Miscellany for deletion (MfD) is a place where Wikipedians decide what should be done with problematic pages in the namespaces outside of the main article namespace, that aren't already covered by other specialized deletion discussion areas. Items sent here are usually discussed for five days; then are either deleted by an administrator, using community consensus (determined from the discussion) as a guideline, or kept.
Introduction
Please confirm the page in question is eligible for MfD. The only currently used namespaces in which pages are eligible for nomination at MfD are listed below.
If a userpage or subpage fails Wikipedia:User page, it is suggested (but not required) that before nominating the page please explain your concerns to the user on their talk page with either a personal note or by adding "{{subst:Uw-userpage}} ~~~~". This step assumes good faith and civility; often the user is simply unaware of the guidelines, and the page can either be fixed or speedily deleted using {{db-userreq}}.
When the user has no recent edits and has made little or no contribution to the encyclopedia, please consider using proposed deletion {{subst:prod|reason}} or simply blank the page. (Please do not do this when these conditions are not met.) This is a lighter-weight process, and permits deletions which are unlikely to be contested to be made without requiring discussion and consensus.
Note: It is occasionally more appropriate to simply remove any discouraged content (such as a non-free image) rather than nominating the entire page for deletion.
Note: Use of profanity alone is generally not a good reason to nominate a page.
Editors matter — An essay regarding the unintended consequences of nominating a page for deletion and voting to delete a page.
Wikipedia policy or guideline page — As a rule of thumb, do not nominate these pages for deletion. Nomination of such pages will probably be considered disruptive, and the ensuing discussions closed early. This is not a forum for modifying or revoking policy; those should instead be discussed on the associated talk page or Wikipedia:Village pump (policy). This also includes any of the deletion discussion areas and their sub-pages.
Proposed Wikipedia policy or guideline page— Unless the proposal is facetious or disruptive, as a rule of thumb, do not nominate these pages for deletion. If you oppose a proposal, discuss it on the policy page's talk page and attempt to gain a consensus, or if appropriate, consider being bold and modify the proposal yourself. Also note that even if a proposal fails to become policy or a guideline, it is often useful to retain it as an historical record for the benefit of future editors.
WikiProjects — Unless the WikiProject is entirely undesirable, consider either marking the WikiProject as inactive or historical or change it to a task force of the parent Project. Discussion on related WikiProject's talk pages may be appropriate. An exception that would allow a desirable WikiProject to be deleted is only if there is consensus on a pertinent WikiProject's talk page. Note to self: Maybe seek input from Wikipedia:WikiProject Council.
Note: Inactivity alone is generally not a sufficient reason to delete.
Wikipedia:Portal — The idea of a portal is to help readers and/or editors navigate their way through Wikipedia topic areas through pages similar to the Main Page. In essence, portals are useful entry-points to Wikipedia content. expand
Wikipedia:Deletion review — Considers disputed deletions and disputed decisions made in deletion-related discussions. This includes appeals to restore deleted pages and appeals to delete pages kept after a prior discussion.
Before nominating a MfD
Please note that the following situations are generally not eligible to be nominated for deletion:
Wikipedia policy or guideline page. This also includes any of the deletion discussion areas and their sub-pages. Nomination of such pages will probably be considered disruptive, and the ensuing discussions closed early. This is not a forum for modifying or revoking policy; those should instead be discussed on the associated talk page or Wikipedia:Village pump (policy). Copy to above.
Proposed Wikipedia policy or guideline page. If you oppose a proposal, discuss it on the policy page's talk page and attempt to gain a consensus, or if appropriate, consider being bold and modify the proposal yourself. Also note that even if a proposal fails to become policy or a guideline, it is often useful to retain it as an historical record for the benefit of future editors. Copy to above.
Exception: If a proposal is not serious or is disruptive (e.g. "Proposal to reject proposal foo") it can be nominated for deletion.
Your own userpage or subpages. Personal user pages and subpages requested to be deleted by the user with whom it is associated are eligible for speedy deletion without discussion. In some rare cases there may be an administrative need to retain the page. Simply add {{db-userreq}} to the page(s) you wish to have deleted. Copy to above.
An established editor's userpage/subpage(s) about Wikipedia-related matters. Unless it fails WP:UP, an established editor's pages rarely qualify for deletion. Copy to above.
Instances when normal editing can resolve the situation. This includes situations that do not require the use of any administrator tools, such as merging the page into another page or renaming it.
Pages placed in the improper namespace. These pages can simply be moved to the proper namespace and, if appropriate, the redirect can be listed on redirects for discussion.
Exception: Instances where userfication is appropriate can be nominated for deletion first.
Pages in the Special page: namespace Those pages should be discussed at ?xxxx?.
