CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html> <html class="client-nojs vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-sticky-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-toc-available" lang="en" dir="ltr"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title>Wikipedia:Closing discussions - Wikipedia</title> <script>(function(){var className="client-js vector-feature-language-in-header-enabled vector-feature-language-in-main-page-header-disabled vector-feature-sticky-header-disabled vector-feature-page-tools-pinned-disabled vector-feature-toc-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-main-menu-pinned-disabled vector-feature-limited-width-clientpref-1 vector-feature-limited-width-content-enabled vector-feature-custom-font-size-clientpref-1 vector-feature-appearance-pinned-clientpref-1 vector-feature-night-mode-enabled skin-theme-clientpref-day vector-toc-available";var cookie=document.cookie.match(/(?:^|; )enwikimwclientpreferences=([^;]+)/);if(cookie){cookie[1].split('%2C').forEach(function(pref){className=className.replace(new RegExp('(^| )'+pref.replace(/-clientpref-\w+$|[^\w-]+/g,'')+'-clientpref-\\w+( |$)'),'$1'+pref+'$2');});}document.documentElement.className=className;}());RLCONF={"wgBreakFrames":false,"wgSeparatorTransformTable":["",""],"wgDigitTransformTable":["",""],"wgDefaultDateFormat":"dmy", "wgMonthNames":["","January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"],"wgRequestId":"e7dccb58-0122-47db-b281-a21a902a2474","wgCanonicalNamespace":"Project","wgCanonicalSpecialPageName":false,"wgNamespaceNumber":4,"wgPageName":"Wikipedia:Closing_discussions","wgTitle":"Closing discussions","wgCurRevisionId":1249632829,"wgRevisionId":1249632829,"wgArticleId":16067218,"wgIsArticle":true,"wgIsRedirect":false,"wgAction":"view","wgUserName":null,"wgUserGroups":["*"],"wgCategories":["Miscellany to be merged","Wikipedia information pages","Wikipedia discussion"],"wgPageViewLanguage":"en","wgPageContentLanguage":"en","wgPageContentModel":"wikitext","wgRelevantPageName":"Wikipedia:Closing_discussions","wgRelevantArticleId":16067218,"wgIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRelevantPageIsProbablyEditable":true,"wgRestrictionEdit":[],"wgRestrictionMove":[],"wgNoticeProject":"wikipedia","wgCiteReferencePreviewsActive":false,"wgFlaggedRevsParams":{ "tags":{"status":{"levels":1}}},"wgMediaViewerOnClick":true,"wgMediaViewerEnabledByDefault":true,"wgPopupsFlags":0,"wgVisualEditor":{"pageLanguageCode":"en","pageLanguageDir":"ltr","pageVariantFallbacks":"en"},"wgMFDisplayWikibaseDescriptions":{"search":true,"watchlist":true,"tagline":false,"nearby":true},"wgWMESchemaEditAttemptStepOversample":false,"wgWMEPageLength":20000,"wgRelatedArticlesCompat":[],"wgCentralAuthMobileDomain":false,"wgEditSubmitButtonLabelPublish":true,"wgDiscussionToolsFeaturesEnabled":{"replytool":true,"newtopictool":true,"sourcemodetoolbar":true,"topicsubscription":false,"autotopicsub":false,"visualenhancements":false,"visualenhancements_reply":false,"visualenhancements_pageframe":false},"wgDiscussionToolsFallbackEditMode":"source","wgULSPosition":"interlanguage","wgULSisCompactLinksEnabled":false,"wgVector2022LanguageInHeader":true,"wgULSisLanguageSelectorEmpty":false,"wgWikibaseItemId":"Q28445476","wgCheckUserClientHintsHeadersJsApi":["brands","architecture", "bitness","fullVersionList","mobile","model","platform","platformVersion"],"GEHomepageSuggestedEditsEnableTopics":true,"wgGETopicsMatchModeEnabled":false,"wgGEStructuredTaskRejectionReasonTextInputEnabled":false,"wgGELevelingUpEnabledForUser":false};RLSTATE={"ext.globalCssJs.user.styles":"ready","site.styles":"ready","user.styles":"ready","ext.globalCssJs.user":"ready","user":"ready","user.options":"loading","ext.cite.styles":"ready","ext.pygments":"ready","ext.discussionTools.init.styles":"ready","oojs-ui-core.styles":"ready","oojs-ui.styles.indicators":"ready","mediawiki.widgets.styles":"ready","oojs-ui-core.icons":"ready","skins.vector.search.codex.styles":"ready","skins.vector.styles":"ready","skins.vector.icons":"ready","ext.wikimediamessages.styles":"ready","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript":"ready","ext.uls.interlanguage":"ready","wikibase.client.init":"ready","ext.wikimediaBadges":"ready"};RLPAGEMODULES=["ext.cite.ux-enhancements","ext.pygments.view","site", "mediawiki.page.ready","mediawiki.toc","skins.vector.js","ext.centralNotice.geoIP","ext.centralNotice.startUp","ext.gadget.ReferenceTooltips","ext.gadget.switcher","ext.urlShortener.toolbar","ext.centralauth.centralautologin","mmv.bootstrap","ext.popups","ext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.init","ext.visualEditor.targetLoader","ext.echo.centralauth","ext.discussionTools.init","ext.eventLogging","ext.wikimediaEvents","ext.navigationTiming","ext.uls.interface","ext.cx.eventlogging.campaigns","wikibase.client.vector-2022","ext.checkUser.clientHints","wikibase.sidebar.tracking"];</script> <script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.loader.impl(function(){return["user.options@12s5i",function($,jQuery,require,module){mw.user.tokens.set({"patrolToken":"+\\","watchToken":"+\\","csrfToken":"+\\"}); }];});});</script> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=ext.cite.styles%7Cext.discussionTools.init.styles%7Cext.pygments%2CwikimediaBadges%7Cext.uls.interlanguage%7Cext.visualEditor.desktopArticleTarget.noscript%7Cext.wikimediamessages.styles%7Cmediawiki.widgets.styles%7Coojs-ui-core.icons%2Cstyles%7Coojs-ui.styles.indicators%7Cskins.vector.icons%2Cstyles%7Cskins.vector.search.codex.styles%7Cwikibase.client.init&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <script async="" src="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=startup&only=scripts&raw=1&skin=vector-2022"></script> <meta name="ResourceLoaderDynamicStyles" content=""> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/w/load.php?lang=en&modules=site.styles&only=styles&skin=vector-2022"> <meta name="generator" content="MediaWiki 1.44.0-wmf.4"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin"> <meta name="referrer" content="origin-when-cross-origin"> <meta name="robots" content="max-image-preview:standard"> <meta name="format-detection" content="telephone=no"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=1120"> <meta property="og:title" content="Wikipedia:Closing discussions - Wikipedia"> <meta property="og:type" content="website"> <link rel="preconnect" href="//upload.wikimedia.org"> <link rel="alternate" media="only screen and (max-width: 640px)" href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/x-wiki" title="Edit this page" href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png"> <link rel="icon" href="/static/favicon/wikipedia.ico"> <link rel="search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" href="/w/rest.php/v1/search" title="Wikipedia (en)"> <link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" href="//en.wikipedia.org/w/api.php?action=rsd"> <link rel="canonical" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions"> <link rel="license" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en"> <link rel="alternate" type="application/atom+xml" title="Wikipedia Atom feed" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges&feed=atom"> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//meta.wikimedia.org" /> <link rel="dns-prefetch" href="//login.wikimedia.org"> </head> <body class="ext-discussiontools-replytool-enabled ext-discussiontools-newtopictool-enabled ext-discussiontools-sourcemodetoolbar-enabled skin--responsive skin-vector skin-vector-search-vue mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-4 ns-subject mw-editable page-Wikipedia_Closing_discussions rootpage-Wikipedia_Closing_discussions skin-vector-2022 action-view"><a class="mw-jump-link" href="#bodyContent">Jump to content</a> <div class="vector-header-container"> <header class="vector-header mw-header"> <div class="vector-header-start"> <nav class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-main-menu-dropdown vector-button-flush-left vector-button-flush-right" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-main-menu-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Main menu" > <label id="vector-main-menu-dropdown-label" for="vector-main-menu-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-menu mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-menu"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Main menu</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-main-menu" class="vector-main-menu vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-main-menu-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="main-menu-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-main-menu" data-pinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-main-menu-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Main menu</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-main-menu.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-navigation" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-navigation" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Navigation </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-mainpage-description" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Main_Page" title="Visit the main page [z]" accesskey="z"><span>Main page</span></a></li><li id="n-contents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents" title="Guides to browsing Wikipedia"><span>Contents</span></a></li><li id="n-currentevents" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Portal:Current_events" title="Articles related to current events"><span>Current events</span></a></li><li id="n-randompage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:Random" title="Visit a randomly selected article [x]" accesskey="x"><span>Random article</span></a></li><li id="n-aboutsite" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About" title="Learn about Wikipedia and how it works"><span>About Wikipedia</span></a></li><li id="n-contactpage" class="mw-list-item"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us" title="How to contact Wikipedia"><span>Contact us</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-interaction" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-interaction" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Contribute </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="n-help" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Contents" title="Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia"><span>Help</span></a></li><li id="n-introduction" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" title="Learn how to edit Wikipedia"><span>Learn to edit</span></a></li><li id="n-portal" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Community_portal" title="The hub for editors"><span>Community portal</span></a></li><li id="n-recentchanges" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChanges" title="A list of recent changes to Wikipedia [r]" accesskey="r"><span>Recent changes</span></a></li><li id="n-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_upload_wizard" title="Add images or other media for use on Wikipedia"><span>Upload file</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <a href="/wiki/Main_Page" class="mw-logo"> <img class="mw-logo-icon" src="/static/images/icons/wikipedia.png" alt="" aria-hidden="true" height="50" width="50"> <span class="mw-logo-container skin-invert"> <img class="mw-logo-wordmark" alt="Wikipedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-wordmark-en.svg" style="width: 7.5em; height: 1.125em;"> <img class="mw-logo-tagline" alt="The Free Encyclopedia" src="/static/images/mobile/copyright/wikipedia-tagline-en.svg" width="117" height="13" style="width: 7.3125em; height: 0.8125em;"> </span> </a> </div> <div class="vector-header-end"> <div id="p-search" role="search" class="vector-search-box-vue vector-search-box-collapses