WiKirby:Article manipulation policy
Occasionally, it is necessary to move articles around, split them up, or merge them together. The following is WiKirby's article manipulation policy.
Prior notice
When considering any sort of manipulation to an article, it is recommended to allow at least three days for discussion on the affected articles' talk pages after posting the appropriate template(s). Higher-ranked users, such as administrators, may manipulate articles or deny manipulations at their discretion, but they are still expected to justify their actions afterward if questioned about it.
Moving articles
Before moving an article, an editor would be well-advised to tag the article with the {{move}} template and use a pipe to suggest which new name the article should be moved to. Before proposing a move, the editor should be able to satisfactorily answer the following questions:
- Will the new article name better reflect the subject matter?
- Is there another article occupying the move target already, and if so, what will happen to that article?
- How many internal links will need to be fixed as a result of the move, and will that labTemplate:Or be worth it?
Splitting articles
Before splitting an article, an editor should tag the appropriate sections(s) with the {{split}} template and use a pipe to suggest which new name the section(s) should be moved to. Before proposing a split, the editor should be able to satisfactorily answer the following questions:
- Will the split deprive the affected articles of sufficient content on their own (i.e. will any of the split articles end up as Stubs)?
- Is this split necessary to shorten a long page in accordance with the long page policy?
- What if any internal links will need to be adjusted to point to the appropriate split article(s)?
Merging articles
Before merging an article, an editor should tag the smaller article to be merged with the {{merge}} template and use a pipe to suggest which larger article it will be merged into. Before proposing a merge, the editor should be able to satisfactorily answer the following questions:
- Is it not possible to flesh out the article to be merged with more information and make it deserving of separate status?
- Will the article receiving the merge be made too long as a result?
- What if any internal links will need to be adjusted to point to the appropriate merged article?
Editor responsibilities
The editor performing any manipulation is responsible for fixing any links that get broken as a result. This includes redirects that technically work, but are still messy. The editor is also responsible for appropriately dealing with whatever article(s) may be replaced as a result of a move or split, whether that be moving prescient information or simply replacing an old redirect.
If the amount of broken links resulting becomes too large for an editor to fix in a reasonable amount of time, the editor can request for an administrator+ to perform a text replace. This possibility should be known by the editor before it happens.
