 | This page in a nutshell: Add template messages to inform readers and editors of specific problems with articles or sections. Do not use them as a badge of shame. | The following template messages may be added to articles that need a cleanup. The purpose of such templates is to inform other editors and readers at a quick glance what potential problems are with article content and to spur improvement in the spirit of Wikipedia. In obscure articles with few editors, the templates can serve to attract attention to problems that have not been addressed. In articles that are heavily edited or discussed, templates can be used to indicate ongoing problems or disputes in order to attract outside help and caution readers that the content may be shortly subject to change. Unless otherwise noted, they should be placed at the top of the article—before other templates, images, or infoboxes (for the short notes placed at the top of an article before the primary topic, see WP:Hatnote#Placement). Please do not insert tags that are too similar or redundant with each other. For example, all articles that read like essays have an inappropriate tone, and in fact they end up in the same category, so it is unnecessary to tag with {{Inappropriate tone}} in addition to {{Essay-like}}. Similarly, if an article has many problems, please consider tagging only the most important problems. A very lengthy list is often less helpful than a shorter one. Remember that tags are not intended as a badge of shame. Note that the date parameter will be added by a bot if it is left off. Some tags have alternative versions that apply to situations of greater specificity. Some editors may refer to these as flags or banners, as in "I flagged this article because . . ." or "I added a banner to the top of the article because . . ." [edit] Does the article meet inclusion requirements? Before placing templates on a page it is worthwhile to cast a critical eye over the page to determine whether it should, in fact, be included in Wikipedia. Some articles can be tagged for speedy deletion or marked as an article for deletion. [edit] Best practices in obscure or unpopular articles On pages that have received little attention from editors or readers, cleanup templates can be used as a way to call attention to problems that need to be addressed by editors. Editors who want to help address these problems should look through the various cleanup categories such as maintenance and articles with content issues and try to address the problems so that the templates can be removed. Editors who do a lot of tagging of articles should take it upon themselves to also address the backlogs as well. [edit] Best practices in heavily monitored articles On pages that are being edited by a number of users, cleanup templates are used to inform readers and editors of ongoing discussions and attempts to fix the problems on the page. Such templates can be used to attract uninvolved users to discussions and cleanup efforts, and they can also serve as a warning to casual readers that the article may have problems and be subject to dramatic changes. In general, an editor who places a template message to indicate a problem like this should explain their rationale fully on the talkpage of the article. If the consensus of the other editors is that there is a problem or an editorial dispute that deserves such a clean-up template, then the editors should work to fix the problem as quickly and cleanly as possible so the template message can be removed. If the consensus is that there is no problem, then the message can be removed immediately. For heavily monitored articles, please do not add or remove template messages of this sort without using the talk page. [edit] Use in sections Many of these cleanup tags require you to place |article as the first parameter when you use the tag at the top of an article. When you want the template to refer to just one section, however, you replace |article with |section (where the | is a pipe key found on most keyboards as a shift-backslash (\). See the specific template below to determine if such "section use" is supported and appropriate. [edit] Tag consolidation If too many tags are put at the top of an article, the article can become eclipsed by the tags, especially with short or stub articles. Consider consolidating the tags into the {{article issues}} template. | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{Article issues}} links talk edit | - Use the
article=y parameter if you use the template for the entire article, and section=y if it is used only for a particular section. - To tag a specific issue, set any string of text to the parameter, such as
issue=y - To specify the month tagged for the categories that sort articles by month, type
issue=November 2009 or issue=April 2007 | [edit] Cleanup [edit] General cleanup Use one of these general tags when none of the more specific tags fit. [edit] Plain old editing Some articles just need someone with a good grasp of editing technique to give them a once-over. [edit] Style of writing Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. Wikipedia is not a dictionary, soapbox, how-to guide, blog, billboard, résumé, or crystal ball. [edit] Structure and sections [edit] Introduction [edit] Potentially unwanted content Some things just don't belong. [edit] Message boxes [edit] Inline with article text [edit] Context and detail [edit] Off-topic Articles occasionally contain content which is otherwise valid, but is unrelated to the nominal topic of the article. [edit] Expand and add | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{Expand}} category links talk edit | - First argument is inserted after 'improve this': {{expand|article with examples}} ? "...improve this article with examples"
| {{Expand section}} category links talk edit | - First argument is added to description: {{expand-section|examples}} ? "...by expanding this section with examples"
| {{Missing information}} category links talk edit | | | This is missing information about something. This concern has been noted on the talk page where it may be discussed whether or not to include such information. | - First argument is added to description "{{{1}}}" appears: {{Missing information|foo, bar, baz and quux.}} ? "...information about: foo, bar, baz and quux." This template is for when the article needs to be expanded even to be accurate.
| {{Cleanup-biography}} category links talk edit | | | This biographical article needs more biographical information on the subject. Statistical information such as date and place of birth, information on historical significance, and information on accomplishments is desired. Please remove this message when done. See this article's talk page for more information. | | {{reqdiagram}} category links talk edit | - Place this notice on the talkpage.