vector-search-box-show-thumbnail vector-search-box-auto-expand-width vector-search-box"> <a href="/wiki/Special:Search" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only search-toggle" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-search mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-search"></span> <span>Search</span> </a> <div class="vector-typeahead-search-container"> <div class="cdx-typeahead-search cdx-typeahead-search--show-thumbnail cdx-typeahead-search--auto-expand-width"> <form action="/w/index.php" id="searchform" class="cdx-search-input cdx-search-input--has-end-button"> <div id="simpleSearch" class="cdx-search-input__input-wrapper" data-search-loc="header-moved"> <div class="cdx-text-input cdx-text-input--has-start-icon"> <input class="cdx-text-input__input" type="search" name="search" placeholder="Search Wikipedia" aria-label="Search Wikipedia" autocapitalize="sentences" title="Search Wikipedia [f]" accesskey="f" id="searchInput" > <span class="cdx-text-input__icon cdx-text-input__start-icon"></span> </div> <input type="hidden" name="title" value="Special:Search"> </div> <button class="cdx-button cdx-search-input__end-button">Search</button> </form> </div> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-user-links vector-user-links-wide" aria-label="Personal tools"> <div class="vector-user-links-main"> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-preferences" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-userpage" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown " title="Change the appearance of the page's font size, width, and color" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-appearance-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Appearance" > <label id="vector-appearance-dropdown-label" for="vector-appearance-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-appearance mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-appearance"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Appearance</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-notifications" class="vector-menu mw-portlet emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-vector-user-menu-overflow" class="vector-menu mw-portlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en" class=""><span>Donate</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-createaccount-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Wikipedia%3AClosing+discussions" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory" class=""><span>Create account</span></a> </li> <li id="pt-login-2" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item user-links-collapsible-item"><a data-mw="interface" href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Wikipedia%3AClosing+discussions" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o" class=""><span>Log in</span></a> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <div id="vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-user-menu vector-button-flush-right vector-user-menu-logged-out" title="Log in and more options" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-user-links-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Personal tools" > <label id="vector-user-links-dropdown-label" for="vector-user-links-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-ellipsis mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-ellipsis"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Personal tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-personal" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-personal user-links-collapsible-item" title="User menu" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-sitesupport" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserRedirector?utm_source=donate&utm_medium=sidebar&utm_campaign=C13_en.wikipedia.org&uselang=en"><span>Donate</span></a></li><li id="pt-createaccount" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:CreateAccount&returnto=Wikipedia%3AClosing+discussions" title="You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-userAdd mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-userAdd"></span> <span>Create account</span></a></li><li id="pt-login" class="user-links-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Wikipedia%3AClosing+discussions" title="You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [o]" accesskey="o"><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-logIn mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-logIn"></span> <span>Log in</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-user-menu-anon-editor" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-user-menu-anon-editor" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Pages for logged out editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Introduction" aria-label="Learn more about editing"><span>learn more</span></a> </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="pt-anoncontribs" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyContributions" title="A list of edits made from this IP address [y]" accesskey="y"><span>Contributions</span></a></li><li id="pt-anontalk" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:MyTalk" title="Discussion about edits from this IP address [n]" accesskey="n"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </header> </div> <div class="mw-page-container"> <div class="mw-page-container-inner"> <div class="vector-sitenotice-container"> <div id="siteNotice"></div> </div> <div class="vector-column-start"> <div class="vector-main-menu-container"> <div id="mw-navigation"> <nav id="mw-panel" class="vector-main-menu-landmark" aria-label="Site"> <div id="vector-main-menu-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav id="mw-panel-toc" aria-label="Contents" data-event-name="ui.sidebar-toc" class="mw-table-of-contents-container vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-toc-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-toc" class="vector-toc vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-toc-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="toc-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-toc" > <h2 class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Contents</h2> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-toc.unpin">hide</button> </div> <ul class="vector-toc-contents" id="mw-panel-toc-list"> <li id="toc-mw-content-text" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1"> <a href="#" class="vector-toc-link"> <div class="vector-toc-text">(Top)</div> </a> </li> <li id="toc-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1</span> <span>Which discussions need to be closed</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Which discussions need to be closed subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Closing_vs_archiving" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Closing_vs_archiving"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.1</span> <span>Closing vs archiving</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Closing_vs_archiving-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-When_to_close_discussions" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#When_to_close_discussions"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>When to close discussions</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-When_to_close_discussions-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-How_to_determine_the_outcome" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#How_to_determine_the_outcome"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>How to determine the outcome</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-How_to_determine_the_outcome-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle How to determine the outcome subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-How_to_determine_the_outcome-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Consensus" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Consensus"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.1</span> <span>Consensus</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Consensus-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Policy" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Policy"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3.2</span> <span>Policy</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Policy-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Closure_procedure" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Closure_procedure"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Closure procedure</span> </div> </a> <span class="ext-discussiontools-init-sidebar-meta">2 comments</span> <button aria-controls="toc-Closure_procedure-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Closure procedure subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Closure_procedure-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Requesting_a_close" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Requesting_a_close"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Requesting a close</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Requesting_a_close-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Marking_a_closed_discussion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Marking_a_closed_discussion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Marking a closed discussion</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Marking_a_closed_discussion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Writing_a_summary" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Writing_a_summary"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>Writing a summary</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Writing_a_summary-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Additional_summary_format" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Additional_summary_format"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3.1</span> <span>Additional summary format</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Additional_summary_format-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Challenging_a_closure" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Challenging_a_closure"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Challenging a closure</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Challenging_a_closure-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Challenging a closure subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Challenging_a_closure-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Challenging_a_deletion" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Challenging_a_deletion"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1</span> <span>Challenging a deletion</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Challenging_a_deletion-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Challenging_a_move" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Challenging_a_move"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>Challenging a move</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Challenging_a_move-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Challenging_other_closures" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Challenging_other_closures"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.3</span> <span>Challenging other closures</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Challenging_other_closures-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only " aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-listBullet mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-listBullet"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Toggle the table of contents</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> </div> </div> </div> </nav> <h1 id="firstHeading" class="firstHeading mw-first-heading"><span