Wikipedia:Article Rescue Squadron
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Welcome to WikiProject Article Rescue Squadron. This WikiProject works toward improving Wikipedia as a whole by cooperating together to improve deficient articles through editing to provide necessary sources, correcting inappropriate style or tone, cleaning up grammatical and layout problems, et cetera, with the overall goal of improving the encyclopedia. This WikiProject is always in need of additional help, so feel free to join; all are welcome to help improve Wikipedia articles and content!
Sometimes Wikipedia articles about notable topics exist in poor form, badly written, unsourced – but that is not sufficient in itself to remove them from the encyclopedia at articles for deletion. If an article is about an encyclopedic topic that has received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject, the article may, per our Preserve policy, simply need improvement.
A significant aspect of this project's focus is on articles that may be written in poor form, lack references or need improvement, yet are backed by reliable sources and are therefore likely worthy of a Wikipedia stand-alone article per Wikipedia's notability guidelines. Some writer may have worked hard on that article. Some reader can use that article. In reaching out to work with such writers and readers, the project can help to preserve worthwhile content in the encyclopedia.
Scope
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- Note that this wikiproject is only intended to improve the encyclopedia. The project is not about casting votes or vote-stacking. Be sure to follow the guideline on canvassing. This means, in part, that you should use Template:Rescue list on the deletion discussion page when you list the discussion here.
- Focus on improving content. For example, when working on an article listed for rescue, try to qualify topic notability by adding reliable-source references with significant coverage of the topic. Edit the content to address specific concerns raised in the AfD discussion.
- Show the light. If you comment in an AfD discussion, try to describe points in the nomination that have been corrected. Note any remaining deficiencies (e.g. lack of organization, structural problems, lack of balance, etc.). Base comments upon Wikipedia's deletion policy. If an article has been rewritten, you may place a comment in the AfD as a courtesy to assist the closing admin in determining which article version others were referring to.
Wikiproject Article rescue squadron's main focus is on Wikipedia articles that are perceived as actually being notable that are going through Articles for deletion (AfD), which may:
- Need references
- Be written poorly
- Lack information readily available
- Need cleaning up.
We also help rescue content in Wikipedia's main namespace (refer to Wikipedia: Namespace for more information) and other Daily deletion debates (XfD) processes, such as Miscellany for deletion (MfD) and Templates for discussion (TfD). See Articles & content for an overview.
ARS members may also be interested in rescuing articles listed at Wikipedia: Listing of possible copyright problems. These articles often cover notable topics. Evaluating the extent of such problems can be difficult, but thoroughly rewriting articles with problems identified as foundational has the additional benefit of helping WikiProject Copyright Cleanup.
Does ARS want to keep everything?
[edit]No. The project is not about making policy to ensure that nothing is deleted or casting keep votes in AfD discussions. The project ensures that articles that can be written to follow Wikipedia policies do not get deleted when they can be rescued through normal editing, which per WP:AFD means that it was not a good candidate for deletion. The {{Sofixit}} and {{Solookitup}} templates are sometimes all that's required for a rescue.
How to contribute
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The Article Rescue Squadron WikiProject is about editing and improving articles. ARS is no different from any of the hundreds of Wikiprojects in that we collaborate to improve Wikipedia. If everyone who cares about preserving important topics and removing unsuitable content reads one deletion discussion per day (or even one per week), the impact will benefit all of our readers. Moreover, reading through an article nominated for deletion and adding sources and rewriting the text to remove or reword unsuitable content can help other editors decide if the article should be kept or deleted.
Wikipedia:Articles for Deletion – why it's important to view
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Every time an article is deleted the contributions that were made to it are lost, and then only Wikipedia administrators can access it, but they are not necessarily experts on the article's topic. After deletion, an article's content, value, and appropriateness can no longer be evaluated by the general public. In addition, the contributor who writes a poor article on a notable topic is likely to be inexperienced. If their first efforts are deleted, they may be discouraged and refrain from creating further articles, or even editing. Everyone starts somewhere, and we should encourage better writing and better articles. Good faith efforts to contribute should be met with encouragement to improve.
This makes Articles for Deletion (AfD) a very important place; one that deserves everyone's attention.
