Tardis:Deletion policy
The deletion of content from the Tardis Data Core, the Doctor Who Wiki can happen if this content falls foul of our policies. Deletion removes the content — and all previous versions of the content — from public view. The actual deletion can only be performed by an administrator. However, any user may nominate a piece of content such as an article or an image for deletion by using the {{proposed deletion}} — or {{delete}} — template.
All deletions are logged (as are all actions on a wiki) and may be undone by an admin if an error has occurred.
Reasons for deletions
There are many reasons why a page (articles, images, video etc) may be deleted, in many cases it is failure to adhere to our Policies and Manual of Style. In some other cases there may be issues where editor discretion is also employed in determining whether or not to place a Proposed deletion template on an article.
- Spam, anything such as blatant advertising, pages of random text, or user pages created by other users.
- Content covering fan fiction or fan produced titles. See What the Tardis Data Core is not for more information.
- Content which does not conform specific policies such as (though not limited to):
- Images that do not conform to our Image use policy.
- Videos that do not conform to our Video policy.
- Pages containing only plagiarised content (if it is just a section of the page that is plagiarised it may simply be removed).
Brevity is not a reason for deletion unless the subject matter is covered by an article with a similar agenda.
How to mark content for deletion
To mark content for deletion, add the proposed deletion template tag:
{{proposed deletion|reason for deletion}}
or the shorter
{{delete|reason for deletion}}
Replace 'reason for deletion' with the reason why you are marking the content for deletion. If the article is well-established and has had several editors working on it, you will likely want to expound upon your deletion rationale on the content's talk page, and contact the primary editors so that they may join in the discussion on an article that they have spent time creating.
If you fail to give a reason why the article should be deleted, the deletion tag may be deemed frivolous and removed without discussion.
Remember to check the "what links here" link, found in the "My Tools" menu in the bottom right hand corner, for what other pages link to the page in question. This will help you note the degree to which the offending article has been integrated into the larger wiki. An article that has been linked several times may not be a better candidate for improvement rather than deletion. If you're sure, however, that the article should be deleted, it's usually a good idea to de-link it from the pages listed under "what links here". This makes it easier for the admin who will ultimately rule on your deletion request.
Content marked for deletion
If an article or an image has been tagged for deletion or deleted, please assume that the editor who placed the tag was acting in good faith. It is not meant as an attack against you, but is merely an attempt to improve the wiki by acting upon our policies.
Discussion may ensue on the article or content's talk page (even if the content's page has been deleted the talk page can still be used). Alternately, you may leave a comment on an administrator's talk page.
Do not remove deletion tags from content pages, except when no deletion rationale exists. If you disagree with the deletion rationale, discuss it on the content's talk page. If a user repeatedly removes a deletion tag supported by a valid rationale, his or her actions will be interpreted as vandalism and the user may be blocked for upwards of 3 days from editing on this wiki.
Discussions of deletion
As mentioned above, a longer reason for deletion may be posted on the offending page's talk page. All pages so tagged may engender discussion on their talk pages as to the merits of the deletion rationale. As with all discussion on this wiki this discussion must conform to our Discussion policy and No personal attacks rules.
Not all content pages may require a discussion of the deletion tag's placement. In many cases, the deletion rationale may be so obvious that an administrator will make an independent assessment, simply based on the page's adherence to the policies of this wiki.
Should you wish to regularly take part in deletion discussions, you may wish to refer to Category:Proposed deletions, as all proposed deletions are automatically placed there.
You can also view the log of past deletions if you wish to confirm that the result of a discussion was that the page's removal.
Blanking articles
"Blanking" a page means that you've replaced the text on a page with either nothing or just a few words.
Never do this.
If you see an article that you believe should be deleted, tag it with a proposed deletion tag and cite a reason. By simply removing all content from a page, you prevent easy discussion about the merits of the deletion rationale and you make it harder for an admin to reach a decision based on that discussion. You also technically commit an act of vandalism, which may result in a diminishment of your ability to further edit here.