class="mw-page-title-namespace">Wikipedia</span><span class="mw-page-title-separator">:</span><span class="mw-page-title-main">Closing discussions</span></h1> <div id="p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 4 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-4" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">4 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7:%D8%AC%D9%85%D8%B9%E2%80%8C%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%AF%DB%8C_%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7" title="ویکی‌پدیا:جمع‌بندی بحث‌ها – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="ویکی‌پدیا:جمع‌بندی بحث‌ها" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ru mw-list-item"><a href="https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B8%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B8%D1%8F:%D0%9F%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D1%81%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B9" title="Википедия:Подведение итогов обсуждений – Russian" lang="ru" hreflang="ru" data-title="Википедия:Подведение итогов обсуждений" data-language-autonym="Русский" data-language-local-name="Russian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Русский</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-uk mw-list-item"><a href="https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D1%96%D0%BA%D1%96%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%B4%D1%96%D1%8F:%D0%9F%D1%96%D0%B4%D0%B1%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8F_%D0%BF%D1%96%D0%B4%D1%81%D1%83%D0%BC%D0%BA%D1%96%D0%B2_%D0%BE%D0%B1%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C" title="Вікіпедія:Підбивання підсумків обговорень – Ukrainian" lang="uk" hreflang="uk" data-title="Вікіпедія:Підбивання підсумків обговорень" data-language-autonym="Українська" data-language-local-name="Ukrainian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Українська</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:%E5%85%B3%E9%97%AD%E8%AE%A8%E8%AE%BA" title="Wikipedia:关闭讨论 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="Wikipedia:关闭讨论" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q28445476#sitelinks-wikipedia" title="Edit interlanguage links" class="wbc-editpage">Edit links</a></span></div> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="vector-page-toolbar"> <div class="vector-page-toolbar-container"> <div id="left-navigation"> <nav aria-label="Namespaces"> <div id="p-associated-pages" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-associated-pages" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-nstab-project" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions" title="View the project page [c]" accesskey="c"><span>Project page</span></a></li><li id="ca-talk" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Closing_discussions" rel="discussion" title="Discuss improvements to the content page [t]" accesskey="t"><span>Talk</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown emptyPortlet" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-variants-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Change language variant" > <label id="vector-variants-dropdown-label" for="vector-variants-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">English</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="p-variants" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-variants emptyPortlet" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> <div id="right-navigation" class="vector-collapsible"> <nav aria-label="Views"> <div id="p-views" class="vector-menu vector-menu-tabs mw-portlet mw-portlet-views" > <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-view" class="selected vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-edit" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-history" class="vector-tab-noicon mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=history" title="Past revisions of this page [h]" accesskey="h"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-tools-dropdown" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-tools-dropdown" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Tools" > <label id="vector-page-tools-dropdown-label" for="vector-page-tools-dropdown-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">Tools</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" class="vector-unpinned-container"> <div id="vector-page-tools" class="vector-page-tools vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-page-tools-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-unpinned" data-feature-name="page-tools-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-page-tools" data-pinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-page-tools-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Tools</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-page-tools.unpin">hide</button> </div> <div id="p-cactions" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-cactions emptyPortlet vector-has-collapsible-items" title="More options" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Actions </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="ca-more-view" class="selected vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions"><span>Read</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-edit" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit" title="Edit this page [e]" accesskey="e"><span>Edit</span></a></li><li id="ca-more-history" class="vector-more-collapsible-item mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=history"><span>View history</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-tb" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-tb" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> General </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-whatlinkshere" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:WhatLinksHere/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions" title="List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [j]" accesskey="j"><span>What links here</span></a></li><li id="t-recentchangeslinked" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:RecentChangesLinked/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions" rel="nofollow" title="Recent changes in pages linked from this page [k]" accesskey="k"><span>Related changes</span></a></li><li id="t-upload" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard" title="Upload files [u]" accesskey="u"><span>Upload file</span></a></li><li id="t-specialpages" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/wiki/Special:SpecialPages" title="A list of all special pages [q]" accesskey="q"><span>Special pages</span></a></li><li id="t-permalink" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&oldid=1249632829" title="Permanent link to this revision of this page"><span>Permanent link</span></a></li><li id="t-info" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=info" title="More information about this page"><span>Page information</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:UrlShortener&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWikipedia%3AClosing_discussions"><span>Get shortened URL</span></a></li><li id="t-urlshortener-qrcode" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:QrCode&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FWikipedia%3AClosing_discussions"><span>Download QR code</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-coll-print_export" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-coll-print_export" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> Print/export </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="coll-download-as-rl" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Special:DownloadAsPdf&page=Wikipedia%3AClosing_discussions&action=show-download-screen" title="Download this page as a PDF file"><span>Download as PDF</span></a></li><li id="t-print" class="mw-list-item"><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&printable=yes" title="Printable version of this page [p]" accesskey="p"><span>Printable version</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> <div id="p-wikibase-otherprojects" class="vector-menu mw-portlet mw-portlet-wikibase-otherprojects" > <div class="vector-menu-heading"> In other projects </div> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li id="t-wikibase" class="wb-otherproject-link wb-otherproject-wikibase-dataitem mw-list-item"><a href="https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityPage/Q28445476" title="Structured data on this page hosted by Wikidata [g]" accesskey="g"><span>Wikidata item</span></a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-column-end"> <div class="vector-sticky-pinned-container"> <nav class="vector-page-tools-landmark" aria-label="Page tools"> <div id="vector-page-tools-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> </div> </nav> <nav class="vector-appearance-landmark" aria-label="Appearance"> <div id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" class="vector-pinned-container"> <div id="vector-appearance" class="vector-appearance vector-pinnable-element"> <div class="vector-pinnable-header vector-appearance-pinnable-header vector-pinnable-header-pinned" data-feature-name="appearance-pinned" data-pinnable-element-id="vector-appearance" data-pinned-container-id="vector-appearance-pinned-container" data-unpinned-container-id="vector-appearance-unpinned-container" > <div class="vector-pinnable-header-label">Appearance</div> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:CLOSE" redirects here. For close paraphrasing, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Close_paraphrasing" title="Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing">Wikipedia:Close paraphrasing</a>. For requesting a closure, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Closure_requests" title="Wikipedia:Closure requests">Wikipedia:Closure requests</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="box-Merge_from plainlinks ombox ombox-move" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Mergefrom.svg/50px-Mergefrom.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="20" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Mergefrom.svg/75px-Mergefrom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Mergefrom.svg/100px-Mergefrom.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="50" data-file-height="20"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text">It has been suggested that <i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#No_consensus_after_discussion" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">Wikipedia:Consensus#No consensus after discussion</a></i> be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Merging" title="Wikipedia:Merging">merged</a> into this page. (<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Consensus#WP:NOCONSENSUS" title="Wikipedia talk:Consensus">Discuss</a>)<small><i> Proposed since August 2024.</i></small></td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Wikipedia information page</div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238436933"><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/40px-Information_icon4.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/60px-Information_icon4.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/80px-Information_icon4.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="620" data-file-height="620"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This is an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Project_namespace#How-to_and_information_pages" title="Wikipedia:Project namespace">information page</a>.