Editing Incubator escapee wiki:Merging

{{Short description|Wikipedia information page}}
{{Infopage|WP:MERGE}}
{{broader|Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia}}
{{for|the WikiProject|Wikipedia:WikiProject Merge}}
{{Distinguish|text=[[Wikipedia:History merging|page history merging]] which only administrators and importers can do}}
{{Redirect2|WP:DA|WP:Duplicate article|articles with duplicated content|WP:Content forks|the list of articles that have not been edited in the longest time|Wikipedia:Database reports/Forgotten articles}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}

A '''merge''', or '''merger''', is the process of uniting two or more pages into a single page. It is done by copying some or all content from the source page(s) into the destination page and then replacing the source page with a [[Wikipedia:Redirect|redirect]] to the destination page. 

Any editor can perform a merge. No permission or discussion is needed if you think the merge is uncontroversial; [[WP:DOIT|just do it]] (but it might get reverted). Otherwise, the merge should be first proposed and discussed, as detailed below.

When performing a merge, one should remember to reconcile talk pages, and to attribute copied content, as [[Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia#Attribution is required for copyright|required by Wikipedia's license]]. At minimum, this means adding words "''Merged content to/from <nowiki>[[page]]</nowiki>''" to [[Help:Edit summary|edit summaries]].
See [[#How to merge|How to merge]] below for details.

==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

== <span class="anchor" id="MERGEINIT"></span>Proposing a merge ==
{{shortcut|WP:MERGEINIT|WP:MERGEPROP}}
{{ombox|text=Need help? List your articles at the bottom of [[Wikipedia:Proposed mergers]], and someone will list the suggested merge for you.}}

{{clear}}{{sh|WP:BOLDMERGE}}
'''If the need for a merge is obvious, editors can [[Wikipedia:Be bold|be bold]] and simply do it.''' See [[Wikipedia:Merging#How to merge|how to merge]] below. 
Bold merges may be reverted, even if it was labor-intensive to complete, but this edit process and [[Wikipedia:CIVIL|civil discussion]] produces better articles. Articles that are young or short, such as [[Wikipedia:STUB|stubs]] differing only in title and wording, should be merged immediately. Articles that have been separate for a long time should usually be discussed first, especially those on controversial topics.

To start a discussion, perform the following steps. If the merge is difficult to perform or seems potentially controversial, you should request assistance and feedback at [[Wikipedia:Proposed mergers]].

'''Do not''' use the discussion procedure described here to propose:
* '''Category merges''': Category merges should be requested at [[Wikipedia:Categories for discussion]], which uses the separate {{tl|cfm}} template.
* '''Template merges''': Template merges should be requested at [[Wikipedia:Templates for discussion]], which uses the separate {{tl|tfm}} template.

===Step 1: Create a discussion===
This is usually done on the proposed destination page's talk page. Exceptions:
* If the destination does not exist, do not create its talk page (it could get speedily deleted).
* If a discussion exists already, do not move it (for example, having a discussion on the source page is acceptable).

For example, if suggesting that [[Foo]] be merged into [[Bar]], create a proposal in a new section at [[Talk:Bar]].
Start a new section at the ''bottom'' of that talk page and include '''the proposal itself, the list of the affected pages, and a merge rationale'''.
A good example is the following section:
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
== Merge proposal ==
I propose merging [[Foo]] into [[Bar]]. I think the content in Foo can easily be explained in the context of Bar, and a merge would not cause any article-size or [[WP:UNDUE|weighting]] problems in Bar.~~~~
</syntaxhighlight>

====Notify involved users (optional)====
You may optionally notify involved users (e.g. contributors to the source and destination pages), who might not be [[Help:Watching pages|watchlisting]] them. 
One way is to simply [[Wikipedia:Notifications#Notification messages|notify them]] directly from the merge discussion page:
: <code>{{tlx|ping|User1|User2|User3|...}}<nowiki> Message text. ~~~~</nowiki></code>

Alternatively, go to those users' talk pages and start a new section. Make sure to provide a link to the merge discussion.
You may use the following standard templates to leave a standard message:
: {{tlx|Mergenote|Foo|Talk:Bar#Merge proposal|subst=true}}

Please respect ''neutrality'' when making invitations to participate in the merge discussion. [[WP:Votestacking|Votestacking]], that is, canvassing support by selectively notifying editors who have a predetermined point of view or opinion, is inappropriate.

===Step 2: Tag the relevant pages===
'''These templates should ''not'' be [[H:SUBST|substituted]].'''

