Help:Merging pages

Shortcut H:MERGE

Merging pages is the process by which two or more pages are combined into a single page. This is done by copying some or all of the content from the source page(s) into the destination page and then either replacing the source page with a redirect, or if only a section of the source page was merged, a link through to the destination page.

When performing a merge, it is important that talk pages are reconciled, and copied content is properly attributed, as required by Bulbapedia's license. This page details how to do this correctly.

Contents

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• (Return to top)
• Reasons for merging
• Proposing a merge
  • Step 1: Create a discussion
  • Step 2: Tag the relevant pages
  • Step 3: Discuss the merge
  • Step 4: Close the merge discussion and determine consensus
  • Step 5: Perform the merge
• See also

Contents

Reasons for merging

There are several good reasons to merge pages:

• There are two or more pages on exactly, or broadly, the same topic. These topics have enough overlap that they don't need their own articles, and merging them would make for a more comprehensive page.
• Pages that are extremely short. If a page is very short (one or two sentences), and there is no real prospect of it being expanded, merging it into a page on a broader topic may be appropriate.
• Insufficient notability. Some topics may not reach Bulbapedia's notability requirements; merging can be an alternative to deletion in these circumstances.

Merging should be avoided if:

• The resulting article would be too long.
• The separate pages could be expanded with missing information about their subject into longer, more comprehensive, articles.
• The topics are discrete subjects that warrant their own articles. Each topic meets Bulbapedia's notability requirements, even if the articles are short.

Proposing a merge

To propose a merge, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a discussion

On the talk page of the destination page, if it exists, add a new section with the heading ==Merge with X== (replacing X with the name of the other affected page or pages). If the destination talk page doesn't exist, use a source talk page instead. Include details of your proposal, including a list of (and links to) the affected pages, and your rationale for the merge.

Talk page sections should only be added onto talk pages of existing articles, and there should not be more than one talk page section detailing the same merge proposal.

A talk page discussion must be started for the merger proposal to be considered.

Step 2: Tag the relevant pages

Add the {{Merge}} template to the affected articles. It should be placed above the article text and any infobox template present, but below any PrevNext or disambiguation templates at the top of the page.

The Merge template should reference all involved articles. Do not forget to start a discussion on the article's talk page outlining the reason for the nomination. Any pages with this template will automatically be added to Category:Candidates for merging.

Step 3: Discuss the merge

Make sure to follow the talk page policy and the code of conduct. Stay on topic, use proper formatting, and be clear and concise. Try to reach a common consensus, giving everyone an appropriate amount of time to participate.

Step 4: Close the merge discussion and determine consensus

During the discussion, a consensus may emerge to either proceed with the merge or leave things as they are.

Either way, closing the discussion involves summing up the results of the discussion in the relevant talk page section (including the resulting actions, if any), as well as removing any merge templates from affected pages.

If the consensus calls for a merge to be performed, the editor closing the discussion and removing the templates should additionally perform the actual merge (as outlined below).

Step 5: Perform the merge

1. Copy all or some of the content from the source page(s) and paste the content in an appropriate location at the destination page. Don't just redirect the source page without copying any content if any good content from the source page exists. Publish the edit, and leave the following edit summary (a link to the source article is required by copyright):

Merged content from [[SOURCE PAGE]] to here. See [[Talk:MERGE DISCUSSION SECTION]].

Ideally, do any necessary copyediting and rearranging in a separate, second edit rather than when you first paste the moved text (to simplify attribution). In practice, this means: Copy and paste all the content you want to transfer; publish the page with the required edit summary (even if it duplicates parts or looks a bit messy at this stage; you can use {{inuse}} if you want to let others know you'll be fixing it right away); then edit the page a second time to clean it up.

2. Redirect the source page whose content was just merged by replacing everything with the following:

#REDIRECT [[DESTINATION PAGE#section]]

(If just a section of the source page is being merged, then just remove that section from the source page instead).

Publish the page, and leave the following edit summary:

Merged content to [[DESTINATION PAGE#section]]. See [[Talk:MERGE DISCUSSION SECTION]].

3. Fix any resulting double redirects found at Special:WhatLinksHere.

4. Tag the top of the destination page's talk page with {{merged-from|SOURCE PAGE|date=CURRENT DATE}} and the top of the source pages' talk page(s) with {{merged-to|DESTINATION PAGE|date=CURRENT DATE}}.

See also

• Category:Candidates for merging

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