</b><br/><div style="font-size: 90%;">It is not an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:What_is_an_article%3F" title="Wikipedia:What is an article?">encyclopedic article</a>, nor one of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">Wikipedia's policies or guidelines</a>; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">consensus</a> and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Achieving_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">vetting</a>.</div></div></td><td class="mbox-imageright"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1252059228">.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain{float:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);background-color:var(--background-color-base,#fff);padding:0.3em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em;text-align:center;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxleft{float:left;margin:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutlist{display:inline-block;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain ul{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutanchordiv{position:relative;top:-3em}.mw-parser-output li .module-shortcutanchordiv{float:right}.mw-parser-output .mbox-imageright .module-shortcutboxplain{padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 1em;line-height:1.3;margin:0}</style><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:CLOSE"></span><span id="WP:CLD"></span><span id="WP:DCL"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:CLOSE&redirect=no">WP:CLOSE</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:CLD&redirect=no">WP:CLD</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:DCL&redirect=no">WP:DCL</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">Consensus</a> is Wikipedia's fundamental model for editorial decision-making. Policies and guidelines document communal consensus rather than creating it. Consensus is typically reached as a natural and inherent product of the wiki-editing process; generally someone makes a change to a page content, and then everyone who reads the page has an opportunity to either leave the page as it is or change it. Editors begin discussions to resolve disagreements that cannot be easily resolved through the normal wiki-editing process. Many community discussions and decisions happen on project pages that are specifically designed for that purpose. If discussions involve several individuals, the discourse can become lengthy and the results hard to determine. After a while, it is time to <b>close the discussion</b> so that the community can move on. </p><p>This page offers guidance on how and when discussions should be closed. There are no policies that directly dictate how to close a discussion. These information documents the customary practices that have evolved at Wikipedia in the years since it was started. These customs are grounded in the core principles of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Etiquette" title="Wikipedia:Etiquette">Wikipedia etiquette</a> such as <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Assume_good_faith" title="Wikipedia:Assume good faith">assuming good faith</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">creating consensus</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Civility" title="Wikipedia:Civility">maintaining civility</a>. </p><p>Closers may wish to read <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Advice_on_closing_discussions" title="Wikipedia:Advice on closing discussions">Wikipedia:Advice on closing discussions</a> for guidance on actually determining consensus and writing closes. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed" data-mw-thread-id="h-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"></span>Which discussions need to be closed<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Which discussions need to be closed"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Many informal discussions do not need closing. Often, consensus is reached in the discussion and the outcome is obvious. Disagreements in articles are often solved by further edits. For example, two or more individuals may disagree about how a section of text in an article is written and start a discussion on the talk page. An uninvolved party might come up with a creative solution that addresses the concerns raised in the discussion. If it is a good solution, nothing needs to happen. There will be nothing more that is said, and everyone moves on. When this is the case, it often helps to leave a comment that the issue was resolved and perhaps link the edit that resolved the issue. On some pages, such as <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators_noticeboard" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Administrators noticeboard">Wikipedia:Administrators noticeboard</a>, the <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Resolved" title="Template:Resolved">resolved</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> template is used to note that an issue has been resolved. The template is added to the beginning of the section, with notes that indicate what action was taken. This helps shorten the reading needed to scan the page. Similarly, the <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Unresolved" title="Template:Unresolved">unresolved</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> template may be used to indicate that a dispute about an important issue has not found its solution, inviting more people to weigh in their ideas and opinions. </p><p>When a discussion involves many people and the outcome is not clear, it may be necessary to formally close the discussion. This is always the case in discussions at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Articles for deletion">Wikipedia:Articles for deletion</a> (AfD), <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Categories_for_discussion" title="Wikipedia:Categories for discussion">Wikipedia:Categories for discussion</a> (CfD) and the other XfDs. Observe however that intervening to close a discussion where this mode of resolution is not customary may prove to be incendiary instead of clarifying. Here, adding the <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Unresolved" title="Template:Unresolved">unresolved</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> template may be a better option or informing all parties about the possibility of requesting <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Dispute_resolution" title="Wikipedia:Dispute resolution">mediation</a>. </p><p>It may be useful to close some <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_comment" title="Wikipedia:Requests for comment">Requests for comments</a>; see that page for criteria to consider. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Closing_vs_archiving" data-mw-thread-id="h-Closing_vs_archiving-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Closing_vs_archiving-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"></span>Closing vs archiving<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Closing_vs_archiving-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Closing vs archiving"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><b>Closing</b> discourages people from continuing to post comments, while leaving the discussion on the page, so that editors can read it. This may be accomplished by placing templates such as <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Archive_top" title="Template:Archive top">Archive top</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Archive_bottom" title="Template:Archive bottom">Archive bottom</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> or <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Closed_rfc_top" title="Template:Closed rfc top">Closed rfc top</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Closed_rfc_bottom" class="mw-redirect" title="Template:Closed rfc bottom">Closed rfc bottom</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> around a discussion. In addition to formal closes that analyze the consensus of a discussion, discussions may also be closed where someone, usually an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:ADMIN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:ADMIN">administrator</a>, decides that the discussion is irrelevant or disruptive. This practice is used quite often on pages that attract heated dispute, although there are no rules in place governing its use, and there are times when closing a discussion can create even more strife than had existed before. </p><p><b>Summarizing</b> documents the outcome of the discussion (e.g. "The result was to keep the page"). Outside of the various deletion processes, most discussions are neither closed nor summarized. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:ARCHIVE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:ARCHIVE"><b>Archiving</b></a> is when the discussion is moved into an archive area. This is usually done automatically by a bot, when no new comments have been added for a defined length of time. Most discussions go into Talk page archives with no need for a summary. However, sometimes an active issue will be archived while waiting for an uninvolved editor to write a summary statement. The recommended procedure at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:PREMATUREARCHIVE" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:PREMATUREARCHIVE">WP:PREMATUREARCHIVE</a> is to copy-paste the discussion back onto the original page and delete the discussion from the Talk archive. The discussion may then be summarized as normal. This enures that the summary of the discussion's outcome will be visible to the editors <a href="/wiki/Help:Watchlist" title="Help:Watchlist">watching</a> that page. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="When_to_close_discussions" data-mw-thread-id="h-When_to_close_discussions"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-When_to_close_discussions"></span>When to close discussions<span data-mw-comment-end="h-When_to_close_discussions"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: When to close discussions"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:WHENCLOSE"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcut</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WHENCLOSE&redirect=no">WP:WHENCLOSE</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <ul><li><b>Not too soon or too late</b>: Some processes, especially deletion-oriented pages, have a specified minimum length, typically of 7 full days. Other processes, especially Requests for Comments (RfCs), have typical lengths but no mandatory minimum. It is unusual for anyone to request a formal closure by an uninvolved editor unless the discussion has been open for at least one week.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Similarly, if the discussion stopped, and editors have already assessed the consensus and moved on with their work, then there may be no need to formally close the discussion unless the process (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Articles for deletion">Wikipedia:Articles for deletion</a>) requires formal closure for other reasons.</li> <li><b>When the discussion is stable</b>: The more contentious the subject, the longer this may take. Two signs of achieving this state are the same editors repeating themselves, and the rate of other editors joining the conversation is slowing.</li> <li><b>When further contributions are unlikely to be helpful</b>: If additional comments, even weeks or months later, might be helpful, then don't close the conversation. Most conversations do not need to be closed. On the other hand, when further responses are likely to result in little more than wasting everyone's time by repeating the same widely held view, then it should be closed sooner rather than later. In between, wait to see whether enough information and analysis has been presented to make the outcome (including an outcome that editors do not agree) clear.