A common axiom is that "AFD is not cleanup". Wikipedia is a work in progress, and articles should not be deleted because no one has felt like cleaning them up yet. Remember, Wikipedia has no deadline. If there's good, sourceable content in the article, it should be preserved, developed and improved, not deleted. The Wikipedia policy of trying to correct problems in articles through editing improvements, expansion and adding reliable sources, located at Try to fix problems, is often more appropriate than the entire deletion of articles.
The question on whether a poor but improvable article ought to be deleted is a major point of contention, and has given rise to the wiki-philosophies immediatism and eventualism. The Article Rescue Squadron was highlighted in a July 2007 Wikipedia Signpost, and has grown with many processes to tag, track, and list tagged articles.
Articles proposed for deletion (prod)
[edit]Sometimes articles are proposed for deletion (prod, prodded) without being sent to AfD, some of which are notable per Wikipedia's General notability guideline.
- Refer to Category: Proposed deletion and Category: All articles proposed for deletion to browse these articles.
- You may wish to consider joining WP:PRODPATROL.
Rescuing drafts
[edit]Many new articles come to Wikipedia via the Articles for creation (AfC) process. Reviewers assess these contributions and either accept, decline or reject them. Declined drafts on notable subjects may be improved by the authors and resubmitted. In many cases, however, this does not happen and the drafts are essentially abandoned. Abandoned drafts are subject to deletion under WP:G13 after 6 months of inactivity. Since all this occurs in Draft: space and typically involves new editors, these deletions are largely invisible to the editing community.
You can help by reviewing drafts that will soon become eligible for deletion and improving them and submitting them for rereview at AfC.
- Drafts becoming eligible for G13 in a week from now
- Submissions that an editor feels may be able to be saved
- Quality submissions that an editor feels may be able to be saved
- All declined submissions - includes subcategories for various decline reasons
Tips to help rescue articles
[edit]- See also: ARS Guide to saving articles
- Familiarize yourself with Wikipedia's guidelines for topic notability and identifying reliable sources
- Read Wikipedia's Editing policy, including the policy What Wikipedia is not.
- Discuss issues regarding an individual article on that article's talk page, not on this project's talk page.
- Suggest an article nominated for deletion that you feel meets notability guidelines, or should be retained for other reasons, on this project's article rescue list page, for ARS consideration.
- Browse Articles for Deletion periodically, and consider improving articles that you feel meet notability guidelines.
- Check 1,000 articles at Shortest biographies of living people, updated daily. All are in need of improvement.
- Read Wikipedia:Guide to deletion for more tips.
Source searches
[edit]In addition to below, placing {{Talk header}} at the top of a Talk page now includes the "Find Sources".
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Article Rescue checklist
[edit]Here's a quick checklist of 10 steps anyone can take for articles that need rescue:
- Find and add reliable sources – It is most important that sources demonstrating the notability of a subject are added to articles when they are found. Do it properly, using the correct citation templates.
- Add WikiProjects – View article talk pages to see if appropriate WikiProject banners have been added (this list of banners maybe be easier to browse). WikiProject banners help draw attention to articles from editors who are interested in the subject, especially if the project subscribes to Article Alerts. You don't need anyone's permission to add relevant WikiProject banners to article talk pages.
- Solicit WikiProject input – Many articles needing rescue merely need attention from an expert on the subject. A short note on a WikiProject talk page seeking expert attention can bring remarkable results fast.
- Take the time to strengthen the Lead section – The lead sets the tone for the rest of an article. Take the time to rewrite or improve the lead so that an article's title and its contents are in sync. Nothing detracts more from an otherwise notable subject than a lead that inadequately conveys what an article is about.
- Clean-up articles – If an article about an otherwise notable subject has a bunch of unorganized content on the page, it is best to clean it up on the spot and bring it up to par with the Manual of Style guidelines. Some examples of clean-up include copy editing, wikifying (adding internal links, interwiki links and external links), correcting spelling, grammar and typographical errors, converting poorly formatted references with proper citation templates and adding relevant sections.
- Add Infoboxes, Navigation Templates and sidebars – If they are not present in articles and their addition is appropriate, do so and complete their fields as much as possible.
- De-orphan articles – Link and cross-reference articles with other articles, lists and categories. Make sure articles have internal links that link to other appropriate, highly related articles, which helps to clarify and expound upon information. If it is difficult to incorporate links within the text of an article, the See also section is an appropriate place to list links for related articles. Look for sources and content in related articles that might enhance orphaned articles. Utilizing the "What links here" feature in the Toolbox pull-down menu in the left column of Wikipedia pages provides a list of pages that link to an article.
