Help:Deleting pages
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Normal users cannot permanently delete a wiki page, but administrators can delete a page such that it could still be restored. This is a deliberate design feature, and is an important part of why wikis work. Every kind of editing operation can be reverted by any other user, and that includes resurrecting deleted content. Non-permanent deletions don't cause significant wasted space, and even with nothing but a 'delete' label, the page is effectively deleted anyway.
A permanent deletion (i.e., one that makes the page content inaccessible to the public) is possible, but is appropriate only in specific circumstances, such as:
- libelous content,
- private/personal information, and
- copyrighted material.
Otherwise, deleting a page, as opposed to changing the page to a redirect, may only be necessary if the title of the page is inappropriate. In other situations, a merge and redirect may be preferable (which could include the necessity to manually merge content with the redirect target page).
How to request deletion of an existing page[edit source]
Since deleting a page can only be done by administrators, please submit a request at Wiki Law School:Delete page requests by following the instructions on that page.