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="How_to_determine_the_outcome" data-mw-thread-id="h-How_to_determine_the_outcome"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span>How to determine the outcome<span data-mw-comment-end="h-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: How to determine the outcome"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Main pages: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Advice_on_closing_discussions" title="Wikipedia:Advice on closing discussions">Wikipedia:Advice on closing discussions</a> and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Discussions_for_discussion" title="Wikipedia:Discussions for discussion">Wikipedia:Discussions for discussion</a></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Consensus" data-mw-thread-id="h-Consensus-How_to_determine_the_outcome"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Consensus-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span>Consensus<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Consensus-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Consensus"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">Wikipedia:Consensus</a></div> <p>Many closures are based upon <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:CON" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:CON">consensus</a>. Consensus can be most easily defined as <i>agreement</i>. The closing editor or administrator will determine if consensus exists, and if so, what it is. To do this, the closer must read the arguments presented. </p><p>The desired standard is <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_guidelines_for_administrators#Rough_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Deletion guidelines for administrators">rough consensus</a>, not perfect <a href="/wiki/Consensus" class="mw-disambig" title="Consensus">consensus</a>. Closers are also required to exercise their judgment to ensure that any decision complies with the spirit of Wikipedia policy and with the project's goals. A good closer will transparently explain how the decision was reached.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p><span class="anchor" id="not_counting_heads"></span> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:NHC"></span><span id="WP:DISCARD"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:NHC&redirect=no">WP:NHC</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:DISCARD&redirect=no">WP:DISCARD</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <p>Consensus is not determined by counting heads or counting votes, nor is it determined by the closer's own views about what action or outcome is most appropriate. The closer is there to judge the consensus of the community, after discarding irrelevant arguments: those that <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238216509">.mw-parser-output .vanchor>:target~.vanchor-text{background-color:#b1d2ff}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .vanchor>:target~.vanchor-text{background-color:#0f4dc9}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .vanchor>:target~.vanchor-text{background-color:#0f4dc9}}</style><span class="vanchor"><span id="flatly_contradict_established_policy"></span><span id="lens_of_policy"></span><span class="vanchor-text">flatly contradict established policy</span></span>, those based on personal opinion only, those that are logically fallacious, and those that show no understanding of the matter of issue.<sup id="cite_ref-rough_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rough-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> If the discussion shows that some people think one policy is controlling, and some another, the closer is expected to close by judging which view has the predominant number of responsible Wikipedians supporting it, not personally select which is the better policy. The closer is not expected to decide the issue, just to judge the result of the debate, and is expected to know policy sufficiently to know what arguments are to be excluded as irrelevant. If the consensus of reasonable arguments is opposite to the closer's view, they are expected to decide according to the consensus. The closer is not to be a judge of the issue, but rather of the argument. </p><p>If you believe that it is necessary to make an explicit statement about whether consensus was reached, it may be helpful to consider three broad categories for summarizing the result of a discussion: </p> <ul><li>Consensus in favor of (something)</li> <li>No consensus for or against (something)</li> <li>Consensus against (something)</li></ul> <p>If you write only "There was no consensus", then editors may be confused about whether you meant that no general agreement was reached or if you were trying to find a gentle way to indicate that an idea was rejected. They may also disagree later about what, exactly, wasn't agreed to. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Policy" data-mw-thread-id="h-Policy-How_to_determine_the_outcome"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Policy-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span>Policy<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Policy-How_to_determine_the_outcome"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Policy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Many closures are also based upon Wikipedia policy. As noted above, arguments that contradict policy are discounted. </p><p>Wikipedia core policies, which requires that articles and information be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:V" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:V">verifiable</a>, avoid being <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:NOR" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:NOR">original research</a>, and be written from a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:NPOV" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:NPOV">neutral point of view</a>, as well as legal policies that require articles not <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:C" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:C">violate copyright</a> or be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:LIBEL" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:LIBEL">defamatory</a>, are not negotiable, and cannot be superseded by any other guidelines or by editors' consensus. A closer must determine whether any article violates policy, and where it is very unlikely that an article on the topic can exist without breaching policy, it must be respected above individual opinions.<sup id="cite_ref-rough_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-rough-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Closure_procedure" data-mw-thread-id="h-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span>Closure procedure<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Closure procedure"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span><div class="ext-discussiontools-init-section-bar"><div class="ext-discussiontools-init-section-metadata"></div><div class="ext-discussiontools-init-section-actions"></div></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_process" title="Wikipedia:Deletion process">Wikipedia:Deletion process</a></div> <p>Most discussions don't need closure at all, but when they do, any <i>uninvolved</i> editor may close most of them – not just admins.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Generally, if you want to request closure by an uninvolved administrator, it's expected that the discussion will have already been open at least a week, and that the subject is particularly contentious or the outcome is unclear. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Requesting_a_close" data-mw-thread-id="h-Requesting_a_close-Closure_procedure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Requesting_a_close-Closure_procedure"></span>Requesting a close<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Requesting_a_close-Closure_procedure"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Requesting a close"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>If consensus remains unclear, if the issue is a contentious one, or if there are wiki-wide implications, a request for a neutral and uninvolved editor to formally close a discussion may be made at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Closure_requests" title="Wikipedia:Closure requests">Wikipedia:Closure requests</a>. Please ensure that any request there seeking a close is neutrally worded, and do not use that board to continue the discussion in question. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Marking_a_closed_discussion" data-mw-thread-id="h-Marking_a_closed_discussion-Closure_procedure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Marking_a_closed_discussion-Closure_procedure"></span>Marking a closed discussion<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Marking_a_closed_discussion-Closure_procedure"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Marking a closed discussion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span class="anchor" id="HATTING"></span> </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:HATTING"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcut</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:HATTING&redirect=no">WP:HATTING</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:HATTING" redirects here. For collapsing talk content, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:TALKOFFTOPIC" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:TALKOFFTOPIC">WP:TALKOFFTOPIC</a>.</div> <p>Closing a discussion means putting a box around it for the purpose of discouraging further contributions to that discussion. Please do not close a discussion if you believe that further contributions (rather than starting a fresh discussion on the same subject) would be appropriate. </p><p>To close a discussion, use the <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Archive_top" title="Template:Archive top">archive top</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Archive_bottom" title="Template:Archive bottom">archive bottom</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> templates (although some particular types of discussion, such as those which concern whether to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion#How_an_AfD_discussion_is_closed" title="Wikipedia:Articles for deletion">delete</a> or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Requested_moves/Closing_instructions" title="Wikipedia:Requested moves/Closing instructions">rename</a> a page, have their own specialized templates). For example: </p> <div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-mediawiki mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="gu">==Discussion heading==</span> <span class="p">{{</span><span class="nt">archive top</span><span class="p">}}</span> Discussion text... <span class="p">{{</span><span class="nt">archive bottom</span><span class="p">}}</span> </pre></div> <p>The closed discussion will then look like this: </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236298596">.mw-parser-output .fake-heading{color:var(--color-emphasized,#000000);background:none;margin:0;overflow:hidden;padding-bottom:0.17em;page-break-after:avoid;padding-top:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h1,.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h2{border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.25em;margin-top:1em;padding:0;font-family:"Linux Libertine","Georgia","Times","Source Serif Pro",serif;line-height:1.375}body.skin-monobook .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h1,body.skin-monobook .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h2{font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit}body.skin-timeless .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h1,body.skin-timeless .