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Discussion of stub categories is at Wikipedia:Stub types for deletion

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Categories for discussion (Cfd) is where deletion, merging, and renaming of categories (pages in the Category namespace) is discussed. Categories are used to organize other pages and aid browsing of related articles. See How to use this page for the official rules of this page, guidelines for Speedy Deletion and Speedy Renaming, and how to do cleanup. See Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories) for the policies guiding many renaming decisions.

Unless the change is non-controversial (such as vandalism or a duplicate), please do not remove the category from pages before the community has made a decision.

Categories that have been listed for more than seven days are eligible for deletion, renaming or merging when a rough consensus to do so has been reached or no objections to the nomination have been raised.

When a category is renamed or merged with another category, it may be helpful to use the {{Category redirect}} template at the old category title.

[edit] Current discussions

Add a new entry

[edit] Discussions awaiting closure

Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2009 November 22 (5 open)
Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2009 November 21 (2 open)
Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Log/2009 November 18 (2 open)

[edit] How to use Cfd

[edit] Procedure

To list a category for deletion, merging or renaming, follow this process:

I.

Preliminary steps.

Determine whether the category needs deleting, merging, or renaming.

If it is a red link and has no articles or subcategories, then it is already deleted (more likely, it was never really created in the first place), and does not need to be listed here.
Read and understand Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories) and Wikipedia:Overcategorization before using these discussion pages.
Nominate categories here which violate policies or guidelines, are misspelled, mis-capitalized, redundant, small without potential for growth, or generally bad ideas.
Please read the Wikipedia:Categorization of people policy when nominating or commenting on people-related categories.
Please read Wikipedia:User categories and Wikipedia:Overcategorization/User categories when nominating or commenting on Wikipedian categories.
In the following special cases:
- If the category is empty for more than four days, use {{db-catempty}} for a speedy deletion.
- If the category in question is a stub category, go to Wikipedia:Stub types for deletion.
- If the category is only populated by a template and both the category and template are being proposed for deletion, go to Wikipedia:Templates for discussion and tag the template using {{Catfd}}.

For further information, please consult Wikipedia:Category deletion policy, Wikipedia:Categorization, Wikipedia:Manual of Style, and Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories).

II.

Edit the category.

Add one of the following tags at the top of the category text of every category to be discussed. (The tags belong on the categories' main pages rather than their talk/discussion pages.)

If the category is a candidate for speedy renaming, use:

{{subst:Cfr-speedy|ProposedName}}

and follow the instructions at Speedy renaming.

If a single category:

For deletion, {{subst:Cfd}}
For a merger, {{subst:Cfm|OtherCategory}}
For renaming, {{subst:Cfr|ProposedName}}
For converting the category text into an article, {{subst:Cfc|ProposedName}}

If a group of similar categories or a category and its subcategories, use an umbrella nomination (each category must be tagged, for nominations involving large numbers of categories tagging help can be requested at the talk page):

For deletion, {{subst:Cfd|CfdSectionName}}
For a merger, {{subst:Cfm|OtherCategory|CfdSectionName}}
For renaming, {{subst:Cfr|ProposedName|CfdSectionName}}
For converting the category text into an article, {{subst:Cfc|ProposedName|CfdSectionName}}

Please include "Cfd", "Cfm", "Cfr", or "Cfc" in the edit summary, and don't mark the edit as minor.
Preview before saving. The display will give more precise instructions about the next step.
See the documentation pages at Cfd, Cfm, Cfr, and Cfc for more specific information.
Consider adding {{subst:Cfdnotice|Cfd section name|date=yyyy Month d}} to the main article's talk page or to categories that are merge targets to notify users that the category has been nominated for deletion or renaming. Doing so would not only extend an additional courtesy, but possibly also bring in editors who know more about the subject at hand. See the doc page at Cfdnotice for more information on how to use this template.

III.

Create the Cfd subsection.

Click on THIS LINK to edit the section of CFD for today's entries.

Follow the instructions in the comments (visible during edit), to copy and paste the template shown. All categories are specified without the Category: prefix.

