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Help, my article got nominated for deletion! It takes a lot of work to create an article. New editors who decide to be bold sometimes encounter the deletion process because the new article may be at odds with a Wikipedia policy. Deletion isn't automatic. It's a process. Sometimes the article stays in the encyclopedia.
Very often, a person whose work is nominated for deletion feels hurt and/or gets angry. Maybe it helps to know that plenty of established users have had articles they wrote nominated for deletion and/or deleted. If you think your article should remain on Wikipedia, others are more likely to listen to you if you stay calm and explain why the article is relevant, than if you act upset.
- Further information: Wikipedia:Guide to deletion
Contents |
How deletion nominations work
Another editor saw the article and thought it didn't belong in Wikipedia. Most nominations open a discussion that remains active for several days. The nominator describes why the article seems inappropriate and other editors respond. An administrator evaluates the responses and takes action.
Deletion is not automatic
Articles may survive the deletion process for several reasons:
- A consensus of editors believe the article is encyclopedic.
- The article improves to encyclopedic standards while the discussion is underway.
- No consensus emerges, in which case the article stays.
A discussion, not a vote
The deletion process is really a discussion. Wikipedia has particular standards for deletion and editors explain why they believe certain rules apply. These comments often link to relevant policy pages.
Any editor can comment several times, but they only get to state one opinion about whether the article stays or goes. Editors who change their opinion indicate the change by striking out (like this) the previous statement and adding a new one.
Users sometimes try to sway the discussion by trying to vote several times or by getting friends to vote for them. This usually backfires. Administrators can tell how many previous edits a user has made and discount these "votes." The effort may draw negative responses from other editors who dislike these methods of trying to influence the outcome. Also, making multiple accounts to all vote for a certain position is sockpuppeting and violates policy.
How to save the article
Many editors are reasonable people. Be polite and address their concerns by improving the article. Verifiability and/or Notability are often the main issues. For example, an article about an independent film may get nominated for deletion because it isn't in the Internet Movie Database. Other editors might choose to keep it if the article cites Canadian newspapers to prove it screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Mention the changes and improvements in the AfD discussion.
Other editors may work on the article too, standardizing the format or copyediting or adding content. This is a normal part of Wikipedia editing. Most changes are helpful. For an example of when working on an article saved it, see Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Bonny Hicks.
Read up on Wikipedia policies to be sure your article meets acceptable standards. If you think you've met those standards but the improvements took place after most people finished discussion, one final option is Wikipedia:Deletion review.
Some articles will get deleted anyway
Some article subjects don't meet encyclopedic standards yet. An independent film that hasn't appeared in a film festival, a magazine in its first issue, and an unknown musical band might become encyclopedic later on. First get regular press coverage and meet Wikipedia's requirements for the subject. Save the existing draft before the article gets deleted, then recreate it later once it becomes encyclopedic and verifiable.
Some articles undergo speedy deletion when they fail to fit criteria that Wikipedia editors have already agreed regarding similar articles. One such type of page is an article that slanders a living person who is not a public figure. Another type of page that often gets speedily deleted is an article about a little-known musical group. See WP:BIO and Wikipedia:Notability (music).
Some articles just don't belong in an encyclopedia. A local slang term which is not very notable from a worldwide view or not covered in popular culture is a candidate for the Urban Dictionary, not for Wikipedia. A photo album is better off as a Tripod or Flickr site. Your favorite recipe belongs at Wikipedia's sister project Wikibooks.
