Vero - Wikipedia:Template index/Cleanup
Template:Redirect Template:For Template:Pp-semi-indef Template:Information page Template:Nutshell
Template messages (maintenance tags, cleanup tags, cleanup messages) may be added to articles needing cleanup. Their purposes are to foster improvement of the encyclopedia by alerting editors to changes that need to be made. Cleanup tags are meant to be temporary notices that lead to an effort to fix the problem, not a permanent badge of shame to show that you disagree with an article, or a method of warning readers about an article.
Unless otherwise noted, cleanup messages should be placed at the top of the page, before other templates, images, or infoboxes, but after hatnotes (see Template:Section link). Cleanup messages should be placed directly on the article or file, not on its talk page. Certain tags can be placed at the beginning of an individual section, and others can be placed within the text itself (inline).
A date parameter is added by a bot, or you can add it yourself with |date=April 2026.
What to remember
Before you tag an article, please remember the following:
- Don't tag an article if you can easily and confidently fix the problem.
- The goal is an improved article, not a tagged article.
- Do some research to attempt to solve the problem before tagging.
- Don't put the burden of doing so on another editor if you are capable of fixing the problem yourself with a simple search or consulting a reference work.
- Don't perform "drive-by" tagging.
- Tags must be accompanied by either a comment on the article's talk page explaining the problem and beginning a discussion on how to fix it or, for simpler and more obvious problems, a remark using the reason parameter (available in all templates, regardless of whether it appears in the documentation) as shown below. At the very least, tagging editors must be willing to follow through with substantive discussion.
- Don't perform "drive-by" de-tagging.
- Likewise, please provide a similar rationale for removing a template, unless your preceding edits have clearly fixed the announced problem. See also when not to remove a template.
- Don't insert tags that are similar or redundant.
- For example, most articles that read like essays have an inappropriate tone, and in fact they end up being automatically grouped in the same category, so it is unnecessary to tag with both Template:Tl and Template:Tl.
- If an article has many problems, tag only the highest priority issues.
- A lengthy list is often less helpful than a shorter one. Template:Crossreference
- If multiple tags are necessary, consider using the Template:Tl template.
- This will help to avoid cluttering the article with tags and eclipsing the article's content.
- Don't add tags for trivial or minor problems, especially if an article needs a lot of work.
- For example, there is little point in noting grammatical problems for a section that needs to be completely re-written to comply with content policies. Focus on the biggest one, two, or three problems.
Does the article meet inclusion requirements?
Before placing templates on a page it is worthwhile to cast a critical eye over the page to determine whether indeed it should be included in Wikipedia. Some articles can be tagged for speedy deletion or nominated for a deletion discussion at Wikipedia:Articles for deletion.
Best practices
In obscure or unpopular articles
On pages that have received little attention from editors or readers, cleanup templates can be used as a way to call attention to problems that need to be addressed by editors. Editors who want to help address these problems should look through the various cleanup categories such as maintenance and articles with content issues and try to address the problems so that the templates can be removed. Editors who frequently tag articles should also address the backlogs.
In heavily monitored articles
On pages that are being edited by a number of users, cleanup templates are used to inform readers and editors of ongoing discussions and attempts to fix the problems on the page. Such templates can be used to attract uninvolved users to discussions and cleanup efforts, and they can also serve as a warning to casual readers that the article may have problems and be subject to noticeable changes. In general, an editor who places a template message to indicate a problem like this should explain their rationale fully on the talk page of the article. If the consensus of the other editors is that there is a problem or an editorial dispute that deserves such a clean-up template, then the editors should work to fix the problem as quickly and cleanly as possible so the template message can be removed. If the consensus is that there is no problem, then the message can be removed immediately. For heavily monitored articles, please do not add or remove template messages of this sort without using the talk page.
Use in sections
Many of these cleanup tags require you to place |article as the first parameter when you use the tag at the top of an article. When you want the template to refer to just one section, however, you replace |article with |section (where the | is a pipe key Template:Key press found on most keyboards as a shift-backslash Template:Key press. See the specific template below to determine if such "section use" is supported and appropriate.
Overarching copyright issues
Templates in this section identify possible violations of Wikipedia's licensing requirements, as defined in the Wikimedia Terms of use.
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
|---|
Combined message boxes
Do not use this as the Template:Em message box on the article or section; it should be used with at least two other message boxes sandwiched inside it.
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|---|
| Template:Tlp |
Template:Multiple issues |
| Template:Tlp |
Template:Multiple issues |
Cleanup
Use one of these general tags when none of the more specific tags fits.
General
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
|
|---|
Following a merge or split
Copy editing
Some articles just need someone with a good grasp of editing technique to give them a once-over.
Template:TlrowInline with article text
- This template tags a statement for basic copyediting, and should be placed after the statement.
Specific subjects
These templates are all "general cleanup" templates, but tie into a specific subject matter or WikiProjects.
Semi-general
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
|---|
Imported from elsewhere
Based on external content
Plot summaries
Fiction
- This is not for factual or accuracy disputes.
- For use in fiction-specific articles that have way too many trivial examples. (Ex.: For an article specifically about famous fictional horses that mentions the fact that Sesame Street once told kids how to spell "horse", or that one of the animals you can kill in an online game is a horse.)
- See template documentation for list of topic-specific sub-templates.
