user pages a personal note is recommended, otherwise use the template {{oldmfd}} for this), so add:
    {{oldmfd|date=date of nomination|result=result|votepage=PageName}}
    (always include the votepage as talk pages won't properly generate and it protects against later page moves)
    (the default result is "keep")
  6. Remove the transclusion and place a wikilink for the discussion in the Closed Discussions section; however, if that was the last open entry on that day's page of deletion discussions you must also:
    1. Remove the day's discussions to the relevant archive by cutting and pasting the date header and the links to the listed deletion pages, which will look like {{Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/foo:foo}}
    2. Go here and open the relevant monthly page, pasting the date header and links at the top.
    3. Convert the transcluded pages {{Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/foo:foo}} to bulleted links * [[Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/foo:foo]].
  7. If the MfD involved a Portal, please note the closure and result at Portals for deletion at MfD.

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the miscellaneous page below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was RESULT my name date

Wikipedia:MiscellanyPage

DISCUSSION THREAD

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.

Categories for discussion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#CFD
WP:DPR#CFD
CFD instructions
Close after 5 days
Top tag {{subst:cfd top}} RESULT ~~~~
Bottom tag {{subst:cfd bottom}}
Archive If that was the last discussion for that day, remove the day from WP:CFD
If merging, renaming, or deleting
Orphan Remove or rename instances in articles
While orphaning Move to /Working
If keeping
Tag talk page {{cfdend}}
Remove cfd tag  
This box: view  talk  


Every day, the day page (that is, [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/Year Month Day]]) more than five days old should be added to the Closing in progress list at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working#Closing discussions. The decision to keep or delete a category is to be implemented only after the discussion for that category has been closed.

  1. If it may take significant time to assess the debate and/or do the closing edits, consider first editing the discussion section for the category and adding {{Closing}} just after the section header, to notify others that a close of the particular discussion is in progress. This helps to avoid edit conflicts during the close.
  2. Determine whether or not a rough consensus to delete or rename has been reached. See: Deletion guidelines for administrators.
  3. After the category's section header, add:
    {{subst:cfd top}} '''result'''. ~~~~
    (where result is usually either Delete or Keep)
  4. Remove {{Closing}} if you added it earlier.
  5. At the end of the category's section, but before the next category's section header, add:
    {{subst:cfd bottom}}
  6. If the decision is Keep (including any variant such as "Redirect" or "No Consensus"):
    1. Add a link on the category's talk page to the discussion sub-page.
      • The template {{cfdend}} is recommended for this, so add one of:
      {{cfdend|section heading|date=date of nomination|result=result}}
      {{cfdend|date=date of nomination|result=result}}
      {{cfdend|date=date of nomination}}
      (the default section heading is the category name, so that parameter may be omitted entirely)
      (the default result is "Keep", so that parameter may be omitted)
      • If the discussion failed to reach consensus, then the category is kept by default, but the decision should generally include a reference to the lack of consensus, in order to minimize ambiguity and future confusion.
    2. Remove {{cfd}} or other CfD template from the category (be sure the CfD Category is also removed).
    3. If the page becomes a redirect, remember to fix double-redirects.
  7. If the decision is Delete, Merge, or Rename:
    1. List it under the appropriate section of Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working. Be sure to include the link to the CFD day page above the listing. If you are a non-admin, the /Working page is protected, so please do not close discussions that require any of the above 3 actions.
    2. To rename a category, copy the introductory text and paste it to the new category name. If the category has a talk page the talk page can be moved to the new name. Also, any significant history of the category introductory text should be pasted into the new category talk page.
    3. All references to the category in articles (and other pages) must be changed to the new name, or removed, as the case may be. A variety of bots have at times been able to help with this task.
    4. After all instances of the category used in pages have been removed, the category can be deleted by an administrator.
  8. If the proposal includes an addition or change to Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories) which has consensus, make the indicated change to the consensus page.