For {{Cfd}}, use:

{{subst:Cfd2|ObsoleteCategory|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed deletion. ~~~~}}

For {{Cfm}}, use:

{{subst:Cfm2|FromCategory|ToCategory|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed merge. ~~~~}}

For {{Cfr}}, to a definite name use:

{{subst:Cfr2|OldCategory|NewCategory|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}

For {{Cfr}}, to an indefinite name use:

{{subst:Cfr2|OldCategory|to be determined by consensus|text=Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}

For {{Cfc}}, use:

{{subst:Cfc2|FromCategory|ToArticle|text= Your reason(s) for the proposed rename. ~~~~}}

For umbrella nominations, the standard templates should build the "Cfd section name" for the 1st nomination, although the 2nd and subsequent nominations must be added manually, like this:

==== Cfd section name ====

1st category
2nd category
Your reason for nominating the category ~~~~ (Make clear if you propose deletion, merging or renaming).

When using these templates, the old and new categories you specify are automatically converted to links: you do not specify them as links yourself.
Include delete:, merge: etc. at the start of your reason (after text=) to make it clear what you are recommending.
In your reason, please link appropriate articles or categories to help other editors.
In your reason, when linking to a category, always add a colon (':') in the link, like [[:Category:Foo]]. This makes a category link that can be seen on the page (and avoids putting this page into the category you are nominating).
Preview before saving to ensure all the fields have been properly listed.

Once you have previewed your entry, please make sure to add your signature after your proposal. If nominating a list of entries as a batch below your rationale, it is somewhat neater to place these after the signature (rather than leave the signature dangling at the end of the list, apparently unrelated to your reasons).

Once you have submitted a category here, no further action is necessary on your part. If the nomination is supported, helpful administrators and editors will log the result and ensure that the change is implemented to all affected pages.

Also, consider adding to your watchlist any categories you nominate. This will help ensure that your nomination tag is not mistakenly or deliberately removed.

[edit] Users without accounts and users with new accounts

Users without accounts (anonymous users) may nominate and comment on proceedings, just as in Articles for Deletion (AfD).

[edit] Redirecting categories

It is our general policy to delete categories that do not have articles in them. Unlike articles, categories are mostly for internal use only. If they don't have any articles, they shouldn't have any links from any articles or any other categories, because they are not useful for navigation and classification.

However, some categories frequently have articles assigned to them accidentally, or are otherwise re-created over and over again. In these cases, we use a form of "soft" redirection.

Categories cannot be redirected using "hard" redirects (#REDIRECT [[target]]) due to limitations in the MediaWiki software. Instead, use {{Category redirect|target}}. Helpful bots patrol these categories and move articles into the redirect targets.

You can see a list of redirected categories in Category:Wikipedia category redirects.

[edit] Special notes

Categories relating to stub articles should not be nominated here, but should be taken to Wikipedia:Stub types for deletion. If a group nomination of several similarly-named categories includes one or more stub categories, it is usual for non-stub categories to be nominated here first, with stub categories nominated separately at Wikipedia:Stub types for deletion only once a decision has been reached on the non-stub types. As stub category names usually - though not always - follow permanent category naming, resulting changes to stub categories would frequently be considered as speediable.

When nominating a category, it's helpful to add a notice on the talk page of the most-closely related article. Doing so would not only extend an additional courtesy, but possibly also bring in editors who know more about the subject at hand. You can use {{cfd-article}} for this.

Categories that should exist but are missing articles or subcategories should be added to Category:Underpopulated categories using {{popcat}}.

If a category is only used as generated by a template (e.g. Category:Foo Stubs to correspond with Template:Foo Stub), and that template is deleted by regular WP:TFD process, then the category can be deleted as well as long as it was nominated along with the template, or mentioned early in the discussion.

[edit] Speedy renaming and speedy merging

Shortcut: WP:CFDS

Categories may be listed here if they fall under the criteria specified below. Deletion and de-listing may occur after 48 hours if there are no objections. They must be tagged with {{subst:cfr-speedy|new name}} so that users of the categories are aware of the proposal. This delay is to allow for objections over correct spelling, etc. to be made and to ensure that items are not listed here that do not meet the criteria.

Categories that qualify for speedy deletion (per Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion, e.g. "patent nonsense", "recreation", empty categories (that have been empty for four days) can be tagged with the regular speedy tags, such as {{db|reason}}, and no delay is required for these.

Contested requests can be removed from this list after 48 hours. If the nominator wants to continue the process they need to submit the request as a regular CfD using the instructions above.

