TechInfoDepot:Merging

A merger is a non-automated procedure by which the contents of two pages are united within a single page. Merging two pages creates a redirect from the source page to the destination page, with some or all of the content copied and pasted into that page.

Do not use this procedure to propose:
 * Category mergers – Category mergers should be requested at TechInfoDepot:Categories for discussion, which uses the separate cfm template.
 * History mergers – History mergers cannot be proposed using this procedure. See TechInfoDepot:How to fix cut-and-paste moves for details.
 * Template mergers – Template mergers should be requested at TechInfoDepot:Templates for discussion, which uses the separate tfm template.

Reasons for merger
There are several good reasons to merge a page:


 * 1) Duplicate: There are two or more pages on exactly the same subject, with the same scope.
 * 2) Overlap: There are two or more pages on related subjects that have a large overlap. TechInfoDepot is not a dictionary; there does not need to be a separate entry for every concept. For example, "flammable" and "non-flammable" can both be explained in an article on flammability.
 * 3) Text: If a page is very short and is unlikely to be expanded within a reasonable amount of time, it often makes sense to merge it with a page on a broader topic. For example, parents or children of a celebrity who are otherwise unremarkable are generally covered in a section of the article on the celebrity (and can be merged there).
 * 4) Context: If a short article requires the background material or context from a broader article in order for readers to understand it. For example, minor characters from works of fiction are generally covered in a "List of characters in " article(and can be merged there); see also TechInfoDepot:Notability (fiction).

Merging should be avoided if:
 * 1) The resulting article is too long or "clunky"
 * 2) The separate topics could be expanded into longer standalone (but cross-linked) articles
 * 3) The topics are discrete subjects warranting their own articles, even though they might be short

Merging—regardless of the amount of information kept—should always leave a redirect (or, in some cases, a disambiguation page) in place. This is often needed to allow proper attribution through the edit history for the source page. Superfluous redirects do not harm anything, and they can be helpful in finding articles, e.g. from alternative names.

You may find that some or all of the information to be merged is already in the destination page. That is fine; you can feel free to delete the redundant information and only add new material. If there is no information to be added to the destination page, you can simply redirect the other page there, but please make this clear in the edit summary.

Proposing a merger
Users may determine whether pages should be merged. In most circumstances, a local discussion should be started to attract sufficient input. This will usually occur on the proposed destination page's talk page, but it is recommended not to start discussion on a talk page that is regularly archived. This should include the proposal itself, the list of the affected pages, and a merger rationale.

Perform the following steps:

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 * bgcolor=white| I.
 * Create a discussion on the proposed destination page's talk page. For example, if suggesting that Foo be merged into Bar, create a proposal to merge Foo into Bar in a new section at Talk:Bar. Start a new section at the bottom of that talk page and include the proposal itself, the list of the affected pages, and a merger rationale. A good example is the following section:
 * Create a discussion on the proposed destination page's talk page. For example, if suggesting that Foo be merged into Bar, create a proposal to merge Foo into Bar in a new section at Talk:Bar. Start a new section at the bottom of that talk page and include the proposal itself, the list of the affected pages, and a merger rationale. A good example is the following section:

 == Merger proposal ==

I propose that Foo be merged into Bar. I think that the content in the Foo article can easily be explained in the context of Bar, and the Bar article is of a reasonable size that the merging of Foo will not cause any problems as far as article size or undue weight is concerned. ~ 

Notify involved users (optional). As an optional step, it may be necessary to notify users involved in the affected pages, who might not be watchlisting them. Simply go to those users' talk pages and start a new section, leaving a neutral invitation to participate in the merger discussion. Make sure to provide a link to the discussion page. You may also use the following standard templates on the users' talk pages:

 {{subst: Mergenote |
 * 1) Redirect the source page whose content was just merged by replacing everything with the following:
 * If the content was merged to a single section within the destination page, it is recommended that the source page be redirected directly to that section. In that case, replace everything with the following:
 * Save the page, leaving the following edit summary: (also required by the CC-BY-SA):
 * 1) Tag the destination page's talk page with {{merged-from|source page|date}}, and the source page's talk page with {{merged-to|destination page|date}} . Place these tags at the top of the talk pages.
 * As an alternative, experienced users can add  to both talk pages. Place at the top of the talk pages.
 * 1) Check Special:WhatLinksHere for the source page and fix any double redirects. Otherwise, a bot should fix any such problems within a day or two.
 * 2) Provide further attribution by using the {{tl|Merged-to}} and {{tl|Merged-from}} templates, if not already done in step 3. See the template's documentation and Help:Merging for more details. If the source page has any merged or copied templates, for example, you will need to copy those tags to the destination page.
 * 3) Check the merged content for non-free files. If any of these files are present, edit the non-free use rationales to replace the old article title with the new one. This is required under the non-free content criteria.
 * 1) Check Special:WhatLinksHere for the source page and fix any double redirects. Otherwise, a bot should fix any such problems within a day or two.
 * 2) Provide further attribution by using the {{tl|Merged-to}} and {{tl|Merged-from}} templates, if not already done in step 3. See the template's documentation and Help:Merging for more details. If the source page has any merged or copied templates, for example, you will need to copy those tags to the destination page.
 * 3) Check the merged content for non-free files. If any of these files are present, edit the non-free use rationales to replace the old article title with the new one. This is required under the non-free content criteria.

Pages to merge

 * Current pages tagged for merging can be found at Category:Articles to be merged, and Category:Merge by month lists pages that have been tagged for merging on a particular month (tagging began in September 2006).