While most articles can be edited by anyone, semi-protection is sometimes necessary to prevent vandalism to popular pages.
The reason for protection can be found in the protection log. If there are no relevant entries in the protection log, the page may have been moved after being protected.
What can I do?
If you have a user account, log in first. If you do not yet have an account, you may create one; after 4 days and 10 edits, you will be able to edit semi-protected pages.
If you have noticed an error or have a suggestion for a simple, non-controversial change, you can submit an edit request by clicking the button below and following the instructions. An established user may then make the change on your behalf. Please check the talk page first in case the issue is already being discussed.
If a clear consensus has not emerged, consider relisting the discussion:
To relist a discussion, do the following:
Open the discussion for editing. Add your relisting comments, ideally that will refocus the discussion, or note the date of late publicising of the discussion.
Subsequent relisting timestamps must be placed above the old
Add {{subst:relist}} to the very bottom of the discussion
Leave an edit summary noting that the discussion is being relisted along with the date it is being relisted at (i.e. the current date)
Save the page
The bot that manages MfD will be by shortly to finish the process (i.e. move the transclusion of the discussion to the new day)
In general, discussions should not be relisted more than twice.
Some discussions may take significant time to assess the debate and close. Consider first editing the discussion sub-page and adding {{mfdh}} (or {{closing}}) to the top and {{mfdb}} to the bottom, to notify others that a close is in progress.
Determine (using the guidelines) what the consensus was, and whether any associated talk or sub-pages should be deleted.
Enter the following text at the top and bottom of the MFD discussion sub-page. (This will create a shaded box around the discussion thread confirming that it has been closed. See the example below.) Note that the header template and closing result go above the top section header.
Do the following:
{{subst:mfd top}} '''RESULT'''. ~~~~ ← Add this line at the very top of the page, with RESULT in bold.
=== [[Header]] === ← Leave this line alone.
DISCUSSION ← Body of the discussion stays unchanged
{{subst:mfd bottom}} ← Add bottom template
If additional explanation is needed as to why you have closed a deletion discussion as a certain result, add additional comments immediately after '''RESULT'''. on the first line.
If the decision is DELETE, then delete the page. (This action will be recorded in the deletion log.) Remember to paste a link to the discussion in the "Reason for deletion" box (ie add [[Wikipedia:Miscellany for deletion/Page]] ). If appropriate, delete the page's talk page or any associated sub-pages first. Also remember to check "what links here" and either delete any redirects or redirect them elsewhere.
If the decision is KEEP (including REDIRECT or USERFY), remove the MFD Header from the page (be sure the MFD Category is also removed). Then put a link to the discussion sub-page on the page's talk page (for user pages a personal note is recommended, otherwise use the template {{old mfd}} for this), so add:
{{old mfd | date = date of nomination | result =result | votepage = PageName }}
(always include the votepage as it ensures the link will work if the page is later moved, or if it was a talk page that was nominated)
(the default result is "keep")
Fix double-redirects if the page becomes a redirect.
If no consensus was reached, then the page is kept by default, but the decision should generally include a reference to the lack of consensus, in order to minimize ambiguity.
If the consensus was USERFY a.k.a. USERSPACE, this is usually done without leaving a redirect behind, unless there's well-supported rationale to retain one. Consequently, non-admin closers who do not have the page-mover bit should not normally close an MfD with a result of USERFY, since they are unable to move pages without leaving redirects behind.
Material is mostly userfied when it is inappropriate in projectspace, where someone has been "citing" it as if it's WP:P&G material or a community-accepted major essay. So, a redirect would defeat the point of the userspacing. In USERFY cases, the default is to not retain a redirect.
Non-admins should not close with USERFY, but leave it to an admin, if the consensus also entails deleting inappropriate WP:FOO shortcuts, an action non-admins cannot perform.
If the decision is MERGE:
Mark both pages, add {{mfd-mergeto}} and {{mfd-mergefrom}} to the top of their respective pages as follows. For details, see their respective descriptions.
There is no need to worry about archiving; this is accomplished automatically by User:One bot.
Header and footer text
After closing the discussion, the page will look like this:
The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the miscellaneous page below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.
The result of the discussion was: resultYour signature timestamp
The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the page's talk page or in a deletion review). No further edits should be made to this page.
This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia. This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.
The IP address or range 206.189.32.0/20 has been blocked by ST47 for the following reason(s):
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~}}. You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.
Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.
This block will expire on 07:33, 6 August 2027. Your current IP address is 206.189.44.186.
Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.
This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia. This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.
The IP address or range 206.189.0.0/16 has been blocked by ST47 for the following reason(s):
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.
We recommend that you attempt to use another connection to edit. For example, if you use a proxy or VPN to connect to the internet, turn it off when editing Wikipedia. If you edit using a mobile connection, try using a Wi-Fi connection, and vice versa. If you are using a corporate internet connection, switch to a different Wi-Fi network. If you have a Wikipedia account, please log in.
How to appeal if you are confident that your connection does not use a web host's IP address:
If you are confident that you are not using a web host, you may appeal this block by adding the following text on your talk page: {{unblock|reason=Caught by a web host block but this host or IP is not a web host. My IP address is _______. Place any further information here. ~~~~}}. You must fill in the blank with your IP address for this block to be investigated. Your IP address can be determined here. Alternatively, if you wish to keep your IP address private you can use the unblock ticket request system. There are several reasons you might be editing using the IP address of a web host (such as if you are using VPN software or a business network); please use this method of appeal only if you think your IP address is in fact not a web host.
Administrators: The IP block exemption user right should only be applied to allow users to edit using web host in exceptional circumstances, and they should usually be directed to the functionaries team via email. If you intend to give the IPBE user right, a CheckUser needs to take a look at the account. This can be requested most easily at SPI Quick Checkuser Requests. Unblocking an IP or IP range with this template is highly discouraged without at least contacting the blocking administrator.
This block will expire on 07:37, 6 August 2027. Your current IP address is 206.189.44.186.
Even when blocked, you will usually still be able to edit your user talk page, as well as email administrators and other editors.
This IP address range has been globally blocked. This does not affect your ability to read Wikipedia pages.
Most people who see this message have done nothing wrong. Some kinds of blocks restrict editing from specific service providers or telecom companies in response to recent abuse or vandalism, and can sometimes affect other users who are unrelated to that abuse. Review the information below for assistance if you do not believe that you have done anything wrong.
This block affects editing on all Wikimedia wikis.
The IP address or range 206.189.32.0/20 has been globally blocked by EPIC for the following reason(s):
This block will expire on 08:48, 2 July 2025. Your current IP address is 206.189.44.186.
Even while globally blocked, you will usually still be able to edit pages on Meta-Wiki.
If you believe you were blocked by mistake, you can find additional information and instructions in the No open proxies global policy.
Otherwise, to discuss the block please post a request for review on Meta-Wiki. You could also send an email to the stewardsVRT queue at stewards@wikimedia.org including all above details.
This page is currently semi-protected so that only established, registered users can edit it.
This IP address has been blocked from editing Wikipedia.
You will not be able to edit Wikipedia using a web host provider because it hides your IP address, much like a proxy or VPN.