Wikipedia:Articles for deletion

Before listing an article for deletion here, consider whether a more efficient alternative is appropriate: For problems which don't require deletion, including articles needing improvement, duplicate articles, uncontested redirects, copyright violations, or POV problems, be bold and fix or tag the article appropriately. Some articles may qualify for speedy deletion, per the speedy deletion criteria and process. For non-controversial deletions, please refer to the proposed deletion process. For a potentially controversial merger, consider listing it at proposed mergers. Scripts are available to view all deletion discussions[1] or those opened[2] or closing[3] today.

Articles for deletion (AfD) is where Wikipedians discuss whether an article should be deleted. Articles listed are normally discussed for at least seven days, after which the deletion process proceeds based on community consensus. Common outcomes are that the article is kept, merged, redirected, incubated, renamed/moved to another title, userfied to a user subpage, or deleted per the deletion policy. Disambiguation pages are also nominated for deletion at AfD.

This page explains what you should consider before nominating, the steps for nominating, and how to discuss an AfD. It also links to the lists of current debates, and two companion processes to AfD: speedy deletion has a clearly defined set of criteria such as vandalism and patent nonsense, whereas proposed deletion is used to suggest deletions that no editor would contest.

If you want to nominate an article, the Wikipedia deletion policy explains the criteria for deletion, and may help you understand when an article should be nominated for deletion. The guide to deletion explains the deletion process. If an article meets the criteria for deletion and you understand the process, consult the instructions below. If you are unsure whether a page should be nominated for deletion, or if you need more help, try this talk page or Wikipedia's help desk.