Wikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creation/Reviewing instructions

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Reviewing Articles

AFC Helper Script The AFC Helper Script is a script by Timotheus Canens and mabdul that assists in reviewing both article, redirect and category submissions. The script can accept and decline articles, mark articles as Review in progress and add comments to submissions without changing their status. The script will also automatically notify the author of the outcome and can be used to create the respective talk pages, of an approved submission or request. It is highly recommended that reviewers use the script when reviewing articles, as it ensures that editors are notified and templates are removed from articles once they have been created. To install the script go to your user preferences and check the checkbox at: Preferences → Gadgets → Yet Another AFC Helper Script: easily review Articles for creation submissions and redirect requests. The documentation and the discussion pages are located at WP:AFCH. Without the script Follow the instructions in the sections below. You will need to manually edit the template code in accordance with the examples given. DO NOT TOUCH the "u" or "ns" parameter in the submission template. "u" = The submitter's name; "ns" = Name Space. DO NOT COPY A TEMPLATE, modify the last submission template that exists in the article. It will look something like this:{{AFC submission|||ts=20120204121231|u=TomTomthePipersSon|ns=5}} Please remember to notify editors once you have reviewed their submission using {{subst:Afc decline|Submission name}} for declined submissions and {{subst:Afc talk|Submission name}} for accepted submissions.

Finding submissions awaiting review

You can find a list of submissions awaiting review at Wikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creation/Submissions. Those that need to be reviewed are shown in yellow, in the Pending submissions table. The page also lists those submissions being reviewed, recently accepted and recently declined. You can also find a list at Category:Pending AfC submissions.

Placing a submission "under review"

If you are in the process of reviewing a submission, please mark the submission "under review". This changes the visible submission template, alerting other reviewers that someone is reviewing the submission, which reduces the possible occurrence of edit conflicts.  Follow only one of the following procedures:

1. If using the script, simply click Mark as reviewing.
2. If manually reviewing, you can tag the submission with the "reviewing" banner by changing the code in the submission template, which should look like this:
   {{AFC submission|||ts=20120318165223|u=SubmitterName|ns=5}}, add an "R" as the second parameter, so it then looks like this:{{AFC submission|R||ts=20120318165223|u=SubmitterName|ns=5}}. Be careful not to change the number of parameters (|'s) and, of course, remember to save the page after any manual edits.

Reviewing workflow

Step 1: Quick-fail criteria

Before reading a submission in detail, check whether it meets any of the quick-fail criteria. If so, it should be declined immediately and in some cases it may be necessary to nominate the submission for speedy deletion.

Expand this box to learn about the quick fail criteria

Quick-fail criteria Before reading the submission in detail, check whether it meets any of the six criteria below. If so, it should be declined immediately and in some cases it may be necessary to nominate the submission for speedy deletion. Quick-fail criteria Quick-fail reason Description Modify parameters 2, 3 and 4 to look like this.  Add additional templates if necessary. Vandalism or attack page If a submission is clearly an attack page, or vandalism, immediately decline the submission as a test and blank the body text of the page, then place {{afc cleared}} just below the {{AFC submission}} template, and immediately tag the page for speedy deletion with {{db-g10}} for attack pages, or {{db-g3}} for vandalism. Consider also warning the user on their talkpage. {{AFC submission|D|test|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} {{afc cleared}} + {{db-g10}} or {{db-g3}} Blank submission Click on edit to ensure that the article is truly blank and not simply missing a closing tag.  If blank, suggest that the user try Requested Articles. {{AFC submission|D|blank|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Nonsense or test If a submission consists of only patent nonsense or is an unambiguous test edit, decline it as a test. Test submissions with no other useful page history are also eligible for speedy deletion under criteria {{db-g2}}. {{AFC submission|D|test|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} {{db-g2}} Submission not in English If a submission is not written in English, it can be declined. Category:AfC submissions declined as not in English is linked from Wikipedia:Pages needing translation into English. An editor might translate the submission at a later date. {{AFC submission|D|lang|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Copyright violation Check that the submission has not been copied from another source. Search for a portion of the text of the article on Google or another search engine. Also check the sources provided, and, if relevant, check a person's or organization's web site, even if not given as a reference or link. If the article has unambiguously been copied and the source is not released under a suitable free license or in the public domain, decline as a copyright violation. If reviewing manually, blank the body text of the page, add {{afc cleared}} just below the {{AFC submission}} template and immediately tag the page for speedy deletion with {{db-g12}}. If using the script, the first steps are done by default, so just add the speedy deletion tag after the script finishes. {{AFC submission|D|cv|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} {{afc cleared}} + {{db-g12}} Already exists Sometimes new editors create a submission without checking to see if the subject already has a Wikipedia article. Do a quick search for the title of the suggested article, as well as any alternative names that come to mind. If you find an article on the same subject, decline the article. Consider making a redirect if the contributed name is useful. {{AFC submission|D|exists|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}}