To propose a merge of two pages, place the following template at the top of each page or section:
: {{tlx|merge|OTHERPAGE|3=discuss=Talk:DESTINATIONPAGE#Merge proposal |4=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
If you know which page should be removed, use
: {{tlx|merge to|DESTINATIONPAGE|3=discuss=Talk:DESTINATIONPAGE#Merge proposal |4=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
on the source page, and
: {{tlx|merge from|SOURCEPAGE|3=discuss=Talk:DESTINATIONPAGE#Merge proposal |4=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
on the destination page.

If two pages are proposed to be merged into a third destination page that already exists, use
: {{tlx|merge|OTHERSOURCEPAGE|3=target=DESTINATIONPAGE|4=discuss=Talk:DESTINATIONPAGE#Merge proposal |5=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
on the source pages, and
: {{tlx|merge from|SOURCEPAGE1|SOURCEPAGE2|4=discuss=Talk:DESTINATIONPAGE#Merge proposal |5=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
on the destination page.

If two pages are proposed to be merged at a destination page that does not yet exist (destination does not have a talk page), use
: {{tlx|merge|OTHERSOURCEPAGE|3=target=DESTINATIONPAGE|4=discuss=Talk:SOURCEPAGE#Merge proposal |5=date={{CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{CURRENTYEAR}} }}
on each source page, choosing one of the source talk pages as the discussion location and ensuring the <code>discuss</code> parameter directs to this talk page on both source pages.

Please use the <code>discuss</code> parameter to direct '''to the same talk page'''. Otherwise, two separate discussions could take place.
If the <code>discuss</code> parameter is not specified, the "Discuss" links lead to the top of each article's Talk page.
In {{tl|merge to}}, {{tl|merge from}}), it always leads to the destination talk page, but it is still preferable to link to a specific section of the talk page.

==== In other namespaces ====
* Do not use the above templates to propose a ''category'' merge. This should be requested at [[WP:Categories for discussion]], which uses a separate {{tl|cfm}} template.
* For a merge of pages within "Wikipedia" namespace (titles with the "Wikipedia:" or "WP:" prefix), do not include this prefix in the parameter.
* When proposing a merge between two different namespaces, these templates won't work because of technical limitations.

===Step 3: Discuss the merge===
Make sure to follow [[Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines|standard talk page guidelines]], which includes [[Wikipedia:Civility|civility]] and [[Wikipedia:No personal attacks|staying focused on the content, not on the involved editors]], using [[Wikipedia:Indentation|threaded discussion formatting]], [[Wikipedia:Please do not bite the newcomers|not biting newcomers]], and being clear and concise.

In many cases, a hybrid discussion/straw poll is used, but remember that [[Wikipedia:Polling is not a substitute for discussion|''polling'' is not a substitute for ''discussion'']]. Example formatting:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
* '''Merge''' – <insert reason for supporting merge here> ~~~~
* '''Don't merge''' – <insert reason for opposing merge here> ~~~~
</syntaxhighlight>

===Step 4: Determine consensus and close the merge discussion===
{{shortcut|WP:MERGECLOSE}}

During discussion, a [[Wikipedia:Consensus|rough consensus]] may emerge to proceed with the merge. '''Any user, including the user who first proposed the merge,''' may close the discussion and move forward with the merge if enough time (normally one week or more) has elapsed and there [[Wikipedia:Silence and consensus|has been no discussion]] or if there is unanimous consent to merge. Closing of merge discussions differs from [[Wikipedia:Requested moves/Closing instructions#Who can close requested moves|closing of requested move discussions]] in that closings of uncontroversial merge discussions by [[WP:NACINV|involved users]] are allowed. Admin tools are not needed unless page protection prohibits editing. 

In more unclear, controversial cases, the determination that a consensus to merge has or has not been achieved should be made by an editor who is neutral and not directly involved in the merge proposal or the discussion. The discussion can be posted at [[WP:Proposed mergers]] to get some help. If necessary, a request that an administrator, who is not [[Wikipedia:Administrators#Involved admins|involved]], close the discussion can be made at the [[Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Requests for closure|Requests for Closure]] noticeboard. If a consensus is formed against the merge shortly after it was performed, it can easily be reversed.{{Anchor|MergeReverse}}

To close a merge proposal discussion, the {{tl|Discussion top}} and {{tl|Discussion bottom}} templates are used in the following manner:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
== Merge proposal ==
{{Discussion top|result=The result of this discussion was... . ~~~~}}

The merge proposal...
* and discussion...
* ...