| {{reqphoto}} category links talk edit | - Place this notice on the talkpage. Please add one or more subject categories in the template.
| {{ISBN}} category links talk edit | - Place {{ISBN|date=November 2009}} at the head of the relevant section(s). Remember that books published before 1974 do not have ISBNs (through more recent editions should).
| {{Formula missing descriptions}} category links talk edit | | | Some or all of the formulas presented in this article have missing or incomplete descriptions of their variables, symbols or constants, which may create ambiguity or prevent full interpretation. Please assist in recruiting an expert or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details. | | {{Biblio}} category links talk edit | - Place {{Biblio|date=November 2009}} at the head of the relevant section(s).
| [edit] Expert needed | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{Expert-verify}} links talk edit | | | This article requires authentication or verification by an expert. Please assist in recruiting an expert or improve this article yourself. See the talk page for details. | - After adding this template, start a section on the article discussion page describing what you wish the expert to address. {{Expert-talk}} may be used for this purpose.
| {{Expert-subject}} links talk edit | | | This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject PROJECTNAME may be able to help recruit one. | - After adding this template, start a section on the article discussion page describing what you wish the expert to address. {{Expert-talk}} may be used for this purpose.
| {{Expert-subject-multiple}} links talk edit | | | This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. The following WikiProjects or Portals may be able to help recruit one: If another appropriate WikiProject or portal exists, please adjust this template accordingly. | - Add one to five WikiProjects and they will be displayed in the list
- After adding this template, start a section on the article discussion page describing what you wish the expert to address. {{Expert-talk}} may be used for this purpose.
| [edit] Time-sensitive [edit] Inline with article text [edit] Contradiction and confusion [edit] Content forks [edit] Importance and notability [edit] Neutrality and factual accuracy All articles should maintain a Neutral point of view. Sometimes, editors dispute the truth of statements. See also: Wikipedia:Verifiability. [edit] Message boxes [edit] Inline with article text [edit] Verifiability and sources [edit] Message boxes [edit] Inline with article text Lists serve useful purposes, but sometimes need cleanup, too. | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{cleanup-laundry}} category links talk edit | - For use in non-list articles where too much of the content is composed of lists.
| {{listtable}} category links talk edit | - For use where lists could be better presented as tables.
| {{Prose}} links talk edit | - Use this tag where a list needs cleanup.
| {{create-list}} category links talk edit | - Use this tag where an article needs to be changed into list format.
| {{example farm}} links talk edit | - For use in non-list articles where too much of the content is composed of "examples", "references in popular culture", and the like.
| {{fictionlist}} links talk edit | - For use when a nonfiction article has become overcrowded with too many references to fiction or other pop culture. (Ex.: Article on horses having a long section of TV shows, movies, video games, etc. that have horse in the name or feature horses in some way.)
| {{fictionrefs}} links talk edit | | | This contains too many minor or trivial fictional references. Mere trivia, or references unimportant to the overall plot of a work of fiction, should be deleted. See also what Wikipedia is not. | - For use in fiction-specific articles that have way too many trivial examples. (Ex.: For an article specifically about famous fictional horses that mentions that fact that Sesame Street once told kids how to spell horse, or that one of the animals you can kill in an online game is a horse.)
| {{MOSLOW}} category links talk edit | | {{Disputed-list}} links talk edit | | | The inclusion of certain items in this list is currently being disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the article's talk page. | - To identify a list on Wikipedia that has content whose truth, factual nature, and/or relevance to the topic is in dispute.
| [edit] Images For tips on requesting images see Wikipedia:Requested pictures. [edit] Categories [edit] Wiki tech Most of these issues are covered in the main Wikipedia:Manual of Style. | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{wikify}} links talk edit | - If the article needs reformatting to be more readable
- If the article needs HTML changed into wiki-markup
- If the article needs text markup for mathematical formulae per WP:MATH
- If important words need to be linked to appropriate Wikipedia articles
| {{disambig-cleanup}} links talk edit | | {{uncategorized}} links talk edit | - Place this at the bottom of an uncategorized article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.
| {{orphan}} links talk edit | - Use this for articles that aren't linked to from more than one or two other pages.
| {{deadend}} links talk edit | - Use this to mark articles or sections that lack internal links but are otherwise wikified.
| {{Incoming links}} links talk edit | - Use this to mark disambiguation pages with a large amount of incoming links.
| [edit] Infobox needed | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{newinfobox}} links talk edit | - This template should be used on talk pages.
| {{single infobox request}} links talk edit | - This template should be used on talk pages.
| {{ship infobox request}} links talk edit |  | This article lacks a ship infobox. You can help WikiProject Ships by copying the source code into the attached article, and filling in the information yourself, or by providing the following information here on the Talk page so that someone else can construct the box. | - This template should be used on talk pages.
| {{Reqinfobox}} links talk edit |  | This article lacks an infobox, which is part of the standard display of many types of articles. You can help by installing one into the attached article, and filling in the information yourself. See this talk page for the banners of any relevant projects, which may provide a standardized infobox for this type of article. See also Category:Infobox templates, and Wikipedia:WikiProject Infoboxes. | - This template should be used on talk pages.
