User:Masem/SAA

This guideline describes the manner through which we determine the appropriate of a standalone article located in the main namespace of Wikipedia. Articles which are determined to be inappropriate are typically removed after discussion through the articles for deletion process (or similar mechanisms) which may include the relocation of the article content in some form to a different article, or through direct admin action if the inappropriateness is flagrant.

In general, the majority of articles on Wikipedia are expected to conform to our notability guidelines that helps to document the significance of the topic in independent sourcing, but there are other possible article types that are also considered appropriate that help to improve Wikipedia's usability and accessibility. There are also a number of limitations on the types of articles that can be created based on our core content policies.

This guideline does not apply wholly to any other namespace (such as "Talk:" "User:", etc.) though some policies and guidelines lists will also apply there.

Appropriate stand-alone articles

Notable topics

The majority of articles in main space are expected to be well sourced to conform to content policies, as well as to avoid creating an indiscriminent collection of information. Our metric for this is the concept of the topic's notability, which is commonly defined in English as being "worthy of note"; though related to "importance", "fame", or "popularity", we seek to include topics that are well documented - those that have been noted. As the word "notable" generally can be taken subjectively, our evaluation for notability is based on how much significant coverage in independent, secondary sources that a topic receives, as defined by the general notability guideline. We allow for the presumption of notability to allow standalone articles on topics with difficult-to-locate sources to exist so that other editors can help contribute, considering that we have no deadline for getting these articles to a usable state. We also allow for the presumption of notability for topics that have met criteria that would very likely lead to additional sourcing; these are defined by the various subject-specific notability guidelines, listed to the right.

For where topics do not show such evidence of notability, these topics can still be included in the context of a larger article. Existing stand-alone articles on such topics should be merged or redirected to appropriate articles before considering them for deletion. Editors are expected evaluate other options prior to nominating such articles for deletion.

Spinout/child articles

Some notable topics will have a large number of details, which in a traditional printed encyclopedia would fill several pages. However, Wikipedia is not paper and our electronic medium places some accessibility and technological limits on the effective size of the delivered articles, as described by our page size guidance.

This size should not limit the content of articles. Instead, when article content grows beyond this size, we allow spinout articles, created in a summary style, to be created. These spinouts may or may not be notable themselves, and such spinouts should be broken out in natural places, putting the most detailed aspects into the spinout articles.

Many large topics that cover hundreds of articles will have navigation aids in the form of navigation lists or outlines that can help the reader quickly narrow down to a specific part of a topic. These pages do not require any sourcing (though can include it if helpful). Similarly, larger topics may have a common large set of books and references considered essential for the overall topic, or a list of terms (glossary) to help readers. These are also acceptable pages.

Redirection and disambiguation pages

Redirection pages and disambiguation pages are located in main space by necessity of the MediaWiki software as aids in searching and directing readers to appropriate pages. There are no restrictions for these pages, though there are recommended practices.

Common deletions outcomes

There is a short list of topics at common deletion outcomes of topics that are nearly always kept irregardless of notability from deletion discussions; this importantly includes officially named geographic places (including small towns, villages, and landmarks), as these effectively help Wikipedia be part-gazetteer.

"Ignore All Rules" Exceptions

There are times where articles will not meet any of the above criteria, but will have been determined appropriate to include by consensus. These "Ignore All Rules" cases are exceptional, and could only be used if there are clear case where removal would harm Wikipedia as determined by consensus.

Limitations on stand-alone articles

Though articles listed above can be included in main space, there are overarching policies that will prevent some articles from being acceptable.

Copyright violations

Cut-and-pasted articles that come from sources that otherwise do not employ a compatible free license (CC-BY, CC-BY-SA, or public domain) with Wikipedia are considered copyright violations and are removed on sight. We do allow limited quoting and citation to sources to help enhance an article, if such is needed. Even copy-and-pasted articles from a CC-BY source should include attribution information as required by the license.

Biographies of living persons

For articles on living persons (or those that have just recently died), we strive to avoid any misstatement that could be taken negatively about that person, requiring strong reliable sources to make any such claims. If an article about a living person can only be sourced to information that would fail this policy, the article is likely not appropriate and will not be deleted. This is often true for persons famous for only one event.

What Wikipedia is Not

What Wikipedia is Not is a policy that describes how Wikipedia aims to avoid being a collection of indiscriminate information. Articles that fully go against any of the situations presented in that policy will typically be determined inappropriate for Wikipedia and will be deleted. Often content from these types of articles can be better summarized and placed in context of a larger article.

Core content policy violations

Verifyability, No original research, and Neutral point of view are our three core content policies. While they apply specifically to article content, articles that are outright violations of these will likely be reworked, merged or removed. For example, we would never allow an article that only provided negative criticism of an organization; however, this can be balanced by offering counterpoints by the organization itself (for example Criticism of Christianity). Commonly, articles that cover details of fringe theories will be subject to review if such theories are not documented by others. All articles are expected to be verifyable to at least one third-party source at minimum, and articles lacking any such sourcing will also likely be deleted.

Speedy Deletion Criteria

While we do allow time for articles to be developed and curated by editors, we do expect that at the time of article creation there is enough information to show that the likelihood of an article being an appropriate topic is present. Articles that fail to show this are subject to deletion through various speedy deletion criteria; such criteria include apparent hoaxes and articles that appear promotional from local organizations and groups. Editors that worry that new articles may be subject to this can develop articles in their own userspace/sandbox, or can seek help from Articles for Creation that will assure that articles are in a state that speedy deletion will no longer apply.