- Eliminate the junk – If there is unsourced or irrelevant content, copyright violations, or other "junk" in articles, eliminate it ruthlessly. If there is a question about the validity of content, start a discussion on the talk page and tag questionable content with template messages as necessary. Don't just ignore the "junk" if its there. Conversely, it's very important to preserve appropriate content – as long as any of the facts or ideas added to an article would belong in a "finished" article. For more information, please refer to Try to fix problems.
- Treat articles as if they were your best achievements – Make changes to articles that will turn them into articles that you would be proud of personally. We know how to do it, we just need to do it.
- Positively engage new editors – When you find that an article has been created by a new editor (maybe their first one) or by inexperienced editors, engage them in a positive, mentoring way. Help them learn how to create and contribute better content. Engage them on their talk pages, encourage them, and most importantly make them feel welcome. If there are policy or guideline issues on the table, don't just refer them to a policy link; engage them in a discussion to ensure they better understand how to make quality contributions. Make sure the editor knows that merging and userfication are alternatives to deletion. Even if an article is ultimately lost, this positive engagement will help us all by encouraging new contributors to make useful, productive edits.
Articles and content
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Articles
[edit]- For current articles nominated for deletion, see Today's AfD log (from Wikipedia: Articles for deletion).
- For a list of all deletion debates opened on a daily basis, see XfD today
- For a list of deletion discussion pages, see Deletion process
- For a search engine to find deletion discussions by topic, see Search all deletion discussions.
- For a general guide to creating articles, see Wikipedia: Your first article.
Articles currently tagged for deletion
[edit]| Articles currently tagged for deletion |
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Articles currently proposed for deletion
[edit]- Category: Proposed deletion and Category: All articles proposed for deletion
- See also: Articles for deletion/Old/Open AfDs – Articles for deletion discussions that have finished their discussion period and are eligible to be closed following the deletion process.
| All articles proposed for deletion |
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| Articles currently proposed for deletion |
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Biographies of living persons
[edit]- Article Rescue Squadron – Biographies of living persons
- Article Rescue Squadron – BLP rescue volunteers
Many articles have been deleted as Biographies that had been flagged for years as unsourced. The administrators who deleted them have stated that the restoration of these articles is acceptable, provided that any restored articles are then properly sourced and made fully compliant with WP:BLP (Biographies of living persons). For some background information, see here. BLP articles that are properly sourced will simply be restored, along with their talk pages.
To volunteer to reference one or more of the articles that have recently been deleted as unreferenced BLPs, see ARS BLP volunteers.
Article restoration
[edit]- Further information: Viewing and restoring deleted pages
Article userfication
[edit]- See also: Userfication essay
- Requests for undeletion – If an article has already been deleted but you intend to improve it, you can request that it be moved into your user namespace at Requests for undeletion. Another option is to ask any of the administrators on this list who will userfy articles for editors.
| List of administrators willing to provide copies of deleted articles |
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Articles with topics of unclear notability
[edit]- Category:Articles with topics of unclear notability – lists topics that are unclear regarding their notability.
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Content
[edit]Files for discussion
[edit]- Files for discussion – Files for discussion (FfD) is for the discussion of images and other media files (such as audio and video files) that are being considered for deletion. Files that have been listed at FfD for more than 7 days are eligible for deletion if either a consensus to do so has been reached or no objections to deletion have been raised.
Categories for discussion
[edit]- Categories for discussion – Categories for discussion (Cfd) is where deletion, merging, and renaming of categories is discussed. Categories that have been listed for more than seven days are eligible for deletion, renaming or merging when a rough consensus to do so has been reached or no objections to the nomination have been raised.
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Templates for discussion
[edit]- Templates for discussion – On this page, deletion or merging of templates is discussed. Stub templates are not covered here, and are discussed at Wikipedia: Stub types for deletion.
