Help:Deleting a page

When not to delete a page
A page would be deleted if the contents are inappropriate and do not match the purposes of the Wiki. In other situations, less extreme course of action would be taken, for example:


 * The page should have a different title -- See Help:Moving a page
 * The contents should have been placed on a different page -- Add the contents to the other page, and then supply a redirect. See Help:Redirects
 * The contents are already on a different page -- Delete the duplicate content and leave a redirect. That way, the page title, which made sense will helpfully redirect to the information. See Help:Redirects
 * The page is out-of-date -- Re-word sentences to past tense, to make the page an historical record. Alternatively, label the information as out-of-date, with a warning notice.

An actual delete is generally necessary only if the title of the page is inappropriate. In other situations, a merge and redirect is more appropriate.

Proposing changes
Deciding on appropriate content/page titles can be a difficult aspect of Wiki organization, and one which can often provoke debates. If the merge or deletion is one which might cause upset, propose the change first. Do this by leaving a note to giving the reasons on the talk page.

Unlinking a page
The 'What links here' toolbox feature (bottom of left sidebar) tells which other Wiki pages link to the current page. '''Always use this feature to check before proceeding with a proposal to delete. These related pages will need to be edited for their links to reflect the change'''. You need to either remove the link if there is no other page to replace it. If there is a duplicate or similar page put in its place. When all links are replaced a delete template can be placed on the page.

Deletion itself
Normal users cannot permanently delete a Wiki page. This is a deliberate design feature, and is an important part of why wikis work. Every kind of editing operation can be reverted by any other user, and that includes resurrecting deleted content. It doesn't cause significant wasted space; and with nothing but a 'delete' label, the page is effectively deleted anyway.

Marking a page for deletion. Unless the content is offensive, do not blank a page, but a deletion flag can be added by typing replacing the word reason with a short explanation why it is recommend the page be deleted. If the explanation cannot be summarized easily or to add further details use the associated talk page.  Be sure to check the What Links Here page and change any pages that are linked to the page you want deleted by removing the page's name from the category at the bottom of the linked page.

'Sysop' users are able to delete a page semi-permanently. See Help:Sysop deleting and undeleting. Typically 'sysops' look for delete labels, and do a proper delete on these pages, after a period of time. If for some reason you need a page to be deleted more quickly than that, contact a 'sysop' to request this.