Wikipedia:Proposed deletion

This page documents an English Wikipedia policy. It describes a widely accepted standard that all editors should normally follow. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

Shortcuts WP:PROD WP:PRD

This page in a nutshell: As a shortcut to the normal deletion discussion process, an article or file can be proposed for uncontroversial deletion, but only once. If no one contests the proposed deletion within seven days, an administrator may delete the page.

Proposed deletion (PROD) is a way to suggest an article or file for uncontroversial deletion. It is an easier method of removing articles or files than the articles for deletion (AfD) or files for discussion (FfD) processes, and is meant for uncomplicated deletion proposals that do not meet the strict criteria for speedy deletion.

PROD must only be used if no opposition to the deletion is expected. It must never be used simultaneously with a deletion discussion (AfD or FfD), and it may only be placed on a page a single time. Any editor (including the article's creator or the file's uploader) may object to the deletion by simply removing the tag; this action permanently cancels the proposed deletion via PROD.

A nominated page is marked for at least seven days; if nobody objects, it is considered by an uninvolved administrator, who reviews the page and may delete it or may remove the PROD tag. The first objection kills the PROD, and anyone may object as long as the PROD tag is present. Even after it has been deleted, anyone may have a PRODed article or file restored through a request for undeletion. By the same logic, PROD is one-shot only: It must not be used for pages PRODed before or previously discussed at AfD or FfD.

A special case is BLPPROD: an article which has had the BLPPROD-tag removed still can be PRODed via the process described here.

PROD is only applicable to mainspace articles, lists, set indices, disambiguation pages, and files not on Commons. Books may also be proposed for deletion, using a similar process. Proposed deletion cannot be used with redirects, user pages (except user books), drafts, templates, categories, or pages in any other namespace.

There are three steps to the PROD process

1. To nominate a page, place the {{subst:proposed deletion|concern=reason for proposed deletion}} tag at the top of the page. This is automatically converted to a {{proposed deletion/dated}} which lists the page in Category:Proposed deletion. You should notify the article's creator or other significant contributors by adding the {{subst:Proposed deletion notify|Name of page}} tag or other appropriate text to contributor talk pages.
2. If anybody objects to the deletion (usually by removing the {{proposed deletion/dated}} tag—see full instructions below), the proposal is aborted and may not be re-proposed.
3. The page is first checked and then deleted by an administrator seven days after nomination (or any time after seven days that an administrator reviews the page). It may be undeleted upon request. If the reviewing administrator does not agree with the deletion they may remove the PROD tag instead of deleting the page.

Nominating

Before nomination

1. Is there a valid reason for deletion? For articles, consider alternatives to deletion like improving the page, merging or redirecting. If a file meets the Wikimedia Commons scope and licensing requirements, consider moving it there.
2. Review the page history to confirm it has not been recently vandalized.
3. Confirm the page is eligible for proposed deletion by checking that:
   • it has not previously been proposed for deletion.^[1]
   • it has not previously been undeleted.
   • and it is not, nor has ever been, discussed at AfD/FfD.
4. Note: Only articles, lists, set indices, disambiguation pages, and files hosted on Wikipedia (not on Commons) may be deleted using the proposed deletion process.^[2]

During nomination

1. Add the {{proposed deletion}} tag to the top of the page to nominate it, and provide a clear and non-generic reason like this:

   {{subst:Proposed deletion|concern=reason for proposed deletion}}

   For articles, it is considered good practice to indicate the general subject area or what notability guidelines it falls under.

2. Provide a clear edit summary indicating the page has been proposed for deletion. Do not mark the edit as minor.
3. Consider adding an {{Old prod}} tag to the talk page.^[3]
4. Consider adding the page to your watchlist.
5. The article's creator or other significant contributors should ideally be left a message at their talk page(s) informing them of the proposed deletion. This should be done by adding the {{subst:Proposed deletion notify|Name of page}} tag, or other appropriate text.

If you use the above template, you do not need to add a section header, as the template will do this for you. Twinkle has an option (which can be configured as the default in Twinkle preferences) to inform the page creator.