Step 2: Notability and verifiability

The principle of notability applies to the subject of the article. The principle of verifiability applies to the content of the article. The most basic standard for inclusion in Wikipedia is notability. It is important for reviewers to determine a subject's likely notability right away, to avoid new editors having submissions declined for other reasons, only to find out later that the subject of their submission cannot be accepted because it does not meet the notability guidelines. Many problems found in submissions can be fixed through good editing, but no amount of editing can make an inherently non-notable subject notable!

If what is written in the submission meets the notability guidelines, but the submission lacks references to evidence this, then the underlying issue is inadequate verification and the submission should be declined for that reason. Notability is a higher standard than lacking an indication of importance or significance, which are grounds for speedy deletion.

Expand this box to learn about notability and verifiability

Articles require significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject. greenv greenv greenv Subject-specific notability guidelines Wikipedia has some subject-specific notability guidelines. The following table shows the notability guidelines and templates for specific subjects. If the subject of the submission you are reviewing is not listed in the table below, apply the general notability guideline. Notability guidelines Subject Guideline shortcut Modify parameters 2, 3 and 4 to look like this Academics (Professors, scientists, etc.) WP:PROF {{AFC submission|D|prof|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Astronomical objects WP:NASTRO {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Books WP:BK {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Events WP:EVENT {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Films WP:MOVIE {{AFC submission|D|film|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Geographical features WP:NGEO {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Musical performers or works WP:MUSIC {{AFC submission|D|band|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Organizations or companies WP:CORP {{AFC submission|D|corp|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Sports and athletes WP:ATH {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Web content WP:WEB {{AFC submission|D|web|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Other people WP:BIO {{AFC submission|D|bio|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Any subject not covered above WP:NOTE {{AFC submission|D|nn|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Verifiability If what is written in the submission meets the notability guidelines, but the submission lacks references to evidence this, then the underlying issue is inadequate verification and the submission should be declined for that reason. Verifiability Reason for denial Modify parameters 2, 3 and 4 to look like this Insufficient reliable sources to verify the content of the submission. {{AFC submission|D|v|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}}

Step 3: Suitability

Now you should read the submission in detail and decide whether it is suitable for Wikipedia. To be suitable, the article must be about a notable subject and be written in an encyclopedic style from a neutral point of view. The most common reasons that a submission is not suitable are provided below, along with the appropriate templates.