[edit] Speedy criteria

Criteria for speedy deletion, renaming, or merging are strictly limited to:

C1. Unpopulated categories

that have been unpopulated for at least four days. This does not apply to disambiguation categories, category redirects, featured topics categories, categories under discussion at Wikipedia:Categories for Discussion (or other such discussions), or project categories that by their nature may become empty on occasion (e.g. Category:Wikipedians looking for help). (Place {{empty category}} at the top of the page to prevent such categories from being deleted.)

{{db-c1}}, {{db-catempty}}

C2. Speedy renaming or merging.

1. Typographic fixes (for example, Brdiges → Bridges).

Note that differences between British and American spelling (for example, Harbours → Harbors) are not considered errors, but if both exist as otherwise-identical category names, they should be merged.

2. Capitalization fixes (for example, Characters In harry Potter → Characters in Harry Potter).

3. Conversions from singular to plural, or vice versa (for example, Steamship → Steamships).

4. A rename bringing a category or categories into line with established naming conventions for that category tree, or into line with the various "x by y", "x of y", or "x in y" categorization conventions specified at Wikipedia:Naming conventions (categories).

This should only be used where there is no room for any doubt whatsoever that the category in question is being used for the standard purpose instead of being a potential subcategory.
This criterion should only be applied when there is absolutely no ambiguity or doubt over the existence of a category naming convention. Such a convention must be well defined and must be overwhelmingly used within the tree. Any suggested renames falling short of this standard must be brought forward for a full Cfd nomination.
This criterion should not be used in the face of accepted differences in local usage (for example, Category:Transportation in the United States and Category:Transport in the United Kingdom).

5. Expanding abbreviated country names (e.g., U.S. → United States). However, if the corresponding article also uses the abbreviation (for example Georgia (U.S. state)), this criterion does not apply.

6. Disambiguation fixes from an unqualified name (for example, Category:Georgia → Category:Georgia (country) or Category:Georgia (U.S. state))

7. Appropriate conversion of hyphens into en-dashes or vice versa. (for example, Category:Canada-Russia relations → Category:Canada–Russia relations).

{{db-c2}}, {{db-speedyrename}}

For any categories that are not speedy deletion candidates, use Wikipedia:Categories for discussion. Due to technical restrictions, renaming or merging a category effectively deletes the original category.

[edit] Add requests for speedy renaming here

If the category and desired change do not match one of the seven criteria listed above precisely, do not list it here. Instead, list it in the main CFD section.

If you are in any doubt as to whether it qualifies, do not list it here.

Use the following format:

* [[:Category:OLD name]] to [[:Category:NEW name]] ~~~~

Don't forget to tag the category with {{subst:Cfr-speedy|new name}}

Please add new entries at the top of the list and sign and date stamp your entries with ~~~~.

A request may be completed if it is more than 48 hours old; that is, the time stamp shown is 23:21, 28 November 2009 (UTC) or earlier.

Category:Winners of The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service to Category:Winners of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service #2 — Good Ol’factory ^(talk) 03:50, 30 November 2009 (UTC)
Category:SEC Filings to Category:SEC filings #2 — Good Ol’factory ^(talk) 03:44, 30 November 2009 (UTC)

Category:Fictional characters by ethnic or racial group to Category:Fictional characters by ethnicity #4 to match with Category:People by ethnicity and Category:Fictional Americans by ethnicity. — LoЯd ۞pεth 06:00, 28 November 2009 (UTC)

Nominations with objections or that don't meet speedy criteria will be dropped from this list if not taken to a full CfD.

Category:Neo-Objectivists to Category:Neo-objectivists - #2. — ξ^xplicit 06:27, 29 November 2009 (UTC)
- This category relates to Ayn Rand's philosophy, which is named "Objectivism" with a capital 'O'. Renaming it to lower-case would be inaccurate. See also the related Category:Former Objectivists, which also keeps the capital. --RL0919 (talk) 14:31, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

[edit] Ready for deletion

Check Category:Empty categories awaiting deletion for out of process deletions. In most cases, these will need to be nominated for discussion and the editor who emptied the category informed that they should follow the WP:CFD process.

Once the renaming has been completed, copy and paste the listing to the Ready for deletion section of Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Working/Manual.