User:Tony Sidaway/Deletion/Closing
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I sometimes close deletion discussions on Wikipedia:Votes for deletion. This page is written for people who are interested in how one goes about closing a deletion discussion.
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[edit] Consensus
Consensus is the basis of decision-making on Wikipedia. The criterion for deletion on Wikipedia is a rough consensus to delete. The meaning of this varies from person to person. I define consensus relatively conservatively--if 80% of those who express an opinion say an article should be deleted, than that is a strong consensus. If 70% or more of those who express an opinion say an article should be deleted, it may be a weak consensus. On any figure in between 70% and 80%, I reserve the right to use my discretion.
[edit] Conditional votes
The reason a person gives influences me. Obviously incorrect or unfounded reasons for deletion will be disregarded. For instance, a statement to the effect that a recording artist isn't notable, if the artist turns out to have chart hits or be otherwise notable, will be disregarded if I think that is your sole reason for voting.
[edit] Maturity
If some of the votes on a VfD listing look unfamiliar, I'll check them. If you have 100 edits and one month editing, you're probably okay, unless I think you don't have enough article edits.
[edit] Disposition
Some editors make a vote calling for an article to be merged, redirected, moved, etc. Of their nature such detailed votes seldom gain a consensus unless they're mentioned very early on in the discussion. Because any editor can perform these operations, I and most closing admins tend to leave such actions up to other editors.
Transwiki is different. Because transwiki results in an article becoming a speedy candidate, I will call a transwiki if there is a consensus for that, and when I am counting delete votes I may count a transwiki as a delete (even transwiki isn't binding because it's up to a sister project whether to accept an article).