This relies on the discretion and common sense of the user closing a debate. If you disagree with a decision, please discuss it with that user.

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

Category:example category

The following is an archived discussion concerning one or more categories. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on an appropriate discussion page (such as the category's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.
The result of the discussion was: RESULT. my name date

DISCUSSION THREAD


The above is preserved as an archive of the discussion. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the category's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

Templates for deletion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#TFD
WP:DPR#TFD
TFD instructions
Close after 7 days
Top tag {{subst:tfd top|RESULT}} ~~~~
Bottom tag {{subst:tfd bottom}}
Archive If that was the last discussion for that day, remove the day from WP:TFD
If deleting
Orphan Remove transclusions or move to holding cell
Also delete Sub-templates (e.g. /doc) and matching categories
If keeping
Tag talk page {{tfdend}}
Remove tfd tag  
This box: view  talk  

Every day, the day page (that is, [[Wikipedia:Templates for deletion/Log/Year Month Day]]) more than seven days old should be removed from Wikipedia:Templates for deletion. The decision to keep or delete a template is to be implemented only after the discussion for that template has been closed.

  1. If it may take significant time to assess the debate and/or do the closing edits, consider first editing the discussion section for the template and adding {{Closing}} just after the section header, to notify others that a close of the particular discussion is in progress. This helps to avoid edit conflicts during the close.
  2. Determine whether or not a rough consensus to delete has been reached. See: Deletion guidelines for administrators.
  3. After the template's section header, add:
    {{subst:tfd top|result}} --~~~~
    (where result is usually either Delete or Keep)
  4. Remove {{Closing}} if you added it earlier.
  5. At the end of the template's section, but before the next template's section header, add:
    {{subst:tfd bottom}}
  6. If the decision is Keep (including any variant such as "Redirect" or "No Consensus"):
    1. Add a link on the template's talk page to the discussion sub-page.
      • The template {{tfdend}} is recommended for this, so add one of:
      {{tfdend|section heading|date=date of nomination|result=result}}
      {{tfdend|date=date of nomination|result=result}}
      {{tfdend|date=date of nomination}}
      (N.B. the date must be in the format: yyyy_Month_dd in other words, the month must be written out, it must be in year month day sequence, and the date must not be wikilinked)
      (the default section heading is the template's name, so that parameter may be omitted entirely)
      (the default result is "Keep", so that parameter may be omitted)
      • If the discussion failed to reach consensus, then the template is kept by default, but the decision should generally include a reference to the lack of consensus, in order to minimize ambiguity and future confusion.
    2. Remove {{tfd}} or {{tfm}} from the template (be sure the TfD Category is also removed).
    3. If the page becomes a redirect, remember to fix double-redirects.
  7. If the decision is Delete, then either remove all calls for the template and delete the template or list it under the appropriate section of Wikipedia:Templates for deletion/Holding cell. Be sure to include the link to the TfD day page above the listing. On the template page, change {{tfd}} to {{being deleted|YYYY Month DD}}. After all instances of the template used in pages have been removed, the template can be deleted by an administrator. Mere links to a template on a talk page or in project space may be retained if they are important to understanding historical conversations.
  8. There is no such thing as quorum. If after the normal time period, there are no objections to deletion of a template, it can simply be deleted.
  9. If the template has a matching category that is not used for other purposes (for example, {{cleanup}} and Category:Wikipedia cleanup), delete the category as well.

This relies on the discretion and common sense of the user closing a debate. If you disagree with a decision, please discuss it with that user.

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

Template:example template

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the template below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the template's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the debate was RESULT. my username date
Template:Example template (|talk|history|links|watch|logs)
DISCUSSION THREAD

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the template's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

Redirects for discussion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#RFD
WP:DPR#RFD
RFD instructions
Close after 7 days
Top tag {{subst:rfd top}} RESULT ~~~~
Bottom tag {{subst:rfd bottom}}
Archive If that was the last for that day, remove the day from RFD.
If deleting
Remember Do not delete redirs with relevant history; histmerge or move
If keeping
Tag talk page {{Oldrfd}}
Remove rfd tag

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

RedirectNameTargetArticle

The result of the debate was RESULT my name date

DISCUSSION THREAD

The above is preserved as the archive of a RfD nomination. Please do not modify it.