- Also has functionality to indicate that only a section in a page needs one. See the template page for more info.
| [edit] Infobox cleanup needed [edit] Cleanup of specific subjects These templates are all "general cleanup" templates, but tie into a specific subject matter or WikiProject. [edit] Fiction [edit] Miscellaneous [edit] Merging The following tags should be placed on top the pages or sections which require merging.
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{merge}} links talk edit | - Place this at the top of both pages or sections that are to be merged. Use the other page's name as the parameter. A link will be generated automatically. Separate additional pages with a vertical pipe; up to 20 pages can be listed.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally,
discuss can be specified to direct the discussion to another page. - If it is known which page or section is to receive the merged material, use the tags {{mergeto}} or {{mergefrom}} instead.
- Add the date parameter
|date=November 2009 to place articles in Category:Articles to be merged from November 2009 | {{mergeto}} links talk edit | - Place the tag {{mergeto|Dest page}} at the top of the page or section that is to have its content transferred to another page.
- If the proposed source is an entire page, place the tag {{mergefrom|Source page}} at the top of the page or section that is to receive the merged material.
- If the proposed source is one specific section of page, place the tag {{mergesection|Source page#Source section}} at the top of the page or section that is to receive the merged material.
| {{mergefrom}} links talk edit | - If the proposed source is an entire page, place this at the top of the page or section that is to receive the merged material.
- Place the tag {{mergeto|Dest page}} at the top of the source page or section.
- If a merger of multiple pages into a single page is being proposed, use {{mergefrom|Source 1|Source 2|Source 3}}.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, the
discuss parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page. - If it is not known which page or section is to receive the merged material, use the tag {{merge|Other page}} instead.
| {{merging}} links talk edit | - Place this at the top of a source page for which a merger has begun (but has not yet been completed).
| {{merged-from}} links talk edit |  | The contents of Source page were merged into Wikipedia:Template messages/Cleanup. The page is now a redirect to here. For the contribution history and old versions of the redirected article, please see its history; for its talk page, see [[Wikipedia:|here]]. | -
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- This template should only be used on talk pages.
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- This template should only be used on talk pages.
| {{convert template}} links talk edit | - add to a template that should be converted to one of the standardized templates (like 'fix', or 'infobox')
| [edit] Splitting These templates are used for splitting articles. | Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) | {{Split}} category links talk edit | - Place this at the top of a page for which a split into two or more new pages is proposed.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, a "discuss" parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page.
- Add the date parameter |date=November 2009 to place articles in Category:Articles to be split from November 2009
| {{Split}} category links talk edit | | {{Split-apart}} category links talk edit |  | It has been suggested that this page be split into multiple pages. (Discuss) | - Place this at the top of a page for which a split into two or more new pages is proposed, and where they are distinct enough that a disambiguation page is not appropriate.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, a "discuss" parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page.
- Add the date parameter |date=November 2009 to place articles in Category:Articles to be split from November 2009
| {{Split-apart}} category links talk edit | | {{Split section}} category links talk edit |  | It has been suggested that this section be split into a new page. ([[|Discuss]]) | - Place this at the top of one or more sections for which a split into a new page is proposed.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, a "discuss" parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page.
- Add the date parameter |date=November 2009 to place articles in Category:Articles to be split from November 2009
| {{Split section}} category links talk edit |  | It has been suggested that this section be split into a new page titled New title. ([[|Discuss]]) | | {{Split sections}} category links talk edit |  | It has been suggested that some sections of this page be split into a new page entitled New title. (Discuss) | - Place this at the top of a page for which a split of multiple sections into a new page is proposed.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, a "discuss" parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page.
- If possible, instead use {{splitsection}} or {{splitsection|new title}} in each of the sections that should be split into the new page.
- Add the date parameter |date=November 2009 to place articles in Category:Articles to be split from November 2009
| {{Sub-sections}} category links talk edit | - Place this at the top of one or more sections for which a split into a new section on the same page.
- By default, the discussion is directed to the talk page of the page on which this tag is placed. Optionally, a "discuss" parameter can be specified to direct the discussion to another page.
| {{Split dab}} links talk edit | - This template is used for splitting disambiguation pages.
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[edit] Moving The following cleanup tags are to be used for, during, and after proposing a move on Wikipedia:Requested moves. [edit] Copying to other projects The following templates should be placed atop articles desired to be moved to other Wiki foundation web site projects: The following related cleanup templates are also available: [edit] Translation [edit] See also |