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== Deletion Policy ==
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wikiHow's goal is to offer instructions on pretty much every how-to topic imaginable.  As a result, we are naturally hesitant to delete articles that might evolve into pages which serve our [[wikiHow:Mission|mission]]. That said, some new articles that get created on wikiHow can be deleted for a variety of reasons.


== Acceptable Reasons for Deletion ==


The table below lists all the reasons that ''might'' qualify an article for deletion.  Having one of these reasons ''does not automatically qualify an article for deletion''.  It only indicates that the article can be nominated for deletion, and then reviewed by the community. Only after a consensus has been reached for deletion, is the article then deleted.  As you can see from the table below, there are many articles in wikiHow that have some of these reasons, but have not been deleted after surviving NFD nominations and community discussions.  


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{{NFDreasons}}

==Nominating an Article for Deletion==
The easiest way to [[Nominate an Article for Deletion in wikiHow]] is by writing <nowiki>{{nfd|abc}}.</nowiki>  Then wait a week or two for other people to comment on the merits of the deletion (replace "abc" with three letter code in the table above).  It is recommended that the person nominating the article for deletion comment on the discussion page describing exactly why the NFD reason applies.  For example, this comment can explain what is inaccurate or dangerous about the instructions.

==Rescuing Articles and Removing NFD Tags==
wikiHow encourages contributors to rescue articles that have been nominated for deletion.  To rescue an NFD article contributors can perform a [[Make a Bold Edit on wikiHow|bold edit]] on the article and add information that will strengthen the article and resolve the NFD reason(s) given in the tag.

NFD tags should only be removed by [[wikiHow:Administrators|Administrators]] or [http://www.wikihow.com/index.php?title=Special%3AListusers&username=&group=newarticlepatrol|New Article Boosters].  If you are not an Admin or New Article Booster please leave the NFD tag in place and notify an Admin or New Article Booster to review the article.  Even New Article Boosters should request an Admin to review the NFD removal if they were a major contributor to an article before the NFD tag was put in place.

==NFD Vandalism==
Occasionally an editor will vandalize groups of pages by adding spurious NFD tags.  In clear cases of vandalism, any RC Patroller may revert the vandalism as long as s/he notifies the admins by placing a comment on the [[wikiHow:Administrator Notice Board|Admin Notice Board]] about the action taken.

==Article Deletion==
After a waiting period an [[wikiHow:Administrators|Admin]] will review the article and make a decision to delete or keep the article based on a combination of comments and votes.  The decision is not made strictly democratically and the deleting admin is encouraged to use his/her best judgment to make the final call.  Generally if there is a rough consensus among regular registered users for deletion (as measured by a vote of 60% or more for deletion if the discussion does not reach a true consensus), the page will be deleted.  However the admin may decide to not delete the page if an anonymous or registered user makes a compelling case for why the page should be included in wikiHow. Read how to [[Review NFD List for Final Outcome]] to learn about the technicalities of how this is done.

== Speedy Deletions ==

While putting an article through the formal deletion process is the preferred outcome, some newly created articles qualify for a speedy (i.e. immediate) deletion. This should typically be reserved for patent nonsense, personal attacks, profanity, or highly offensive articles.  Note that speedy deletes should never be done to an old, established article.  Non-admins can mark pages for a speedy delete by writing <nowiki>{{speedy}}</nowiki>.

==Deletion vs. Stub==
When deciding whether to nominate a page for deletion or mark it <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>, consider the following rule of thumb:  If you were a reader looking to learn how to do topic x and you found this page would it help you or make you wish you had never landed on the page.  If the page provides some level of constructive help to the reader AND has the potential to eventually grow into a full grown, very useful page mark it as <nowiki>{{stub}}</nowiki>.  If on the other hand the page is truly useless it should be marked for deletion.

==Deletion vs. Merge==
Duplicate articles can be merged or marked for deletion in accordance with our [[WikiHow:Merge Policy]]. You can mark duplicates for merge by<nowiki> writing {{merge|Name of Article to Merge To}} or mark for deletion by writing {{nfd|dup}}</nowiki> and then saying on the discussion page which article this is a duplicate of.  A synopsis of the merge policy is below:

'''Same goal, different methods - Okay to keep as separate articles'''

Read the [[WikiHow:Merge Policy]] for full details.
Two pages on a similar topic describing totally different methods should be labeled appropriate and preserved separately and linked via related wikiHows.  For example How to Gut a Fish with a Knife and How to Gut a Fish with a Laser are two articles describing the same goal (gutting the fish) but using different techniques.  They should both be allowed to survive.  However the pages may need to be renamed so it is clear to the reader what method the page advocates.  Alternatively, it is OK to have all the methods on one page.  The decision to have both methods on one page or on separate pages will be up to the editors involved. 

'''Same goal, same methods - Article should be merged'''
If there are 2 articles about essentially the same thing using essentially the same method those articles should be merged.  In some cases one of the articles can simply be redirected and deleted if it really has nothing to "add" to the other article.

== Further Resources ==
*[[Review NFD List for Final Outcome|How to Review NFD List for Final Outcome]]
*[[wikiHow:Merge Policy|Merge Policy]]
*[[Nominate an Article for Deletion in wikiHow|How to Nominate an Article for Deletion in wikiHow]]
*[[:Category:Nominations for Deletion|Articles Currently Nominated for Deletion]]
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Article Deletion]]
[[Category:Policy]]

[[es:wikiHow:Política de borrado]]
Templates used on this page:
Template:NFDreasons (protected)
Template:Reflist (protected)
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