User:SoWhy/Common A7 mistakes

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Of all the criteria for speedy deletion, A7 is probably the one that gets mis-applied the most. This page serves to outline common mistakes and strives to provide a list of claims that make an article's subject important or significant enough to fail speedy deletion.

The Wording

An article about a real person, individual animal(s), an organization (e.g. band, club, company, etc., except schools), or web content that does not indicate why its subject is important or significant. This is distinct from verifiability and reliability of sources, and is a lower standard than notability. This criterion applies only to articles about web content and to articles about people, organizations, and individual animals themselves, not to articles about their books, albums, software, or other creative works. The criterion does not apply to any article that makes any credible claim of significance or importance even if the claim is not supported by a reliable source. The criterion does apply if the claim of significance or importance given is not credible. If the claim's credibility is unclear, you can improve the article yourself, propose deletion, or list the article at articles for deletion.
— ^[1]

The big mistakes

The following criteria are often, mistakenly, used when applying A7:

"Subject is not notable": A7 is not about notability. The wording clearly states that the standard for A7 is lower than that, using "important or significant" instead.
"No sources" / "No references": A7 is not about whether the indications of "importance or significance" can be verified. An article does not have to have inline citations or sources, let alone reliable sources to fail A7. Those are concerns for an articles for deletion discussion.
Limited scope: A7 only applies to real people, individual animals (not species) organisations and web content. It does not apply to books, films, albums (see A9 for that), fictional characters, locations (considered inherently notable anyway), buildings, games, software, products or anything else.
Retagging declined speedies: This is a mistake people make with every criterion. Admins can decline deleting a page even if the tagging was correct. This is a binding decision for everyone involved and it should not be retagged for the same reason and, as one can assume that admins consider all criteria, none other (except valid G10 and G12 taggings). If an admin decided that a page should not be speedy deleted, do not retag it for speedy deletion but rather choose alternative venues like WP:PROD or WP:AFD. Retagging may be viewed as attempted admin shopping.^[2]

Common indications of importance or significance

The following lists common claims in articles incorrectly tagged with A7. If the article makes any of these claims, it almost certainly does not meet A7.

All subjects

Has received coverage of any kind in possibly reliable sources
Has multiple Google News hits that cover this subject explicitely^[3]
Claims winning one or multiple potentially notable awards or participated in a competition in a noteworthy way

People

Actors

Played a part in a notable film.
Was on a notable TV series

Journalists

Wrote for notable magazines/newspapers
Hosted/presented notable shows

Athletes

Played for a notable team, even if only on minor or amateur level
Has won a championship or taken part in a notable championship

Musicians

Is or was part of a notable band^[4]
Is or was associated with a notable musician
Is or was signed to a label with a Wikipedia entry or to a label that is part of such a label
Claims to have charted in national charts, no matter which country
Has received airplay on larger radio stations

Business

Is CEO or another high ranking employee of a notable company
Founded or otherwise helped start a notable company
Invented or pioneered a notable product / method

Politicians

Major party candidate for any (possibly) notable office
Holds (possibly) notable office and/or position

Computers and Websites

Created notable webpage
Created notable webcomic
Develops or has developed notable software

Artists

Created notable work of art

Academics

is a teacher at a notable university
Has published something in a notable journal
Claims to be an expert in a particular field of study

Organisations

Bands

Has a notable band member^[4]
Is support band for a notable musician or otherwise associated with them
Is signed to a label with a Wikipedia entry or to a label that is part of such a label
Claims to have charted in national charts, no matter which country
Has received airplay on larger radio stations
Has won awards

Companies

Has a notable founder or CEO
Claims to be major company in its line of products/work
Produces one or more notable product(s)
Is subsidiary or other child/family company to a notable company

Other organisations

Is part of a nation's government
Is part of a notable organisation
Has a notable founder or president
Has multiple notable members

Web content

Created by notable person or company
Claims to have won awards

Notes

^ Version as of 10:31, 20 August 2009
^ See also: User:I'm Spartacus!/Why I hate Speedy Deleters#The difference between "may" and "must".
^ An article that only passes this kind of test actually meets A7's wording, although not its spirit. A7 is to weed out the autobios, myspace bands and other things where there is no realistic chance that they will become encyclopedic. If there is a chance that they are encyclopedic, they should rather be improved than tagged for A7.
^ ^a ^b See also: Wikipedia:Notability (music)#Criteria for musicians and ensembles #6