Why do wikipedia pages get deleted

Because the website operates so publicly, many people assume that the content can be less formal. This is not the case. Wikipedia has a system in place to eliminate pages that do not meet the standards. Each day, pages disappear if they do not meet the criteria.

The deletion process that carries out daily on Wikipedia can be difficult to understand. It is often a surprise when people learn that the website uses such a high standard of public information. After all, a website that lets the community contribute so wholly comes off a little carefree. In reality, Wikipedia is still thriving in this shifting virtual landscape because of its commitment to knowledge and execution.

There are four processes for deletion on Wikipedia. Each of them are unique and used for differing levels of misuse. Copyright is the most obvious cause of pages disappearing. But it continues to be an ongoing issue for Wikipedia users. While it can be seen as common sense, sometimes it is still easy to slip up. Copyright is blatant copying as well as the direct use of ideas without giving credit or adding additional value. If your Wikipedia page disappears, you can go through the content to reassess.

You might find that you are not as crafty with your wording as you think you are. We live in a world where there is an overload of information. It can be easy to forget ourselves. In the online plain you cannot afford to risk losing your footing. That is when you lose your edge. A similar concept is true for checking your sources. If you do not use credible sources, you risk using faulty information that will be picked up on.

It is necessary that the content that goes up is the result of informed thought and reliable sources. If unoriginality is your worst enemy, then misinformation is its best friend. It should go without saying, but uploading faulty information to the internet can come back to bite you.

It is no different for Wikipedia pages. Wikipedia editors can make any page disappear that they feel does not meet the requirements of Wikipedia. If your page does not meet these standards, it may disappear from the website. Speedy deletion is the process of erasing pages that are wildly unfit for the site. These pages are usually the ones that have no foreseeable future on Wikipedia.

When content is obviously out of line, speedy deletion is the process that carries out. This process works on pages that cover recreation of something that has already been through deletion. Speedy deletion may be of use if your page contains vandalism or hoaxes. For example, if your page is an open attack on an individual, then it falls under that umbrella. Have a think about how your Wikipedia page reads. Is your information from credible, noted sources?

Or does your page contain information that is wildly out of context not making sense? If your page displays serious dishonesty or lack of concrete facts, this process may come into play. Speedy deletion is seen as the last resort. It only for the most obvious cases. The process is reversible. The power to do so is solely in the hands of the admin officers.

You absolutely do not need to panic. What will help, is finding out exactly what is happening so that you can form the best plan of attack — ahem, we mean, response.

Remember that all Wikipedia pages must:. Wikipedia provides some specific reasons for deletion here and here. They include:. This depends on the type of deletion. There are three types, and each one comes with a different set of guidelines. We will admit that this situation is more dire than the other two options.

If this happens to an article, it is slotted for deletion within the day, and frequently within the hour. This could be because the article was clearly written in bad faith — i. It could also be because an article is a blatant advertisement or absolutely not notable for example, an article about something that no one has written about except for you on your personal blog. This type of deletion request usually happens shortly after a new page is reviewed by a new page patroller.

Depending on how the following discussion proceeds, you might find the page moved to Articles for Deletion AfD , which means the discussion is going to continue; or you might find that the editor who suggested the Speedy Deletion tag changes their mind. Clarice Phelps is thought to be the first African-American woman to help discover a chemical element.

As a side-project, Wade has been working to combat the under- representation of female scientists on Wikipedia.

She tries to write one new biography per day, an endeavor that has brought her considerable media attention. No matter. Anyone can flag a Wikipedia page for any reason. The anonymity fuels trollish impulses.

Wikipedia contributors have several options when they encounter a flagged article. For instance, they may not do anything.

His Wikipedia page has six references and a few short sentences describing his contribution to the discovery of rutherfordium and dubnium, elements and A second option is to improve the article. So when Wade first set out to write the profile, she put out a call on Twitter seeking more references. This may be one reason that only an estimated 18 percent of biographies on Wikipedia are about women. The percentage of entries on African Americans is hard to determine, but likely subject to the same disparity.

The decision set off a heated debate. I copied the full discussion into a document; it fills 18 pages and runs more than 16, words. Although substantive points were raised by both sides, the tone of the debate was likely off-putting to all but the most dedicated Wikipedians.