Misplaced Pages

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This page documents an English Misplaced Pages policy.It describes a widely accepted standard that editors should normally follow, though exceptions may apply. Changes made to it should reflect consensus.

Shortcuts WP:PPOL WP:PROT WP:Protect

Administrators can protect pages to restrict editing.

• Full protection disables editing for everyone except administrators. Fully protected images cannot be overwritten by new uploads.
• Semi-protection disables editing from anonymous users and registered accounts less than four days old.
• Move protection protects the page solely from moves. Fully protected pages are move-protected as well, by default.
• Cascading protection fully protects any page transcluded onto the protected page.

Any type of protection, as well as unprotection, may be requested at Misplaced Pages:Requests for page protection. Non-administrators can propose changes to protected pages on the related talk page, using the {{editprotected}} template if necessary to draw attention to the request. All protections and unprotections are automatically logged in the protection log.

Full protection

Indefinite full protections are used for:

• High visibility pages such as the Main Page to prevent vandalism. This includes templates transcluded to these pages.
• The site's logo, press releases, and key copyright and license pages, for legal reasons. Administrators should not make significant changes to these pages without prior discussion.
• Certain "system administration" pages, including many editorial, deletion and stub templates, and the entire MediaWiki namespace. These are pages that need rarely be changed, and that because of widespread usage can cause large-scale disruption if vandalized, or modified ill-advisedly. Again, administrators should not make significant changes to these pages without prior discussion.
• Pages deleted by consensus that are repeatedly recreated. These are listed in either Category:Protected deleted pages or Misplaced Pages:Protected titles. Requests to overturn such a deletion should be made through the deletion review process.
• Personal css and js pages like User:Example/monobook.css or User:Example/cologneblue.js are automatically fully protected by the MediaWiki software. Only the account associated with these pages and administrators are able to edit them.

Temporary full protections are used for:

• Enforcing a "cool down" period to stop an edit war.
• A history-only review of the article during some discussions on deletion review.
• Preventing abuse of the {{unblock}} template or other disruptions by a blocked user on their user talk page.

Content disputes

Except in cases of clear vandalism, or issues with legal impact such as copyright or defamation, pages protected in an edit war are protected in whatever version they happen to be currently in. Protection during an edit war is not an endorsement of the current version. Editors should not ask for a specific version of a page to be protected or, if it has already been protected, reverted to a different version. Instead, editors should attempt to resolve the dispute on the related talk page. See also m:The Wrong Version.

During edit wars, administrators should not protect pages when they are involved as a party to the dispute, except in the case of simple vandalism or libel issues against living people. Administrators should not edit pages that are protected due to a content dispute, unless there is consensus for the change, or the change is unrelated to the dispute. However, this should only be done with great caution, and administrators doing so should indicate this on the article's talk page.

Semi-protection

Indefinite semi-protection may be used for:

• Articles subject to heavy and continued vandalism, such as George W. Bush.
• Biographies subject to vandalism and/or POV-pushing that are not widely watchlisted.
• User pages (but not user talk pages), when requested by the user.
• Policy pages, on a case-by-case basis

Temporary semi-protection may be used for:

• Preventing vandalism when blocking users individually is not a feasible option, such as a high rate of vandalism from a wide range of anonymous IP addresses.
• Article talk pages that are being disrupted; this should be used sparingly because it prevents new users and anons from being part of discussions.

Semi-protection should not be used:

• As a preemptive measure against vandalism before any vandalism has occurred.
• In a content dispute between registered users and anonymous users, with the intention to lock out the anonymous users.
• With the sole purpose of prohibiting editing by anonymous users. Protection should be used only to prevent continuing disruption.

Move protection

Page move protection is used for:

• Cases of frequent or on-going page-move vandalism
• Pages undergoing a page name dispute
• High-visibility pages which have no reason to be moved, such as Misplaced Pages:Administrator intervention against vandalism.

Fully protected pages are by default also move protected. If a protected page is moved by an administrator, the page will be protected at the new location, and the redirect will be unprotected at the page's original location.

The same restrictions that apply to full protection during a dispute also apply to move protection during a dispute (for example, administrators should avoid favoring one name over another, and protection is not an endorsement of the current name).

New accounts cannot move any pages, as described at Misplaced Pages:User access levels.

Protection related to the main page

The main page is always fully protected, as explained by its FAQ. There is a separate (disputed) guideline, Misplaced Pages:Main Page featured article protection, covering semi-protection of today's featured article.

Cascading protection

Cascading protection is used

• On very high visibility pages such as the Main Page.
• As a new system for dealing with deleted pages that get repeatedly recreated.

Regarding administrator specific pages

• Administrators may choose to use a cascade protected userpage to protect a redlink following the policy on full protection. It is recommended, that these lists be noted on Misplaced Pages:Protected titles/Specific Admin unless the list is obviously being maintained for privacy or decency reasons.

Cascading protection automatically fully protects any page (e.g., template or image) that is currently transcluded onto the protected page to prevent vandalism.

Pages protected due to Office Actions

Some articles may be protected by office staff due to copyright or libel issues (among others) against the Wikimedia Foundation.

These protections should be left alone by all administrators unless explicitly told otherwise by someone from the Foundation.

Unprotection

With the exception of any pages tagged with the {{office}} or {{reset}} templates, any admin may unprotect any page after a reasonable period has elapsed, particularly if there is no discussion on the talk page. However, unless consensus has been reached, pages should not be unprotected soon after protection without prior consultation with the administrator who first protected the page. This is particularly important in the case of controversial pages, where the conflict may start up again and the protecting administrator may be in touch with the disputants.

When protecting a page, an administrator can set a time limit; when this limit expires, the page is automatically unprotected.

Templates

The following templates can be added at the top of an article to indicate that it is protected:

Notes

1. For some thoughts on what level of vandalism qualifies for semi-protection, and other considerations, see Misplaced Pages:Rough guide to semi-protection

See also

• m:Protected pages considered harmful
• Special:Protectedpages
• Requests for page protection
• WP:WPVS#Conclusions from study 1 (rate & sources of WP:VANDALism)
• Misplaced Pages:List of protected pages
• Misplaced Pages:List of indefinitely protected pages
• Unofficial guide to semi-protection

• Misplaced Pages policies
• Misplaced Pages official policy
• Misplaced Pages vandalism
• Page protection