PikminFanon:Deletion policy

The deletion policy covers the process of deleting pages and files, when to delete them, and why to delete them. To tag an item for deletion, add the delete template to it, preferably with reasoning, and to see the list of pages and files currently up for deletion, see here.

Reasons for deletion
A page or file may be marked for deletion or outright deleted for any one of the following reasons. User pages are generally exempt from these standards.
 * The page or file is vandalism or patent nonsense or yields little to no important information. They may be deleted immediately.
 * It is a duplicate of another page or file due to a slight variation in the title. In this case, the content of the two is to be merged and one deleted.
 * All information is represented on other pages. There are certain exceptions where repetition of content may be useful.
 * The item is not about Pikmin or Pikmin Fanon. User images are exempt from this unless they go unused.
 * The item is no longer needed; this applies particularly to depreciated templates and categories.
 * Unused files have special rules regarding deletion. See below for more information.

When flagging an item for deletion, please provide a reason more than that it is unused, when possible.

Administrative steps
When deleting an item, administrators should consider the following:
 * See if at least some of the information presented can be moved elsewhere. If so, do so, and note it in the edit summaries of both pages.
 * Simply deleting an item does not automatically delete its talk page. If doing so, delete its talk page first, then its main page.
 * Retaining the talk page or the subpages of a deleted page may be wise. If the talk page is kept, link its deletion discussion thread there.
 * When providing a reason for deletion, avoid including any copyright-infringing text or the personal information of others.
 * Redirects to deleted items should be deleted, or be redirected elsewhere to avoid broken redirects.

When deciding whether or not to delete a page or file, see if a rough consensus of its fate has been achieved, and always use common sense and respect the judgment and feelings of wiki participants. When in doubt, don't delete. Excessive or unjustified deleting may result in the loss of administrative powers.

Unused files
All files uploaded by editors must be used within twenty-four hours, lest they become eligible for deletion. Files that are not displayed on any pages, even if linked to, are automatically listed in a gallery of unused files. However, user files aside, being unused in and of itself is not enough reason for a file to be deleted: the image could indeed be useful somewhere, so it is always good to check before deleting unused files. Files often go unused because they were replaced: in which case, the replacement file must be linked to, not just mentioned, in the deletion proposal and at least named in the deletion log.