Expand this box to learn about unsuitable articles

Types of unsuitable articles Reason for denial Modify parameters 2, 3 and 4 to look like this.  Add {{afc cleared}} if needed. Nothing more than a dictionary definition {{AFC submission|D|dict|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} A non-notable neologism {{AFC submission|D|neo|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=Usere|ns=5}} Appears to be a joke or hoax {{AFC submission|D|joke|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Does not conform to the BLP policy (see Note 1 below) {{AFC submission|D|blp|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} {{afc cleared}} Is not written from a neutral point of view {{AFC submission|D|npov|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Is written like an advertisement or is highly promotional {{AFC submission|D|adv|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Is too short / not enough context {{AFC submission|D|context|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Too short, but could be merged into Article {{AFC submission|D|mergeto|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Anything else covered by WP:NOT {{AFC submission|D|not|ts={{subst:CURRENTTIMESTAMP}}|u=User|ns=5}} Note 1: When reviewing any submission about a living person, remember that the policy on Biographies of living persons includes: "Contentious material about living persons... that is unsourced or poorly sourced – whether the material is negative, positive, neutral, or just questionable – should be removed immediately and without waiting for discussion." If the article is a BLP policy violation, blank the body text of the page as a courtesy and place {{afc cleared|csd}} just below the {{AFC submission}} template. If you are using the script, this is done by default when you decline a submission as a BLP violation. Attack pages, as distinct from a straightforward BLP violation, should not be declined as non-notable or lacking sources, but should be tagged for immediate deletion with {{db-attack}} or {{db-g10}}. You should notify the creator on their talk page of the speedy deletion nomination using the template {{subst:uw-attack}}.

Step 4: Invalid reasons for declining a submission

AFC participants should follow the normal standards set by the standard policies and guidelines for what makes an acceptable article. Avoid the following errors:

1. Declining an article because it correctly uses general references to support some or all of the material. The content and sourcing policies require inline citations for only some specific types of material, most commonly: direct quotations and contentious material (whether negative, positive, or neutral) about living persons.
2. Declining an article because you personally don't like the citation style or formatting, or because you wrongly assumed that the absence of little blue numbers meant that no inline citations existed, is not acceptable. The use of <ref> tags, although popular, is not required. Editors may choose any form of inline citation, not just the most popular one. Many new editors choose a different style, and their choice is officially protected by Wikipedia's citation guidelines.
3. Declining an article because the citations contain bare URLs or other reference formatting problems. Instead, run The Reflinks tool or tag the article with {{cleanup-link rot|date=December 2024}} or {{citation style|date=December 2024}}, or fix them manually.
4. Declining an article because it contains formatting issues, such as no wikilinks to other articles or no sections, is not acceptable. Instead, fix it yourself, or accept and tag the article to alert other editors to the one or two issues that you believe need to be resolved first.

Step 5: Accepting a submission

At this point, if you have not found any reason to decline the creation of the article, it should be accepted. There are two ways to accept:

Expand this box to learn about accepting a submission

Using the script Click the Accept button. Select an appropriate name Give the article an assesment on the quality scale Consider adding categories, and/or appropriate cleanup templates or stub-tags by entering the code in the relevent boxes. Add any Wikiproject banners that would apply to the article by inserting the template code into the relevent box. If accepting an article about a person, please ensure you tick the biography checkbox, try to enter as much person-data as possible on the template that will appear, and select the relevent option from the living person drop-down menu. This ensures such articles are placed in Category:Biography articles of living people. Click Accept and publish to mainspace. The script will move the article for you, clean it up, create its talk page, add the quality assessment, and notify the submission creator. If you have AWB authorization, you can use AWB to tidy up the new article and carry out typo and general fixes. If you don't have AWB, you can use Auto-Ed to clean up the formatting of pages. Alternatively, clean up by manual editing. If you think you can improve the article, and wish to do so, go right ahead. If the submission is reasonably well-sourced, has a minimum of 1,500 characters of prose, and seems generally interesting, consider nominating the article to appear on the main page as part of Did you know? (see instructions). Doing it manually Create the article by moving it into mainspace and removing the {{AFC submission}} tag, as well as any AFC related comments and signitures or content from earlier, declined submissions. Consider adding the new article to categories, and tagging it with appropriate cleanup templates. If the article is a stub, add the {{stub}} template, or preferably the appropriate category-specific stub template. Add {{WPAFC}} to the talk page of the new article to flag it as part of the AFC WikiProject. (To quickly add {{WPAFC}}, click the Preload talk link on the bottom row of the pending banner before removing it from the submission). Assess the quality class of the article and include this in the template {{WPAFC}}. The parameter name is class and the criteria can be found at WikiProject Articles for creation/Grading scheme. Add any Wikiproject banners that would apply to the article. If accepting an article about a person, please ensure you add {{WPbiography|living=yes}} to the article talk page. This ensures such articles are placed in Category:Biography articles of living people. You may also add the {{Persondata}}, if it's not in the draft, and complete as much information as possible. If you have AWB authorization, you can use AWB to tidy up the new article and carry out typo and general fixes. If you don't have AWB, you can use Auto-Ed to clean up the formatting of pages. Alternatively, clean up by manual editing. If you think you can improve the article, and wish to do so, go right ahead. Add {{subst:Afc talk|Article Name}} to the talk page user who submitted the article, to inform them that their submission was successful Consider adding a link to the article in the recent contributions list, adding the new article at the top and removing the bottom entry. If the submission is reasonably well-sourced, has a minimum of 1,500 characters of prose, and seems generally interesting, consider nominating the article to appear on the main page as part of Did you know? (see instructions). Note: If for some reason, it is necessary to copy-paste the submission rather than moving it, credit the IP address or username of the author in the edit summary and redirect the submission to the title of the new page. You should also consider a history merge of the two pages. Known issues If a submission, which should be accepted, cannot be moved because the title is blacklisted, or the page is creation protected, you will get an error message. If a proposed article title is triggering the blacklist, you will see an error message that reads: MediaWiki:Titleblacklist-forbidden-move. Please find an administrator who will be able to assist you. If the destination page has been creation protected because of repeated recreation, it may be necessary to make a request for unprotection at Wikipedia:Requests for unprotection.

Step 6: Other tasks and checks

Please read Wikipedia's username policy and if you recognize that a user has a prohibited username, tag the user's talk page with {{subst:Uw-username}}. This tag is also used by Twinkle under: warn → Single issue warnings → {{uw-username}}. If the username is a blatent violation of the username policy, consider reporting the username to usernames for administrator attention.

See also

Draft submissions

Expand this box to learn about draft submissions

Draft submissions are designed to replace the userspace draft option from the article wizard. Submissions are reviewed only after a review is requested by the submitter. After a review is requested, it is reviewed like any other pending submission. If the submission meets the guidelines, it is accepted normally. If it needs improvement, it is declined. All draft submissions not pending review are located in Category:Draft AfC submissions. If the draft has not been edited for more than one week, the draft is automatically declined by ArticlesForCreationBot. Draft submissions are not meant to replace the current Articles for Creation system. Rather, it is meant to offer new editors a way to create draft articles, without struggling with requested moves once they feel it is ready to be moved to mainspace. A pending template can be turned into a draft template by replacing the second parameter with the letter "t". NOTE: Please only do this with the creator's permission. Declining draft submissions When a draft is submitted for review, there are two AFC submission templates. There is a draft submission template, and a normal pending review template. The draft submission template is merely used to keep track of unsubmitted drafts. Once it has been submitted for review, this template should be removed. ArticlesForCreationBot is tasked with removing the draft submission template, so only the pending review template should remain. If a draft submission meets the quick fail criteria, then it is declined like any other submission.

Useful templates

If you want to ask the submitter a question, or just make a comment on a submission, please use the following templates:

What to type	Where to type it	What will appear
{{question|question}} Your question here.	When you wish to ask the submitter a question regarding the submission.	Question: Your question here.
{{Afc comment|Your comment here.}}	When you wish to leave a comment for the submitter regarding the submission.	Comment: Your comment here.

Useful links

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Articles for creation/Resources/Obsolete - A full list of old templates used by AfC. Many of the templates are made obsolete by {{AFC submission}}. They are retained for historical reasons, the text of the decline reasons in the new template having been drawn from the old.