{{Discussion bottom}}
</syntaxhighlight>

====If there is consensus to merge====

After closing the merge proposal discussion, remove the {{tl|Merge to}} template from the source page and the {{tl|Merge from}} template from the destination page. Replace both with the {{tl|Merging}} template, which is used in the following manner:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
{{Merging
| spacetype = <"article/template/section", depending on what is being merged>
| discuss = <closed merge discussion, entered as "Talk:Page name#Section name">
| target = <other page, entered as "Page name">
| dir = <"to/from", depending if it is the destination page or the source page>
| date = <date merge was accepted, entered as "a date string" (according to preference)>
}}</syntaxhighlight>

====If there is consensus against merging or no consensus====

After closing the merge proposal discussion, remove the {{tl|Merge to}} template from the source page and place the {{tl|Old merge}} template on the corresponding talk page in the following manner:

<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">
{{Old merge
| otherpage = <destination page, entered as "Page name">
| date = <date merge was proposed, entered as "a date string" (according to preference)>
| result = <result of discussion, entered as "'''No consensus'''" (with boldface markup)>
| talk = <merge discussion, entered as "Talk:Page name#Section name">
| URL = <permanent link, entered as "U_R_L" (with underscored spaces)>
}}</syntaxhighlight>

Then, remove the {{tl|Merge from}} template from the target page.

===Step 5: Perform the merge===
See {{Section link||How to merge}} below. The main reason that the merge backlog includes thousands of articles is because the people who support the merge neglect to undertake this final step. '''Any editor, including the editor who originally proposed the merge,''' is permitted to perform a merge in accordance with consensus. Merging pages does ''not'' require intervention from an administrator.

=== Merge as a result of a deletion discussion ===
In [[Wikipedia:Articles for deletion|Articles for Deletion (AfD) discussions]],  editors may suggest that the [[Wikipedia:Deletion_policy#Merging|article(s) nominated for deletion be ''merged'']] to an appropriate article. {{crossref|(See also {{slink|Wikipedia:Deletion policy#Alternatives to deletion}}.)}} If there is a rough consensus for a merge at the end of a deletion discussion, the following template is placed at the top of the nominated article:

<code>{{tlx|Afd-merge to|destination article|debate name|debate closure date}}</code>

Similarly, the following template is placed on the destination article's talk page:

<code>{{tlx|Afd-merge from|nominated article|debate name|debate closure date}}</code>

This informs users involved in those pages that content is to be merged as a result of a deletion discussion. It is the ''involved editors' job'', not the ''closing administrators' job'', to perform the merge. Proceed in the manner described above.
See also [[Wikipedia:Merge what?]] for an essay encouraging not to just vote ''merge'' in ''AfD'' discussions.

== <span class="anchor" id="PROMERGE"></span>How to merge ==
{{shortcut|WP:PROMERGE|WP:MERGETEXT}}
{{For|information on moving pages|Help:Moving a page}}
<!-- Note: This section name is directly linked from other article(s) and should not be changed -->