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h2{border-bottom:3px solid #c8ccd1}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h1{font-size:1.8em}body.skin-timeless .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h1{font-size:2em}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h2{font-size:1.5em}body.skin-timeless .mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h2{font-size:1.8em}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h3,.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h4,.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h5,.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h6{font-weight:bold;margin-top:0.3em;margin-bottom:0;padding-bottom:0;line-height:1.6}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h3{font-size:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .fake-heading.h4{font-size:100%}</style><div class="fake-heading h2">Discussion heading</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1250141580">.mw-parser-output .archive-top{background-color:#EDEAFF;color:inherit;padding:0 0.6em;border:1px solid #8779DD}.mw-parser-output .archive-top-result .side-box-abovebelow{background-color:#c3c3c3;color:inherit;text-align:center;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .archive-top{background-color:#181424;border:1px solid #8072d6;color:#fff}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .archive-top-result .side-box-abovebelow{background-color:#141126;color:#fff}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .archive-top{background-color:#181424;border:1px solid #8072d6;color:#fff}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .archive-top-result .side-box-abovebelow{background-color:#141126;color:#fff}}@media(min-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .archive-top-result{width:30%}}</style><div class="boilerplate archived archive-top mw-archivedtalk" style=""> <div class="boilerplate-header" style="margin-left: 1.6em; font-style: italic;"> <p>The following discussion is closed. <strong style="color: var(--color-error, red);">Please do not modify it.</strong> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. </p> </div> <hr/> <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. </p> <div style="padding-left: 1.6em; font-style: italic; border-top: 1px solid #a2a9b1; margin: 0.5em 0; padding-top: 0.5em">The discussion above is closed. <b style="color: var(--color-error, red);">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.</div> </div><div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <p>The closed discussion can also be collapsed to save space. This is achieved by using the templates <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Hidden_archive_top" title="Template:Hidden archive top">hidden archive top</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Hidden_archive_bottom" title="Template:Hidden archive bottom">hidden archive bottom</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span>. Because of the short name of the first of those templates – <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Hat" class="mw-redirect" title="Template:Hat">hat</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> – performing such a closure is referred to as <b>hatting</b>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Writing_a_summary" data-mw-thread-id="h-Writing_a_summary-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Writing_a_summary-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span>Writing a summary<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Writing_a_summary-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Writing a summary"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Writing_a_summary"></span>Sometimes, it is helpful for an editor to provide a summary statement of the outcome, if any, when closing the discussion. This optional statement may include both points of consensus and points that are not yet resolved. </p> <pre>{{Archive top |status = withdrawn |result = I've decided my idea needs some work. Thanks to everyone for the advice. ~~~~ }} {{lorem ipsum}} {{Archive bottom}} </pre> <p>which will look like this: </p> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1250141580"><div class="boilerplate archived archive-top mw-archivedtalk" style=""><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235681985">.mw-parser-output .side-box{margin:4px 0;box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #aaa;font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);display:flow-root}.mw-parser-output .side-box-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{padding:0.25em 0.9em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-image{padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-imageright{padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .side-box-flex{display:flex;align-items:center}.mw-parser-output .side-box-text{flex:1;min-width:0}}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .side-box{width:238px}.mw-parser-output .side-box-right{clear:right;float:right;margin-left:1em}.mw-parser-output .side-box-left{margin-right:1em}}</style><div class="side-box metadata side-box-right archive-top-result" style="padding: 10px; line-height: inherit;"> <div class="side-box-abovebelow" style="padding: 0;"> WITHDRAWN</div> <div class="side-box-flex"> <div class="side-box-text" style="padding: 0;">I've decided my idea needs some work. Thanks to everyone for the advice. <a href="/wiki/User:Example" title="User:Example">User:Example</a> (<a href="/wiki/User_talk:Example" title="User talk:Example">talk</a>) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions#c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Writing_a_summary" class="ext-discussiontools-init-timestamplink">17:24, 15 August 2018 (UTC)</a><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-buttons" data-mw-thread-id="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Writing_a_summary"><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-bracket">[</span><a class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-reply" role="button" tabindex="0" href="">reply</a><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-bracket">]</span></span><span data-mw-comment-end="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Writing_a_summary"></span></div></div> </div> <div class="boilerplate-header" style="margin-left: 1.6em; font-style: italic;"> <p>The following discussion is closed. <strong style="color: var(--color-error, red);">Please do not modify it.</strong> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. </p> </div> <hr/> <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. </p> <div style="padding-left: 1.6em; font-style: italic; border-top: 1px solid #a2a9b1; margin: 0.5em 0; padding-top: 0.5em">The discussion above is closed. <b style="color: var(--color-error, red);">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.</div> </div><div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Additional_summary_format" data-mw-thread-id="h-Additional_summary_format-Writing_a_summary-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Additional_summary_format-Writing_a_summary-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span>Additional summary format<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Additional_summary_format-Writing_a_summary-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z"></span></h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Additional summary format"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Additional_summary_format"></span>This format is designed specifically for closes involving written analysis or conclusions of the discussion. Either this format or the former is acceptable for closes involving analysis (which chosen is at the closers discretion), but this format should not be used for closes involving no summarization. </p> <pre>{{Discussion top|I've decided my idea needs some work. Thanks to everyone for the advice. ~~~~ }} {{lorem ipsum}} {{Discussion bottom}} </pre> <p>which will look like this: </p> <div class="boilerplate discussion-archived mw-archivedtalk" style="background-color: var(--background-color-progressive-subtle, #f5f3ef); color: var(--color-base, inherit); overflow:auto; margin: 1em 0 0 0; padding: 0 10px 0 10px; border: 1px solid var(--border-color-subtle, #aaa)"> <div class="boilerplate-header"> <dl><dd><i>The following discussion is closed. <span style="color:var(--color-error, red)"><b>Please do not modify it.</b></span> Subsequent comments should be made in a new section.</i> <i>A summary of the conclusions reached follows.</i> <dl><dd>I've decided my idea needs some work. Thanks to everyone for the advice. <a href="/wiki/User:Example" title="User:Example">User:Example</a> (<a href="/wiki/User_talk:Example" title="User talk:Example">talk</a>) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Closing_discussions#c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Additional_summary_format" class="ext-discussiontools-init-timestamplink">17:24, 15 August 2018 (UTC)</a><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-buttons" data-mw-thread-id="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Additional_summary_format"><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-bracket">[</span><a class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-reply" role="button" tabindex="0" href="">reply</a><span class="ext-discussiontools-init-replylink-bracket">]</span></span><span data-mw-comment-end="c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Additional_summary_format"></span></dd></dl></dd></dl> <hr/> </div> <p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. </p> <div style="padding-left: 1.6em; font-style: italic; border-top: 1px solid #a2a9b1; margin: 0.5em 0; padding-top: 0.5em">The discussion above is closed. <b style="color: var(--color-error, red);">Please do not modify it.</b> Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.</div> </div><div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Challenging_a_closure" data-mw-thread-id="h-Challenging_a_closure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Challenging_a_closure"></span><span id="Challenging_a_closing"></span> Challenging a closure<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Challenging_a_closure"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Challenging a closure"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:CLOSECHALLENGE"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcut</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:CLOSECHALLENGE&redirect=no">WP:CLOSECHALLENGE</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <p>All discussion closures are subject to review. Usually, reviews are initiated because someone disputes the outcome stated by the closing editor (e.g., a summary statement that some editors find confusing or incorrect), rather than the decision to discourage further discussion. </p><p>Depending on the type of discussion, a review will take place at one of several review boards, and distinct criteria are used for each board. In general, deletions are discussed at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review" title="Wikipedia:Deletion review">WP:Deletion review</a>, moves are discussed at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Move_review" title="Wikipedia:Move review">WP:Move review</a>, and other closures (including <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:RFC" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:RFC">requests for comment</a><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>) are discussed at <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:AN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:AN">WP:AN</a>. Specific instructions about each case are described in the subsections below. Any editor may participate in a discussion reviewing a close. </p><p>Remember that most contentious discussions benefit from a formal closing statement, and that closers undertake to assess consensus to the best of their abilities. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Challenging_a_deletion" data-mw-thread-id="h-Challenging_a_deletion-Challenging_a_closure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Challenging_a_deletion-Challenging_a_closure"></span>Challenging a deletion<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Challenging_a_deletion-Challenging_a_closure"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: Challenging a deletion"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>For reviewing a closure of a deletion discussion, the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_review" title="Wikipedia:Deletion review">Deletion review</a> process is used. </p> <div style="border:2px solid grey; padding: 2ex;"> <p>Deletion review may be used: </p> <ol><li>if someone believes the closer of a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_process#Deletion_discussions_(Nominations_for_deletion)" title="Wikipedia:Deletion process">deletion discussion</a> interpreted the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:ROUGH_CONSENSUS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:ROUGH CONSENSUS">consensus</a> incorrectly;</li> <li>if a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Criteria_for_speedy_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion">speedy deletion</a> was done outside of the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Criteria_for_speedy_deletion#Criteria" title="Wikipedia:Criteria for speedy deletion">criteria</a> or is otherwise disputed;</li> <li>if significant new information has come to light since a deletion that would justify recreating the deleted page;</li> <li>if a page has been wrongly deleted with no way to tell what exactly was deleted; or</li> <li>if there were substantial procedural errors in the deletion discussion or speedy deletion.</li></ol> <p>Deletion review should <b>not</b> be used: </p> <ol><li>because of a disagreement with the deletion discussion's outcome that does not involve the closer's judgment (a page may be <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Renominating_for_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Renominating for deletion">renominated after a reasonable timeframe</a>);</li> <li>(This point formerly required first consulting the deleting admin if possible. As per <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Deletion_review/Archives/2020/September#Consulting_deleting_admin" title="Wikipedia talk:Deletion review/Archives/2020/September">this discussion</a> an editor is <b>not</b> required to consult the closer of a deletion discussion (or the deleting admin for a speedy deletion) before starting a deletion review. However doing so is good practice, and can often save time and effort for all concerned. Notifying the closer is required.)</li> <li>to point out <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Other_stuff_exists" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Other stuff exists">other pages</a> that have or have not been deleted (as each page is different and stands or falls on its own merits);</li> <li>to challenge an article's deletion via the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Proposed_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Proposed deletion">proposed deletion</a> process, or to have the history of a deleted page restored behind a new, improved version of the page, called a <i>history-only undeletion</i> (please go to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_undeletion" title="Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion">Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion</a> for these);</li> <li>to repeat arguments already made in the deletion discussion;</li> <li>to argue technicalities (such as a deletion discussion being closed ten minutes early);</li> <li>to request that previously deleted content be used on other pages (please go to <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_undeletion" title="Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion">Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion</a> for these requests);</li> <li>to attack other editors, cast aspersions, or make accusations of bias (such requests may be speedily closed);</li> <li>for uncontroversial undeletions, such as undeleting a very old article where substantial new sources have subsequently arisen. Use <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Requests_for_undeletion" title="Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion">Wikipedia:Requests for undeletion</a> instead. (If any editor objects to the undeletion, then it is considered controversial and this forum may be used.)</li> <li>to ask for permission to write a new version of a page which was deleted, unless it has been <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:SALT" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:SALT">protected against creation</a>. In general you don't need anyone's permission to recreate a deleted page, and if your new version does not qualify for deletion then it will not be deleted.</li></ol> <p><b>Copyright violating, libelous, or otherwise <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_policies#Legal" title="Wikipedia:List of policies">prohibited content</a> will not be restored.</b> </p> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Challenging_a_move" data-mw-thread-id="h-Challenging_a_move-Challenging_a_closure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Challenging_a_move-Challenging_a_closure"></span>Challenging a move<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Challenging_a_move-Challenging_a_closure"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: Challenging a move"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>For reviewing a closure of a page move discussions, the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Move_review" title="Wikipedia:Move review">Move review</a> process is used. </p> <div style="border:2px solid grey; padding: 2ex;"> <p>Move review may be used: </p> <ol><li>if an editor believes the closer did not follow the spirit and intent of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:RMCI" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:RMCI">WP:RMCI</a> in closing this requested move.</li> <li>if the closer was not made aware of significant additional information not discussed in the RM, and the RM should be reopened and relisted.</li></ol> </div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Challenging_other_closures" data-mw-thread-id="h-Challenging_other_closures-Challenging_a_closure"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Challenging_other_closures-Challenging_a_closure"></span>Challenging other closures<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Challenging_other_closures-Challenging_a_closure"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Challenging other closures"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:FORUMSHOP" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:FORUMSHOP">WP:FORUMSHOP</a></div> <p>For other procedures, whether formal RfCs or less formal ones such as <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Merging" title="Wikipedia:Merging">merging</a> or <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Splitting" title="Wikipedia:Splitting">splitting</a>, contact the editor who performed the closure and try to resolve the issue through discussion. If you are unable to resolve the issue through discussion with the closer, you may request review at the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:AN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:AN">Administrators' Noticeboard</a>. Before requesting review, understand that review should not be used as an opportunity to re-argue the underlying dispute, and is only intended for use when there is a problem with the close itself. </p> <div style="border:2px solid grey; padding: 2ex;"> <p>Closures will often be changed by the closing editor without a closure review: </p> <ol><li>if significant additional information or context was left out of the discussion and the closer was not aware of it.</li> <li>if the discussion was undertaken under modified procedural rules that the closer was not aware of.</li> <li>if an early closure is followed by multiple editors asking that it be reopened for further discussion, or a single editor has brought forth a compelling new perspective to the already closed discussion.</li></ol> <p>Closures will rarely be changed by the closing editor, but can be challenged in a closure review: </p> <ol><li>if you believe the closure was not a reasonable summation of the discussion</li> <li>if the closing editor may have become inextricably <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:INVOLVED" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:INVOLVED">involved</a> through previous experience in the conflict area.</li></ol> <p>Closures will rarely be changed by either the closing editor or a closure review: </p> <ol><li>if the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:!vote" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:!vote">poll</a> was close or even favored an outcome opposite the closure, if the closure was made on the basis of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">policy</a>. Policies and guidelines are usually followed in the absence of a <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:IAR" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:IAR">compelling reason otherwise</a>, or an overwhelming consensus otherwise, and can only be changed by amending the policy itself.</li> <li>if the complaint is that the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:NAC" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:NAC">closer is not an admin</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ol> </div> <p>After discussing the matter with the closing editor, you may request review at the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:AN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:AN">Administrators' noticeboard</a>. For reviews of requests for comment closures, you may use {{<a href="/wiki/Template:RfC_closure_review" title="Template:RfC closure review">subst:RfC closure review</a>}} to start a review (refer to instructions in that template). In your reasoning, you should give a concrete description of how you believe the close was an inappropriate or unreasonable distillation of the discussion. You are more likely to succeed in your AN request if you focus on 1. an "underlying policy/guideline" and 2. "strength of argument". (See <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:ROUGHCONSENSUS" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:ROUGHCONSENSUS">WP:ROUGHCONSENSUS</a>) For example, continue your AN request opening with something like: <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1248585704">@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .inline-quote-talk{color:#00B785}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .inline-quote-talk{color:#00B785}}.mw-parser-output .inline-quote-talk{font-family:Georgia,"DejaVu Serif",serif;color:#008560;quotes:none}.mw-parser-output .inline-quote-talk-italic{font-family:inherit;font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output .inline-quote-talk-marks{quotes:"\"""\""}</style><q class="inline-quote-talk">The issue the closer was to decide was</q> (describe issue). <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1248585704"><q class="inline-quote-talk">In closing, they applied policy X. I believe that policy Y should have been taken more into account / policy X never intended to apply to issues such as this.