Redirects for discussion
[edit]- Redirects for discussion – Redirects for discussion (RfD) is the place where problematic redirects are discussed.
| Redirects for discussion |
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Miscellany for deletion
[edit]| Miscellany for deletion |
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Search all deletion discussions
[edit] | About deleted articles
There are three processes under which mainspace articles are deleted: 1) speedy deletion; 2) proposed deletion (prod) and 3) Articles for deletion (AfD). For more information, see WP:Why was my page deleted? To find out why the particular article you posted was deleted, go to the deletion log and type into the search field marked "title," the exact name of the article, mindful of the original capitalization, spelling and spacing. The deletion log entry will show when the article was deleted, by which administrator, and typically contain a deletion summary listing the reason for deletion. If you wish to contest this deletion, please contact the administrator first on their talk page and, depending on the circumstances, politely explain why you think the article should be restored, or why a copy should be provided to you so you can address the reason for deletion before reposting the article. If this is not fruitful, you have the option of listing the article at WP:Deletion review, but it will probably only be restored if the deletion was clearly improper. List discussions WP:Articles for deletion WP:Categories for discussion WP:Copyright problems WP:Deletion review WP:Miscellany for deletion WP:Redirects for discussion WP:Stub types for deletion WP:Templates for discussion WP:WikiProject Deletion sorting WT:Articles for deletion WT:Categories for discussion WT:Copyright problems WT:Deletion review WT:Miscellany for deletion WT:Redirects for discussion WT:Stub types for deletion WT:Templates for discussion WT:WikiProject Deletion sorting | |
Article alerts
[edit]| Article alerts for ARS |
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Selected previous rescues
[edit]- See Current articles subpage and Current articles (2009) for listings of resolved rescues and ARS collaborations from 2009.
Examples
[edit] Participants
[edit]To join, simply add your name to our membership list; feel free to add your ideas to the project discussion page as well.
User boxes
[edit]Rescued articles
[edit]ARS user page boxes:
 | This user rescues articles for the Article Rescue Squadron. |
– There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
 | This user rescues articles for the Article Rescue Squadron. |
– There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
Once you've rescued an article or two, show your Rescue Squadron pride with
{{User:Jclemens/Rescues|n}}
(where n is the number of articles you've helped rescue)
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This user has rescued n articles by improving them in the face of pending deletion. |
– There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
{{WikiProject Article Rescue Squadron/Userbox|n}}
 | This user has helped to rescue n articles by improving them in the face of pending deletion. |
There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
Rescued article — then to FA or GA
[edit]Have you helped take an article from Articles for deletion to Featured Article or Good Article quality ?
show your Rescue Squadron pride with
{{User AFD to FA|n}}
(where n is the number of articles you've helped rescue and take to Featured Article quality)
 | This user has successfully taken n articles from deletion discussion at Articles for Deletion — to Featured Article quality. |
– There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
{{User AFD to GA|n}}
(where n is the number of articles you've helped rescue and take to Good Article quality)
 | This user has successfully taken n articles from deletion discussion at Articles for Deletion — to Good Article quality. |
– There's an automatically-generated list of members using this banner here.
WikiProject Invitation
[edit]- To invite someone:
To invite someone to join the Article Rescue Squadron, you can use our handy invite by pasting {{subst:Article Rescue Squadron invite}} to their userpage.
Barnstars
[edit]There are five specific Rescue Barnstars for anyone who has made significant contributions to rescuing articles; it is up to those awarding them to choose which one to use:
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- Hall of fame:
- Wikipedia: Article Rescue Squadron – Hall of Fame/Award
Templates
[edit]See Wikipedia: Article Rescue Squadron – Templates for ARS templates.
Frequently asked questions
[edit] Frequently asked questions  To view the response to a question, click the [show] link to the right of the question.Article help Q: Can the Article rescue squadron (ARS) save my article from deletion?
A: Not exactly. First off, Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia and articles can be changed by anyone and no individual exclusively controls any specific article. Secondly, if an article meets Wikipedia's policies on notability and reliable sourcing it likely will not be deleted. There are also alternatives to deletion which may be appropriate. The project members will do what they can as time allows. We suggest that you reference Tips to help rescue articles and the Article Rescue Squadron Guide to saving articles Q: Will ARS help fix the rest of article problems after the deletion discussion?
A: In theory, No. Often, however, individual members will assist after the discussion has closed. You may want to contact a related WikiProject to see if someone there can assist. Sometimes project members completely overhaul an article but in practice most changes are incremental, and you should take initiative to add sourcing and improve the article yourself. Many times other editors will post sources to the deletion discussion; if they meet our sourcing standards then feel free to apply them to the article. Scope Q: Does ARS work to rescue other content on Wikipedia (other than articles)?