- For use when a nonfiction article has become overcrowded with too many references to fiction or other pop culture. (Ex.: Article on horses having a long section of TV shows, movies, video games, etc. that have "horse" in the name or feature horses in some way.)
Other
Inline with article text
Style of writing
Overall article or section
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
|---|
Specific content
Grammar
Neutrality, readability, and tone
Inline with article text
- See also: WP:PEACOCK
Structure, formatting, and sections
OrganiTemplate:Szation
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|
Naming
Lead section
Length
Duplication
SummariTemplate:Szation
Potentially unwanted content
Message boxes
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|
Inline with article text
Context, statistics, and detail
Excessive content
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
|---|
Over-focus
Context
Off-topic
Articles occasionally contain content which is otherwise valid, but appears unrelated to the nominal topic of the article.
Template:Tlrow- Also takes "other article" parameter
Expand and add
Missing content
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
|
|---|
Expansion
- Typically used as one of 170 language-specific templates such as Template:Tlx
- When calling this template, you may pass it a parameter. A template call like Template:Tlx generates: "This section requires expansion with: examples and additional citations."
Expert needed
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
|
|---|
Time-sensitive
Message boxes
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|---|
| Template:Tlx category |
Template:Update |
Inline with article text
- Used within prose to attribute a specific time to information that may quickly become dated, such as population statistics.
- For tagging WP:DATED problems
- For facts that likely will need updating at a specific future date
- For facts that need updating now
Major edits
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|
Contradiction and confusion
Note: Templates relevant for when articles are confusing or hard to understand due specifically to translation issues can be found at Wikipedia:Template index/Translation.
Message boxes
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
|
|---|
Inline with article text
- Use this for specific sentences which contradict themselves or a nearby sentence.
- Use this to mark acronyms and abbreviations that are not written in full at first occurrence.
- Use this to mark statements that are inconsistent with other parts of the article.
- Use this for specific sentences needing clarification.
Importance, relevance, and notability
Message boxes
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
|
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Inline with article text
- Inline version of Template:Tlp
Accuracy, weighting, and neutrality
Truthfulness and factual accuracy
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
|---|
Focus and weighting
Neutrality
Inline with article text
Sources, references, and citations
Biographies of living persons
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow |
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Add, improve, remove
General
Specific
Expansion and cleanup
Inline with article text
- Links to self-sourcing examples
- When the sources copy Wikipedia material directly
- For the subtler case when you suspect the sources are based on facts first published at Wikipedia, but they didn't copy it directly
- For abuse of citations, per Wikipedia:Citation overkill.
- Use when the year of publication of a source is needed
- Use when the date of an event is needed
Links for search
| Template:Tl Template:Lts/ |
Categories
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
|
|---|
Images and other media
For tips on requesting images see: Wikipedia:Requested pictures. Template:See also
- For template messages related to the clean up of images, see: Wikipedia:Template index/File namespace#Format and quality.
Expand and add
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|
Cleanup
Excess
Factual accuracy
AI
Talk pages
- This template should be used on talk pages. Please add one or more subject categories into the template.
- Use of= to add detailed information on the request.
- Use in= to define locations.
Lists
Create
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
|
|---|
Add and expand
Cleanup
- For use in non-list articles or sections where potentially unwanted lists need to be salvaged before being deleted
- To identify a list on Wikipedia that has entries that may be out of scope.
- Use this tag where a list of works is in reverse-chronological order or otherwise contravenes the Wikipedia:Manual of Style (lists of works).
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
- For use in articles with unclear criteria for a list of "famous" or "notable" persons.
Transform
- For use where lists could be better presented as tables.
- Use this tag where a list needs cleanup.
Disputes
- To identify a list on Wikipedia that has content whose truth, factual nature, and/or relevance to the topic is in dispute.
Specific lists
Inline with article text
- For use when a list item is excessively large due to indiscriminate trivia or a need to merge or split
Tables
Create
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes) |
|---|
Cleanup
Wiki tech
Most of these issues are covered in the main Manual of Style.
Links
| Tag | Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow Template:Tlrow
|
|---|
Disambiguation pages
- Use this on a page that links to a large number of disambiguation pages.
- This template is sometimes placed automatically by Template:Noping.
- Use this for disambiguation pages not written according to the style in Wikipedia:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages).
- Replace Template:Tl with this.
- Use this on a page with general links that should be more specific.
Infoboxes
General
- This template should be used on talk pages.
- Also has functionality to indicate that only a section in a page needs one. See the template page for more info.
- This template should be used on talk pages.
- This template should be used on talk pages.
Specific
Templates
Bottom of page
- Use this for articles that aren't linked to from any other pages.
- Place this at the bottom of an uncategoriTemplate:Szed article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.
Other
- If the article needs HTML changed into wiki-markup
- Use this if the article has non-English text but lacks Template:Tl, Template:Tl, or other multilingual support templates.
Other article tags
There are also tags available for:
- merging articles;
- moving articles;
- splitting articles; and
- translation of articles.
Open tasks
Template:Divhide Wikipedia:Backlog lists tasks that should be done to improve Wikipedia (assuming the cleanup templates were placed correctly). Helping reduce backlogs is an important issue, so please feel free to help out. Template:Backlog status Template:Divhide
See also
- Wikipedia:Responsible tagging
- Wikipedia:Tagging pages for problems
- Wikipedia:Twinkle
- Wikipedia:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types
Template:Inline cleanup tags Template:Wikipedia template messages