User:Alexander Davronov/essays/Keep it, don't remove!

A deletionist attacking an article with all text-removing tools. Destruction is easy, but building is hard.

You were brought here on request to either keep disputed information or avoid interfering with legitimate, WP:GOOD FAITH'ED WP:EDITING process. If you can't deal with your temptation to remove some unsourced/controversial materials and can't justify your actions by delivering WP:PG provision/evidence — you are advised to WP:DISENGAGE.

There are too many WP:ZEALous deletionists who prefer removing materials rather than keeping it. Often they are unable to reasonably express justification for their actions which may be WP:DISRUPTive. The advise provided here will help you to avoid such editing practices.

 Note: here you are NOT advised to keep controversial materials but rather, you are advised to follow some steps before removing it. See below. Wikipedia's WP:PAGs generally discourage contributors from removing content unless it's strictly necessary.

Keep it, fool!

Wikipedia is unsourced

As of Summer of 2021 the Wikipedia has:

• about ~200k of articles that generally lack references
• about ~500k of statements that require citation

Some of them may be unsourced high-quality, ad-hoc material whose author hadn't enough courage or time to finish it, some are in dire state with no useful information and some may be mixes of the previous two.

Now imagine what would happen if some contributors would board on to «cleaning up» these articles and remove everything that is deemed unsourced. It would immediately create a mess on top of another one, because … deleting is easy, right? No big deal.

But now someone else's efforts are lost in vain and some (may be!) useful information is lost too, you drew a lot of ire which consequently has erupted into an endless number of impractical, pointless discussions, or worse - someone was forced to leave Wikipedia. In other words it turns out to be a complete waste of time.

This is not what Wikipedia about.

Under construction

Further information: WP:TEARDOWN and WP:IMPERFECT

Generally don't remove anything speedily unless you've exhausted all precautions listed in the next section. The work you are removing may be simply WIP. Remember: there is no deadline in Wikipedia!

Speedy deletion

A good list of advises can be found at WP:BEFORE for the WP:AfD and related cases.

Remove it, fool!

Even though this essay primarily focuses on arguments favoring keeping some unsourced or seemingly wrongful material there are a range of WP:PG-compliant reasons of why you should probably opt to eventually removing some content, rather than keeping it.

Valid reasons to remove

Are generally outlined in the WP:CANTFIX. In short, the speedy deletion of material is justified only in a few cases:

1. Statements in clear violation of the WP:BLP policy.  Note: WP:BLP policy advises fix over delete
2. Statements in clear violation of the WP:COPYVIO policy.
3. Statements in clear violation of WP:PROMO provision of WP:NOT policy.

The rest of cases is subject to discussion and you are generally advised to refrain from abrupt actions.

Steps to remove

Here is a workflow you are advised to follow when deciding whether to keep or remove anything:

1. Try to WP:FIXTHEPROBLEM
   1. Move material to a proper context
   2. Provide citations etc.
2. Try to engage
   1. Leave hints about apparent problem: request more citations by {{Citation needed}} or use {{clarify}} (see WP:TAGGING)
   2. DISCUSS/WP:NEGOTIATE planned changes with user who have added it, clarify yourself by providing relevant provisions, precedents (WP:Precedents), logical justification of your actions.
       Note: the failure to do so may subject you to sanctions under WP:DISRUPT/WP:DISRUPTSIGNS. You have a BURDEN to elaborate on problems that you are trying to solve by deleting materials.
   3. Finally, if all legitimate means to deal with the «problem» are exhausted - feel free to remove it.

Special case: MEDRES

Some users may tend to cite WP:MEDRS as a general justification to remove some content. This guadeline is highly controversial and has a very long history of abuse so you should take as much as twice of usual care before invoking it. Make sure you make it in a proper WP:RSCONTEXT. Otherwise: just WP:DROP it.

See also

• WP:PG
• WP:List of guidelines
• WP:Don't demolish the house while it's still being built
• WP:Overzealous deletion
• WP:CITE#Generally considered helpful
• WP:BABY

• WP:STONEWALLING - Attempts to baselessly deny others input may amount to disruptive editing

Philosophy

• Meta:Inclusionism
• Meta:Deletionism
• Meta:Constructionism and reductionism