To second a proposed deletion

Consider adding a {{Prod-2}} tag to indicate your opinion.^[4]

Objecting

To object to and therefore permanently prevent a proposed deletion, remove the {{proposed deletion/dated}} tag from the article or the {{proposed deletion/dated files}} tag from the file. You are strongly encouraged, but not required, to also:

1. Explain why you disagree with the proposed deletion, either in the edit summary or on the talk page.
2. Consider notifying the editors who placed or seconded the PROD by placing a {{subst:Deprod}} tag on their user talk page.
3. Add or modify an {{Old prod}} tag on the article's talk page, to prevent renomination under proposed deletion. It will then be listed at Category:Past proposed deletion candidates for tracking.
4. Consider improving the page to address the concerns raised.

If anyone, including the creator, removes a proposed deletion tag from a page, do not replace it, even if the tag was apparently removed in bad faith. This excludes removals that are clearly not an objection to deletion, such as page blanking or obvious vandalism. In addition, a tag may be restored if removed by a banned user or blocked user evading a block. If you still believe that the page should be deleted, or that a discussion is necessary, list it on Articles for deletion or files for discussion.^[5][6][7]

If the page has already been deleted, please go to Requests for undeletion. Any page which has been deleted as a result of a proposed deletion can be undeleted upon request (unless there are other reasons for keeping it deleted, such as a copyright infringement), but it may then be nominated for a deletion discussion or moved to draft space for further improvement. A person requesting undeletion must comply with WMF's Terms of Use (especially in the context of the required paid-contribution disclosure) and the username policy.

Patrolling or checking

Pages that are proposed for deletion are listed in the subcategories of Category:Proposed deletion by date of tagging. Any editor may patrol the category to check that pages are correctly nominated, and either endorse the prod by adding {{Prod2}} or remove the prod tag. It is recommended that when either endorsing or removing a prod to give an explanation. This may be placed in the edit summary and/or on the talkpage. Wikipedia:WikiProject proposed deletion patrolling has further information on checking prods.

Pages that have been tagged for at least seven days are listed in Category:Expired proposed deletions. Administrators should check the pages in this category, and follow the deletion advice below.

Procedure for administrators

Deletion

Before deletion, administrators should check the page, its history, and deletion log to confirm that:

1. The nominator's edit summary stated that the page was proposed for deletion.
2. The {{proposed deletion}} tag has been visible on the page for at least 7 continuous days.
3. No objections have been raised on the talk page.
4. The page is eligible for proposed deletion: the page is not a redirect, never previously proposed for deletion, never undeleted, and never subject to a deletion discussion.

If you decide to delete the page, provide an informative deletion reason, such as that given by the nominator or editor who clarified the nominator's reason – not just "expired prod". Note that once the page is deleted, the reason that was given in the {{proposed deletion}} can only be seen by administrators. If you are using an automated script, make sure it leaves an adequate message. To ensure independent judgement, a page should not be deleted by the same person who added the {{proposed deletion}} tag. After deleting the page and its talk page, it is recommended to check What links here to find any redirects to the page which should be deleted. In addition, consider unlinking incoming links from other pages (except discussions, archives and tracking pages), and list entries should be removed altogether if notability concerns were raised.

If you decide not to delete the page, consider editing it to deal with the concerns raised, or nominating the page for a deletion discussion. You should document that it has been contested with an {{Old prod}} on the talk page.

Undeletion

An administrator may decide on their own to restore a page that has been deleted after a proposed deletion without having to make the request at Requests for undeletion.

Proposed deletion of biographies of living people

All biographies of living people (BLP) must have at least one source that supports a statement about the subject, or else it can be proposed for deletion. The {{prod blp/dated}} tag may not be removed until a reliable source is added, and if none is forthcoming within seven days the article may be deleted. This does not affect the regular prod process, which may still be used on BLPs, including BLPs from which the BLP prod has been legitimately removed.

See also

• Wikipedia:Articles for deletion
• Wikipedia:Files for discussion
• Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion
• Wikipedia:List of policies and guidelines to cite in deletion debates
• Wikipedia:WikiProject proposed deletion patrolling – WikiProject to ensure pages are correctly PRODed and de-PRODed
• Wikipedia:Proposed deletion review
• Category:Past proposed deletion candidates
• Category:Proposed deletion – This category contains a list of the pages which have been PRODed

Notes