User:Maverick Nate/candidates guidelines: Difference between revisions

Not to be confused with `Pages to be deleted`, the candidates for deletion are for pages that have questionable notability, among other reasons. Candidates for deletion use the {{template|DiscussDelete}} tag, and all discussion takes place in a "Deletion" section on the talk page. Users are welcome to create subsections for this discussion as they see fit. As most information is notable in one way or another, outright deletion is typically a last resort. Discussion is encouraged in order to find a new home for this content in whatever form is best, even if that means improving and keeping the disputed page. Since deletion is an action limited to Staff, the final act of deleting the page cannot be finished by any user. However, the agreed upon changes can be done by any interested party, and {{template|delete}} can be placed instead. If a consensus is reached that the page should ''not'' be deleted, any interested party can remove the DiscussDelete template from the page.

Candidates for splitting use the {{template|split}} tag, and all discussion takes place in a "Split" section on the talk page. Users are welcome to create subsections for this discussion as they see fit. Typical reasons for splitting a page include page size, load times, or page content developing beyond the scope that one article should detail. As the specifics to how exactly an article should be broken up are not always obvious, it is usually expected that users first use the split tag in order to elicit the input and guidance from additional users and other experienced individuals. Once a split has been decided on, any motivated individual can carry out the actual work involved with splitting the article. If a consensus is reached that the page should ''not'' be split, any interested party can remove the Split template from the page.

Candidates for merging use the {{template|merge}} tag, and all discussion takes place in a "Merge with [x]" section on the talk page. Users are welcome to create subsections for this discussion as they see fit. Common reasons to merge a page are to combine multiple pages that cover the same topic, to combine several minor pages to create a stronger article, etc. Since the final merged article frequently has a different scope as the original separate articles, discussion between all interested users in encouraged. Since merging pages involves the <code>delete</code> action, the final act of merging the pages is limited to staff; however, motivated individuals can create a draft of the combined article if the consensus agrees that it is the best option. If a consensus is reached that the page should ''not'' be merged, any interested party can remove the Merge template from the page.

Candidates for moving use the {{template|move}} tag, and all discussion takes place in a "Move to [x]" section on the talk page. Users are welcome to create subsections for this discussion as they see fit. Although there are many valid reasons to move a page, this tag is usually reserved for nominations that require a larger discussion from multiple viewpoints. Circumstances requiring discussion include vague concepts that don’t have clear names, determining the priority of topics when they share the same name, longstanding articles that users don’t feel comfortable changing on their own, among others. Once the new title has been agreed upon via discussion (and unless the article is protected so only staff can move it), any user can perform the move action, as long as they take care of any re-linking involved after making the move. If a consensus is reached that the page should ''not'' be moved, any interested party can remove the Move template from the page.