STOWiki:Policy/Deletion/Proposed

Deleting a page
When a page is obvious spam, is deprecated by a new page and has no need to be redirected, or for some other reason you think it should be removed from the wiki, then you can mark it as a candidate for deletion. Please use discretion when doing this as it is can be against the spirit of a wiki if not the policy of this wiki by disrupting the atmosphere of trust and collaboration. If you still think it is best for the article to be removed, the process is described below.


 * If a page has had useful content, but it has been moved somewhere else (because of merging, fixing naming, etc) it is normally best to redirect it!
 * Outside sources (including search engines) keep old links into STOWiki — it is in our best interest to keep them working!

Marking a page for deletion
In order to mark a page for deletion, add the delete template at the top of the given page as shown below:

Replace "reason" in the above with a brief description of the reasons you believe the page should be deleted. If your reasoning is complex or lengthy, you should use the article's talk page to describe the reasoning instead; in this case, simply replace "reason" with a link to the article's talk page.

Speedy deletion
If you can foresee no reasonable cause for anyone to object to the deletion of an article, you may opt to use the speedydelete template instead. The usage is much the same, as shown below:

As above, replace "reason" with a brief description of your reasoning for requesting the article's deletion.

The following are examples of cases where a request for speedy deletion is appropriate:
 * The article is obvious vandalism, abuse, or spam.
 * For images, the appropriate license for the image could not be determined or the image was clearly not licensed.
 * When an article has a misspelled title or is otherwise misnamed, the redirect left after moving the article to the correct location may be marked for speedy deletion if it is unlikely to be used as a search term.
 * The article was in the wrong namespace. The resulting redirect after a move may be marked for speedy deletion.
 * The wiki has a duplicate article of clearly similar or higher quality.
 * The article has a special purpose which no longer needs to be addressed, such as a research article where the research has been concluded and the results are sufficiently documented on other pages.
 * The article is both very small and is outdated, especially if the article is used in automation on the wiki where the article's retention affects other articles.


 * Administrators who feel a page is suitable for speedy deletion may simply delete the page. This is true even if a user has marked the page with the regular template, but administrators must check to ensure there isn't an unresolved ongoing discussion about the deletion first.

Objection to deletion
Any user who objects to a request for deletion may take the following steps to contest it. If you are contesting it before the deletion occurs:
 * Replace {{speedydelete with {{delete if the former template was used.
 * Add "Disputed" to the reason referenced in the template.
 * Describe your objections on the article's talk page.
 * You may optionally also want to leave a short, but polite message on the talk page of the user who requested the deletion.


 * {{icon-exclamation}}Administrators are not required to heed objections to deletion if they feel the reasoning for the objection is wholly insufficient to even merit discussion of the page's deletion.


 * Additionally, if an administrator feels the reasoning is more appropriate for a different venue (such as a policy discussion rather than a deletion discussion), the administrator may continue with the page deletion. The discussion must then be moved to a more appropriate or visible page assuming other policies do not render the discussion invalid; usually, this would done if the discussion in question would affect the status of many articles, including previously deleted ones.


 * That said, administrators are responsible for applying the principles of STOWiki:Assume good faith when considering the exercise of either option above.

To contest a deletion after it occurs, you should ideally leave a message on the talk page of the administrator responsible for the deletion indicating why the article should be restored. If any administrator feels that the reasoning is such that neither option above would have applied to the deletion, the administrator is required to restore the article, make the appropriate edits to update the deletion template and reasons, and open a discussion on the article's talk page.


 * {{icon-exclamation}}Optionally, if an administrator feels the reasoning for restoring a page is sufficiently solid, and he or she was the one who originally deleted the page, the administrator may simply restore the page and remove the deletion template.

Handling a contested deletion
Assuming administrators do not feel the objection is wholly without merit, once a deletion request is disputed, the article should be restored if it has been deleted and the parties involved should discuss the matter and attempt to come to a consensus or compromise on the deletion issue. Administrators should allow a minimum of three days for this discussion.

Ultimately, the decision rests with the administrators, but they are strongly encouraged to follow the group consensus or compromise should one emerge. If such an outcome does not arise, administrators have the following options:


 * Come to their own consensus or compromise on the matter, taking into account in the opinions of the community and the good of the wiki.
 * Call a five-day vote on the deletion decision.
 * Choose to allow the discussion to continue to see if any consensus or compromise arises later, perhaps due to a change in circumstances or due to new information.

Finality of deletion decisions
Decisions on a deletion, regardless of whether or not it has yet happened, can only be considered final if a a minimum of two administrators believes one of the following is true:
 * All objections to the deletion are wholly without merit even for further discussion.
 * The decision made reflects, preferably, the group consensus, or failing that, the majority opinion.
 * All reasonable efforts to find a consensus, compromise, or majority opinion have been made and have failed.

Templates

 * Template:Delete
 * Template:Speedydelete