A: While articles remain our main focus, poorly-formed encyclopedia content can be found in other namespaces. If content up for deletion, such as a template or image, is poorly-formed and you feel it can be fixed, go ahead and add it to the Rescue list, to request the ARS' consideration. Please be aware that unlike articles, templates and categories often change and are renamed to serve our readers. Q: Does ARS contribute to guideline and policy discussions?
A: Similar to articles, policies and content are not exclusively controlled by any individual(s). If you think ARS should know about a policy discussion you can post a neutral notification, such as, "There is a discussion about topic at _____." on the ARS Talk page. Avoid even the appearance of telling anyone how to think or vote in the discussion— it's very important to keep the message neutral when inviting people to participate. See WP:Canvassing for clarification regarding appropriate discussion notifications. Q: What if I object to what the ARS is doing?
A: ARS is no different from any of the hundreds of Wikiprojects in that we collaborate to improve Wikipedia. We are a maintenance Wikiproject, and as such our scope is not subject-focused (like a WikiProject focused on a specific sport, country or profession), as much as policy-focused to determine if content adheres to Wikipedia's policies on sourcing and notability. We try to determine if an article meets Wikipedia's notability guidleines as well as is it verifiable to reliable sources. We're also apt to suggest merging, listifying, redirecting and deleting as appropriate. Notifying the Article Rescue Squadron is essentially a means to request assistance with an article or content that one feels meets notability guidelines, or should be retained for other reasons. The goal is to improve articles and other content, to benefit our readers. All are welcome to help ARS improve the encyclopedia, just as at any of the other WikiProjects, which encompass a variety of views and interests. No canvassing Q: Does this project canvass editors to keep articles?
A: No. The goal of the Article Rescue Squadron (ARS) is to clean up content that would otherwise be deleted. By necessity, this involves examining the deletion discussion to see what the problems with the article are, and then remedying them. If done correctly, this article cleanup improves the encyclopedia. If an article nominated for deletion is improved and retained on Wikipedia by this process, vis-à-vis addressing a nominator's concerns, the nominator hasn't "lost". Rather, the encyclopedia has won. Using this talk page Q:What about identifying and pointing out specific users who are nominating a lot of articles for deletion without apparent due cause?
This talk page is for co-ordinating matters related to this project's purpose, which is rescuing content on notable topics from deletion. This is not a forum for dispute resolution. If there are issues with an individual user, talk to them personally or make a report or request at an appropriate noticeboard. |
Reasons to retain content
[edit]- It can be discouraging for an editor to have their article deleted, especially for new and first-time contributors. An alternative is Userfication, in which articles for deletion can be placed into a user's namespace, providing an option to improve an article to meet Wikipedia's notability guidelines.
- Instead of deleting articles altogether, sometimes they can be merged with other articles (see Mergism).
- It can be frustrating for a reader to come to Wikipedia for information and inside find that the relevant article existed at one point but has been deleted. This may discourage both Wikipedia readership and authorship.
- Deleting a well-written, well-sourced article on the basis of what Wikipedia is not can reduce the total information of Wikipedia.
See also
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Related projects
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Essays, etc.
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External links
[edit]- Deletionpedia – Access to deleted Wikipedia articles
- "Wikibin: The Recycle Bin of Wikipedia!" – Access to deleted Wikipedia articles
- (in German) WikiPedia Deleted – Enzyklopädie PlusPedia – Category page of deleted articles from German Wikipedia
- wmcharts – Deletions and restorations [dead link]
Essays
[edit]- "In Defense Of Inclusionism" (essay)
- The Charms of Wikipedia in The New York Review of Books (subscription required) – includes information about article rescue, by Article Rescue Squadron veteran Nicholson Baker
- "The hidden Wikipedia: how to find deleted material about Nutritional Medicine: Orthomolecular Medicine News Service." Free Online Library.
- Unwanted: New articles in Wikipedia (essay) – by Andrew Lih, USC professor and author of The Wikipedia Revolution
Wikimedia Meta-Wiki links
[edit]Meta-Wiki is the global community site for the Wikimedia Foundation's projects and related projects.