# '''Copy''' all or some of the content from the source page(s) and '''paste''' the content in an appropriate location at the destination page. '''Don't''' just redirect the source page without copying any content if any good content from the source page exists. Publish the edit, leaving the following edit summary (a link to the source article is [[Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia#Attribution is required for copyright|required by copyright]]):
#:: <code><nowiki>Merged content from [[</nowiki>''source&nbsp;page''<nowiki>]] to here. See [[Talk:</nowiki>''merge&nbsp;discussion&nbsp;section''<nowiki>]].</nowiki></code>
#: Ideally, do any necessary copyediting and rearranging in a separate, second edit rather than when you first paste the moved text (to simplify attribution).  In practice, this means:  Copy and paste all the content you want to transfer; publish the page with the required edit summary (even if it duplicates parts or looks a bit messy at this stage; you can use {{tl|In use}} or {{tl|Inuse-section}} if you want to let others know you'll be fixing it right away); then edit the page a second time to clean it up.
# '''[[Wikipedia:Redirect|Redirect]]''' the source page whose content was just merged by replacing ''everything'' with the following:
#:: <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[</nowiki>''destination&nbsp;page''<nowiki>]]</nowiki> {{tl|R from merge}}</code>
#: Or if the content was merged to a single section, the following:
#:: <code><nowiki>#REDIRECT [[</nowiki>''destination&nbsp;page#<nowiki>section</nowiki>''<nowiki>]]</nowiki> {{tl|R from merge}} {{tl|R to section}}</code>
#:Publish the page, leaving the following edit summary:
#:: <code><nowiki>Merged content to [[</nowiki>''destination&nbsp;page#section''<nowiki>]]. See [[Talk:</nowiki>''merge discussion section''<nowiki>]].</nowiki></code>
# '''Reconcile''' talk page tags. If the source page has a talk page:
#* Move any {{tl|merged-from}} and {{tl|copied}} templates to the destination page's talk page.
#* Reconcile {{tlf|WikiProject ....}} templates: copy them from the source page to the destination and remove duplicates (look out for alternative templates; e.g. {{tlf|WikiProject Software|2=Computing=yes}} is the same as {{tlf|WikiProject Computing|2=Software=yes}}). Once copied, change the source article WikiProject templates so that they contain {{para|class|redirect}} (even for WikiProjects that do not yet support a redirect class); this does not have to be done if {{tl|WikiProject banner shell}} is being used, since that template will automatically choose the class.
# Optionally: '''Tag''' the destination page's talk page with {{tlx|merged-from|''source page name''|''date''}}, and the source page's talk page with {{tlx|merged-to|''destination page name''|''date''}}. Place these tags at the top of the talk pages.
#: Do not add a new merge-from template to the destination talkpage if the merger is the result of an [[WP:AfD]] discussion, and [[Template:Afd-merge from]] has already been placed on the destination talkpage.
#: As an alternative, experienced users can add {{tlx|1=copied|2=from=|3=from_oldid=|4=to=|5=to_oldid=|6=to_diff=|7=date=}} to the top of both talk pages.
# Optionally: '''Fix''' any [[Wikipedia:Double redirects|double redirects]] found at [[Special:WhatLinksHere]]. A bot automatically fixes this problem but it may take a day or two.
# '''Check''' for [[Wikipedia:Non-free content|non-free]] images (or other files). Examples: [[:File:The Hunger Games cover.jpg|a book cover]], [[:File:Dragon Ball Kai Poster Art.PNG|a poster]], [[:File:ESA Patch 2022.png|a logo]], etc. The description page of such an image will have a red copyright icon and a [[Wikipedia:Non-free use rationale guideline|non-free use rationale]] (a summary box with ''Non-free use rationale'' in the title, or a ''Fair use'' section) – the article title mentioned in such a rationale should be updated. This is required under the [[Wikipedia:Non-free content criteria|non-free content criteria]].
# '''Remove''' the relevant {{tlx|Merging}} template from the destination article, if it still exists.

'''Note 1:''' Most merged articles are not good candidates for merging of page histories because they have been edited in parallel and the collation of their edit states would create unhelpful and/or misleading diffs. In most cases, no request for a history-merge should be submitted. (A more detailed explanation is available [[Wikipedia:How to fix cut-and-paste moves#Parallel versions|here]].)

'''Note 2:''' Merging should not be confused with a [[WP:cut-and-paste move|cut-and-paste move]], where the former refers to joining content across different pages with ''existing content'', and the latter refers to copying and pasting the entire content of an article to a new name (where there is ''no or little content'' at the target name).

==See also==
===Pages to merge===
{{Merge progress|float=right}}
[[Wikipedia:WikiProject Merge]] was initiated to clear merge backlog.
Current pages tagged for merging can be found at [[:Category:Articles to be merged]], which lists pages that have been tagged for merging on a particular month (tagging began in September 2006).

=== List of merge templates ===
{{Main|:Category:Merge templates}}
See [[Wikipedia:Template messages/Merging|here]] for a table with examples.
{{div col}}
* [[Template:Merge]]
* [[Template:Merge to]]
* [[Template:Merge from]]
* [[Template:Duplication]]
* [[Template:Merging]]
* [[Template:Being merged]]
* [[Template:Merging from]]
* [[Template:Copied]]
* [[Template:Merged-to]]
* [[Template:Merged-from]]
* [[Template:Old merge full]]
{{div col end}}

===Other guides===
* [[Wikipedia:Moving a page]]
* [[Wikipedia:Splitting]]
* [[Wikipedia:Section move]]
* [[Wikipedia:Content forks]], on duplicated content in acceptable and unacceptable cases
* [[Wikipedia:Copying within Wikipedia]], more details on copyright issues
* [[Wikipedia:Merge and delete]], on deleting the source page instead of redirecting (to be avoided)
* [[Wikipedia:Administrators' guide/Fixing cut-and-paste moves]] and [[Wikipedia:Requests for history merge]], in cases when changing page history is needed
* [[Wikipedia:Articles for merging]], a failed proposal for a different discussion process

===Other projects===
* [https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Help:Merge WikiData Merges]

{{Reflist}}
{{Help navigation}}

[[Category:Wikipedia maintenance]]
[[Category:Wikipedia merging]]
[[Category:WikiProject Merge]]