Editing Incubator escapee wiki:Merging (section)

==Reasons for merging==
{{Shortcut|WP:MERGEREASON|WP:OVERLAP|WP:DUP}}
There are several good reasons to merge pages:

# {{anchor|Duplicate}}'''Duplicate''': There are two or more pages on exactly the same subject, with the same scope. If a duplicate article was recently created, it may also be a candidate for speedy deletion under [[WP:CSD A10|CSD A10 criteria]].
# {{anchor|Overlap}}'''Overlap''': There are two or more pages on related subjects that have a large overlap and might be [[WP:REDUNDANT]]. Remember, [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not a dictionary|Wikipedia is not a dictionary]]; there does not need to be a separate entry for every concept. For example, "flammable" and "non-flammable" can both be explained in an article on [[flammability]].
# {{anchor|Text}}'''Short text''': If a page is very short (consisting of perhaps only one or two sentences) and is, in your opinion as editor, unlikely to be expanded within a "reasonable" (unspecified) amount of time, it often makes sense to merge it into a page on a broader topic. 
# {{anchor|Notability}}'''Insufficient notability''': Some topics may not reach the [[WP:GNG|general notability guidelines]], or more specific criteria, so merging is an ''alternative to deletion''. While this can also be implemented through the [[WP:DISCUSSAFD|articles for deletion]] process, merging directly may be more efficient. For example, parents or children of a celebrity [[WP:NOTINHERITED|who themselves are otherwise unremarkable]] are generally covered in a section of the article on the celebrity.
# {{anchor|Context}}'''Context''': If a short article requires the background material or context from a broader article in order for readers to understand it. For example, minor characters from works of fiction are generally covered in a "List of characters in &lt;work&gt;" article (and can be merged there); see also [[Wikipedia:Notability (fiction)]].

{{anchor|NOTMERGE}}{{shortcut|WP:NOTMERGE|WP:NOMERGE}}
Merging should be avoided if:
# The resulting article would be [[Wikipedia:Article size|too long or "clunky"]], or
# The separate topics could be expanded into longer standalone (but cross-linked) articles