Wikipedia guides
Plain, detailed explanations of what happens when a Wikipedia page is deleted, nominated for deletion, tagged, disputed or declined, and what can properly be done about it. Each guide names and links the Wikipedia policies it relies on.
Before you start
- What a failed Wikipedia attempt leaves behindThe public record a deleted page, declined draft or blocked account creates, and how it affects the next try.
- Wikipedia page protection explainedThe protection levels, who can apply them, when requests are granted or refused, and what it means for a page's subject.
- Wikipedia statisticsVerified figures on English Wikipedia's articles, editors, new pages, deletions, review backlogs and page views.
Deletion
- Wikipedia's deletion policy explainedWikipedia's deletion policy in outline: the reasons, the processes, the alternatives and how deletions are reviewed.
- Why was my Wikipedia page deleted?How to find which process removed a page, what the deletion reason means, and which route back it points to.
- How to restore a deleted Wikipedia pageEvery route back for a deleted page: the administrator, undeletion requests, deletion review, drafts and salted titles.
- Articles for Deletion (AfD) explainedHow an AfD runs from nomination to close, how closers weigh arguments, and what a subject may properly do.
- Proposed and speedy deletionHow PROD, BLPPROD and speedy deletion work, which criteria hit people and companies, and how to contest a tag.
- Who decides whether a Wikipedia article is deleted?The reviewers, nominators, participants and administrators behind a deletion, and why topic areas differ.
- Wikipedia deletions that made the newsSix widely reported deletion cases, the process behind each, and the lesson each holds for a subject today.
- How to nominate a Wikipedia page for deletionChoosing between a speedy tag, proposed deletion and AfD, the checks expected first, and what a connected person may do.
- How to stop a Wikipedia page being deletedWhat genuinely helps at each stage of deletion, the alternatives worth proposing, and the moves that backfire.
- How to find a deleted Wikipedia pageHow to confirm a page was deleted, read the log and discussion, and get the text back through the right request.
- Wikipedia deletion review explainedWhat deletion review can overturn, the six grounds it accepts, how a review runs and why re-arguing the AfD fails.
- My Wikipedia page was redirected or mergedWhy an article becomes a redirect, how to see what it said before, and when it can properly become an article again.
Tags and notices
- Wikipedia maintenance tags explainedWhat the banners on an article mean, the common ones on biographies and companies, and how they are properly removed.
- The Wikipedia conflict of interest tagWhat the COI, undisclosed paid and connected contributor notices mean, and how they are properly resolved.
- Wikipedia advert and notability tagsWhat the promotional, peacock, notability and sourcing tags mean, the wording that triggers them, and how each is fixed.
Corrections and disputes
- How to correct Wikipedia information about youWhat Wikipedia accepts as a correction, the route to request one, and what to do when the source itself is wrong.
- Wikipedia edit requestsHow edit requests work, how to write one reviewers accept, why they are declined and what to do when nobody answers.
- Someone keeps editing my Wikipedia pageVandalism, content disputes and edit wars: how to tell them apart, and the processes Wikipedia uses for each.
- Removing negative information from WikipediaWhat negative material Wikipedia will remove or rebalance, what it keeps, and the routes that work.
- Can I edit my own Wikipedia page?What Wikipedia's conflict of interest rules allow the subject, staff and agencies to change, and what they do not.
- Why was my Wikipedia edit reverted?The usual reasons Wikipedia edits are undone, how to find the real one, and what to do next without an edit war.
- Blocked from editing WikipediaWhy accounts and IP addresses are blocked, how to tell which block you have, and how unblock requests work.
- How to contact Wikipedia about a pageWho actually handles a problem with a Wikipedia page, from talk pages to the volunteer email team and oversight.
- Wikipedia page not showing on GoogleWhy a new or existing Wikipedia article is missing from Google: the 90-day noindex rule, drafts, redirects and timing.
- Wikipedia edit wars and the three-revert ruleWhat counts as an edit war, how the three-revert rule is counted, the exemptions, and what happens after a report.
Drafts
- My Wikipedia draft was declinedHow Articles for Creation reviews work, what each decline reason means, and how to resubmit or when to stop.
- How long does Wikipedia draft review take?How the Articles for Creation queue works, what the waiting notice means, and what happens after acceptance.
- Can ChatGPT write a Wikipedia article?English Wikipedia's 2026 ban on AI-written article text, its two exceptions, criterion G15 and why AI drafts fail.
Reference
Questions people ask
Who writes these guides?
WikiAnalyst's editors, from the published Wikipedia policies and guidelines each guide cites. Policy pages change, so every guide links to the pages it relies on and the wording is checked against them.
Are the guides a substitute for professional help?
For simple matters, such as a single factual correction backed by a good source, the guides should be enough. Deletion discussions, repeated tagging and disputes reward experience, because each attempt is recorded and read by the next reviewer.
Which guide should I read first?
Start with the guide that matches what you can see on the page: a deletion notice, a maintenance tag, a declined draft or repeated edits. If you are not sure what has happened, the page health check will tell you.
Do the guides apply to every language version of Wikipedia?
No. They describe English Wikipedia. Other language editions have their own policies and processes, although many follow similar principles on sources, neutrality and paid editing disclosure.
Not sure what has happened to your page?
Send us the page name. We read its history, talk page and logs, and reply with a plain account of where it stands and what can realistically be done. No charge and no obligation.