</q> </p><p>Users who try to subvert consensus by appealing to other venues than <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:AN" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:AN">WP:AN</a> should be aware of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:FORUMSHOP" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:FORUMSHOP">WP:FORUMSHOP</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="See_also" data-mw-thread-id="h-See_also"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-See_also"></span>See also<span data-mw-comment-end="h-See_also"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/Closure_review_archive" title="Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Closure review archive">Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Closure review archive</a> – a self-reported index of past AN reviews of closed discussion</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Dashboard" title="Wikipedia:Dashboard">Wikipedia:Dashboard</a>, for ongoing discussions and current requests</li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Guide_to_deletion" title="Wikipedia:Guide to deletion">Wikipedia:Guide to deletion</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Just_drop_it" title="Wikipedia:Just drop it">Wikipedia:Just drop it</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Non-admin_closure" title="Wikipedia:Non-admin closure">Wikipedia:Non-admin closure</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Not_now" title="Wikipedia:Not now">Wikipedia:Not now</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Snowball_clause" title="Wikipedia:Snowball clause">Wikipedia:Snowball clause</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Voting" class="mw-disambig" title="Wikipedia:Voting">Wikipedia:Voting</a> – pages on the role of voting in and out of Wikipedia</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="References" data-mw-thread-id="h-References"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-References"></span>References<span data-mw-comment-end="h-References"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Some common causes for rapid closure include: <ul><li>The discussion was withdrawn by the person who started it.</li> <li>Stopping discussions that are <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:MULTI" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:MULTI">happening in multiple places</a> or otherwise in the wrong place. <small>(<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement/Archive44#Continued_incivility_and_censorship_at_Obama_articles_violating_NPOV_and_other_core_policies" title="Wikipedia:Arbitration/Requests/Enforcement/Archive44">example</a>).</small></li> <li>Stopping disruptive or misguided discussions <small>(<a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?diff=prev&oldid=383197992">example</a>)</small>.</li></ul> </span></li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Guide_to_deletion#Closure" title="Wikipedia:Guide to deletion">Wikipedia:Guide to deletion § Closure</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-rough-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-rough_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-rough_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Deletion_guidelines_for_administrators#Rough_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Deletion guidelines for administrators">Wikipedia:Deletion guidelines for administrators § Rough consensus</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">In uncontentious circumstances, even an involved editor may close a discussion. For example, if you propose something, and it's obvious to you that nobody agrees with you, then you can close the discussion, even though you're obviously an "involved" editor.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">See <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Administrators%27_noticeboard/IncidentArchive1020#Request_to_re-open_RfC" title="Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/IncidentArchive1020">this discussion</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">A <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:Requests_for_comment/Archive_12#Review" title="Wikipedia talk:Requests for comment/Archive 12">request for comment</a> discussed how to appeal closures and whether an administrator can summarily overturn a non-administrator's closure. The consensus was that closures should not be reverted solely because the closer was not an administrator.</span> </li> </ol></div></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&oldid=1249632829">https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&oldid=1249632829</a>"</div></div> <div id="catlinks" class="catlinks" data-mw="interface"><div id="mw-normal-catlinks" class="mw-normal-catlinks"><a href="/wiki/Help:Category" title="Help:Category">Categories</a>: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_information_pages" title="Category:Wikipedia information pages">Wikipedia information pages</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_discussion" title="Category:Wikipedia discussion">Wikipedia discussion</a></li></ul></div><div id="mw-hidden-catlinks" class="mw-hidden-catlinks mw-hidden-cats-hidden">Hidden category: <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Category:Miscellany_to_be_merged" title="Category:Miscellany to be merged">Miscellany to be merged</a></li></ul></div></div> </div> </main> </div> <div class="mw-footer-container"> <footer id="footer" class="mw-footer" > <ul id="footer-info"> <li id="footer-info-lastmod"> This page was last edited on 6 October 2024, at 00:04<span class="anonymous-show"> (UTC)</span>.</li> <li id="footer-info-copyright">Text is available under the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_Creative_Commons_Attribution-ShareAlike_4.0_International_License" title="Wikipedia:Text of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License">Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License</a>; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms_of_Use" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Terms of Use">Terms of Use</a> and <a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy" class="extiw" title="foundation:Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy policy">Privacy Policy</a>. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/">Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.</a>, a non-profit organization.</li> </ul> <ul id="footer-places"> <li id="footer-places-privacy"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Privacy_policy">Privacy policy</a></li> <li id="footer-places-about"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:About">About Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-disclaimers"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer">Disclaimers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-contact"><a href="//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contact_us">Contact Wikipedia</a></li> <li id="footer-places-wm-codeofconduct"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Universal_Code_of_Conduct">Code of Conduct</a></li> <li id="footer-places-developers"><a href="https://developer.wikimedia.org">Developers</a></li> <li id="footer-places-statslink"><a href="https://stats.wikimedia.org/#/en.wikipedia.org">Statistics</a></li> <li id="footer-places-cookiestatement"><a href="https://foundation.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Policy:Cookie_statement">Cookie statement</a></li> <li id="footer-places-mobileview"><a href="//en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Closing_discussions&mobileaction=toggle_view_mobile" class="noprint stopMobileRedirectToggle">Mobile view</a></li> </ul> <ul id="footer-icons" class="noprint"> <li id="footer-copyrightico"><a href="https://wikimediafoundation.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><img src="/static/images/footer/wikimedia-button.svg" width="84" height="29" alt="Wikimedia Foundation" loading="lazy"></a></li> <li id="footer-poweredbyico"><a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/" class="cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--size-large cdx-button--fake-button--enabled"><img src="/w/resources/assets/poweredby_mediawiki.svg" alt="Powered by MediaWiki" width="88" height="31" loading="lazy"></a></li> </ul> </footer> </div> </div> </div> <div class="vector-settings" id="p-dock-bottom"> <ul></ul> </div><script>(RLQ=window.RLQ||[]).push(function(){mw.config.set({"wgHostname":"mw-web.codfw.main-f69cdc8f6-lh5s9","wgBackendResponseTime":153,"wgDiscussionToolsPageThreads":[{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed","replies":[{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Closing_vs_archiving-Which_discussions_need_to_be_closed","replies":[]}]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-When_to_close_discussions","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-How_to_determine_the_outcome","replies":[{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Consensus-How_to_determine_the_outcome","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Policy-How_to_determine_the_outcome","replies":[]}]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","replies":[{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Requesting_a_close-Closure_procedure","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Marking_a_closed_discussion-Closure_procedure","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Writing_a_summary-Closure_procedure-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","replies":[{"timestamp":"2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","author":"Example","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Writing_a_summary","replies":[],"displayName":"User:Example"},{"headingLevel":4,"name":"h-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Additional_summary_format-Writing_a_summary-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","replies":[{"timestamp":"2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z","author":"Example","type":"comment","level":1,"id":"c-Example-2018-08-15T17:24:00.000Z-Additional_summary_format","replies":[],"displayName":"User:Example"}]}]}]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Challenging_a_closure","replies":[{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Challenging_a_deletion-Challenging_a_closure","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Challenging_a_move-Challenging_a_closure","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":3,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-Challenging_other_closures-Challenging_a_closure","replies":[]}]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-See_also","replies":[]},{"headingLevel":2,"name":"h-","type":"heading","level":0,"id":"h-References","replies":[]}],"wgPageParseReport":{"discussiontools":{"limitreport-timeusage":"0.037"},"limitreport":{"cputime":"0.426","walltime":"0.540","ppvisitednodes":{"value":1591,"limit":1000000},"postexpandincludesize":{"value":34568,"limit":2097152},"templateargumentsize":{"value":2743,"limit":2097152},"expansiondepth":{"value":13,"limit":100},"expensivefunctioncount":{"value":10,"limit":500},"unstrip-depth":{"value":0,"limit":20},"unstrip-size":{"value":22097,"limit":5000000},"entityaccesscount":{"value":0,"limit":400},"timingprofile":["100.00% 434.802 1 -total"," 25.84% 112.364 1 Template:Infopage"," 17.21% 74.840 5 Template:Shortcut"," 16.15% 70.241 1 Template:Merge_from"," 13.01% 56.575 1 Template:Ombox"," 11.46% 49.823 2 Template:Namespace_detect"," 10.95% 47.603 2 Template:Redirect"," 10.44% 45.372 1 Template:Mbox"," 8.47% 36.823 1 Template:Short_description"," 7.97% 34.665 2 Template:Archive_top"]},"scribunto":{"limitreport-timeusage":{"value":"0.146","limit":"10.000"},"limitreport-memusage":{"value":3194805,"limit":52428800}},"cachereport":{"origin":"mw-api-int.codfw.main-79b89f7799-mklrk","timestamp":"20241030163441","ttl":2592000,"transientcontent":false}}});});</script> </body> </html>