Stub types for deletion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#SFD
WP:DPR#SFD
SFD instructions
Close after 7 days unless ongoing discussion
Top tag {{subst:sfd top|RESULT}} ~~~~
Bottom tag {{subst:sfd bottom}}
Archive Add to log subpage
If deleting
De-list Remove from stub types list
If keeping
Remove sfd tag from top of template and category
This box: view  talk  

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

{{Template-stub}} / Cat:Category stubs / {{Template stub}} (redirect)

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the stub template and/or category above. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the template's or category's talk page (if any). No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the debate was result

DISCUSSION THREAD

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the template's or category's talk page (if any). No further edits should be made to this section.

Images for deletion page

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#IFD
WP:DPR#IFD
IFD instructions
Close after 5 days unless ongoing discussion
Top tag {{subst:ifd top|RESULT}} ~~~~
Bottom tag {{subst:ifd bottom}}
No quorum delete if no objections
If deleting
If Commons Ensure Commons version is permissible
If keeping
Tag talk page {{oldifdfull}}
Remove ifd tag from image page
This box: view  talk  

Every day, the day page (that is, [[Wikipedia:Images for deletion/Year Month Day]]) more than five days old should be removed from Wikipedia:Images_and_media_for_deletion#Recent_nominations and a wikilink to the day page placed at Wikipedia:Images_and_media_for_deletion#Old_discussions. The decision to keep or delete an image is to be implemented only after the discussion for that template has been closed.

  1. If it may take significant time to assess the debate and/or do the closing edits, consider first editing the discussion section for the image and adding {{Closing}} just after the section header, to notify others that a close of the particular discussion is in progress. This helps to avoid edit conflicts during the close.
  2. Determine whether or not a rough consensus to delete has been reached. See: Deletion guidelines for administrators.
  3. After the image's section header, add:
    {{subst:ifd top|Result}} --~~~~
    (where Result is usually either Delete or Keep)
  4. Remove {{Closing}} if you added it earlier.
  5. At the end of the image's section, but before the next image's section header, add:
    {{subst:ifd bottom}}
  6. If the decision is DELETE, then delete the page. (This will be automatically recorded in the Deletion log.) Remember to paste a link to the discussion in the "Reason for deletion" box (ie add [[Wikipedia:Images for deletion/Page] ). If appropriate, delete the page's talk page or any associated sub-pages first. Also remember to check "what links here" and either delete any redirects or redirect them elsewhere.
  7. If the decision is Keep (including any variant such as "Redirect" or "No Consensus"):
    1. Add a link on the image's talk page to the discussion sub-page.
      • The template {{oldifdfull}} is recommended for this, so add one of:
      {{oldifdfull|date=date of nomination|result=result}}
      {{oldifdfull|date=date of nomination}}
      (the default result is "Keep", so that parameter may be omitted)
      • If the discussion failed to reach consensus, then the image is kept by default, but the decision should generally include a reference to the lack of consensus, in order to minimize ambiguity and future confusion.
    2. Remove {{ifd}} (and if applicable {{ifdc}}) from the image (be sure the IfD Category is also removed).
    3. If the page becomes a redirect, remember to fix double-redirects.
  8. There is no such thing as quorum. If after the normal time period, there are no objections to deletion of an image, it can simply be deleted.
When deleting images because they are now at the Wikimedia Commons, ensure that the Commons version is completely permissible. Among other things, check that:
  1. All relevant revisions of the image have been moved to the Commons, not just the most recent one.
  2. The Commons version is as good as or better than the local one.
  3. The Commons version is under a free license, and properly tagged and attributed.

