Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion
Current list: Category:Candidates for speedy deletion
There are a few, limited, cases where sysops can delete Wikipedia pages "on sight". Non-sysops can list such pages on speedy deletions instead, adding a {{delete}} header.
If listed on wikipedia:votes for deletion, or a related page, such pages may be deleted before the usual "lag time" (see deletion policy).
The cases
- No meaningful content or history (eg "sdhgdf"). See patent nonsense. (This does not include redirects – use Wikipedia:Redirects for deletion.)
- Test pages (eg "Can I really create a page here?").
- Pure vandalism (see dealing with vandalism).
- Very short pages with little or no definition or context (e.g., "He is a funny man that has created Factory and the Hacienda. And, by the way, his wife is great.").
- Reposted content that was deleted according to Wikipedia deletion policy. This does not apply to undeleted content that was undeleted according to undeletion policy.
- Pages created and edited solely by a banned user after they were banned, unless the user has been unbanned. This is slightly controversial!
- Redirects with no history which have been created by moving user pages out of the article space. (Sometimes new Wikipedians accidentally create user pages in the main article space. Move them into the user space using the "Move this page" tool to preserve their history, and consider waiting a day or two before deleting the resultant redirect.)
- Foreign language articles that already exist on another Wikimedia project, as a result of having been copied and pasted in to Wikipedia after their creation elsewhere, or as a result of having been moved via the transwiki system.
- Deleting an image which is an exact copy (all bits the same) of something else, redundant, and unused.
- Personal subpages, upon request by their owner.
- Talk pages of already deleted articles unless the discussion is linked to Wikipedia:Archived delete debates.
- Redirects to non-existent pages (but check first there is not a page that it should redirect to in case it was a typo).
- User talk pages of non-logged in users where the message is no longer relevant (this is to avoid confusing new users who happen to edit with that same IP).
- Deleting pages that were recently and accidently created. For example, a page created as the result of a typo.
Exception: Sandbox
Technical reasons
Sysops may also delete pages for the following technical purposes:
- Deleting a redirect that has no useful history, to make way for a non-controversial page move.
- Temporarily deleting a page in order to merge page histories after a cut and paste move.
Notes
Opinions differ as to the correct approach to pages with only external links, and also to pages that are perceived as purely trolling.
Note that copyright problems are not candidates for speedy deletion unless they meet one of the above criteria.
Ideally, when a sysop deletes a test page or other page with no useful content, it is a good idea to put a note on the author's talk page explaining things, and preserving the deleted content, pointing them to the sandbox in cases of tests. Be friendly! Everyone was new once.