If you disagree with a decision, please discuss it with the closing editor and, if necessary, request deletion review.

Header and footer text

After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:

Image:Image_name.jpg

The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the media below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the media's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the debate was: RESULT. my username date

Image:Image_name.jpg (delete | talk | history | logs) - uploaded by Example (notify | contribs).

DISCUSSION THREAD

The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the media's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this section.

Wikipedia:Deletion review discussions

Shortcuts:
WP:DELPRO#DRV
WP:DPR#DRV

Deletion Review discussions are typically closed after 5 days of discussion. Due to the nature of these discussions, the standards are very different from the standards followed in other discussions. Closers must be very familiar with the standards and outcomes used in the Deletion Review process.

To archive a DRV discussion:

====[Header]==== ← Replace with {{subst:DRV top|[Header]|DECISION}}
    Header (|talk|history|links|watch|logs) ← If this is missing from the discussion it should be included for archiving.
DISCUSSION ← Body of the discussion stays unchanged
{{subst:DRV bottom}} ← Add bottom template

Special situations

Some deletion discussions require a few extra steps to close completely.

Relisting discussions

Shortcut:
WP:RELIST

The intent of the deletion process is to attempt to determine the consensus of whether an article should be deleted or not.

However, if at the end of the initial five day period, an XFD discussion has only one or two commenting editors (including the nominator), and/or if it seems to the closer to be lacking arguments based on policy, it may be appropriate for the closer to relist the discussion, with a goal of obtaining further sufficient discussion in order to determine consensus, and with the understanding that it may be subject to being closed once consensus can be determined, without necessarily waiting a further five days.

That said, relisting a debate should not be a substitute for a no-consensus closure. If closer feels that there has been substantive debate, and disparate opinions supported by policy have been expressed, and it appears that consensus will not be achieved, a no-consensus close may be preferable.

If a debate has already been relisted once, the closer should consider carefully if a no-consensus close would be more appropriate than a second relisting. If further discussion is unlikely to bring consensus, then the discussion should simply be closed.

Note that some deletion discussions (such as for categories, redirects, and images and media) can be closed as delete, rather than relisted, if nobody other than the nominator comments.

When relisting a discussion, it should be removed from the log for its original date and moved to the current date's log where the discussion will continue.

Transwiki

If the decision is TRANSWIKI but you do not want to complete the transwiki process immediately,

  1. add a new entry to Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Old/Transwiki.
  2. add the appropriate tag to the article

Untranscluded discussions

Sometimes, AFD discussions become excessively long and are temporarily untranscluded from the day's AFD page. This is most often done through the creation of a /temp page for the AFD discussion. If you close one of these very large discussions:

  1. Edit the AFD day page to re-transclude the long discussion.
  2. Delete the /temp page.

All others

Non-administrators closing discussions

Shortcut:
WP:DPR#NAC
See also: Wikipedia:Non-admin closure

In general, administrators are responsible for closing discussions about deletions. However, at times the various deletion discussions become backlogged. Editors in good standing who have not been made administrators may close deletion discussions, with the following provisions:

  • Non-administrators should not close even unanimous "delete" decisions, as they lack the account feature to delete pages (that feature is only turned on for admins).
  • Close calls and controversial or ambiguous decisions should be left to an administrator.
  • In cases when an administrator has deleted a page and overlooks closing the discussion, the administrator's name and deletion summary should be included in the closing rationale.

Non-administrators closing deletion discussions are recommended to disclose their status in the closing decision. Decisions are subject to review and may be reopened by any administrator. If this happens, take it only as a sign that the decision was not as unambiguous as you thought.

Non-administrators closing CfD discussions

Note that Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working has been protected from editing by non-admins due to exploitation by vandals. As such, CfD decisions which require admin or botwork to complete, such as "delete", "merge", or "rename", should not be closed by non-admins as they will be unable to make the necessary edits to WP:CFD/W.

See also