View source for Wiki143:Page blanking

{{Short description|English Wikipedia project guideline on page blanking}}
{{redirect|WP:BLANK|blank space within a Wikipedia page|Help:Whitespace|guidelines about removing content from user talk-pages|WP:BLANKING}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{subcat guideline|editing guideline|Page blankin|WP:BLANK|WP:PAGEBLANKING}}
{{Nutshell|If you want a page to be deleted, don't blank the page; instead, [[WP:Proposed deletion|request deletion]].}}

'''Page blanking''' means editing a page and removing its content to leave it completely blank, or without any substantial content.

Under normal circumstances, Wikipedia articles should not be blanked. If you think an article has no useful content, then either [[WP:Editing policy#Try to fix problems|fix it]], or else leave it in its present state and [[WP:Proposed deletion|propose it for deletion]]. However, it is acceptable to blank an article for libel or privacy reasons as an emergency measure, as described in the policy on [[Wikipedia:biographies of living persons|biographies of living persons]]. It is also sometimes necessary to blank an article which is a [[WP:Copyvio|copyright violation]] in its entirety – for instructions, see [[WP:Copyright problems|Copyright problems]].

If the sole author blanks an article, this can be taken as a deletion request. It can also be tagged with {{Tl|Db-blanked}}. Newcomers often mistake blanking for deletion. If someone wants their new article deleted, they should simply add {{tl|db-g7}} or {{tl|delete}} to it and an administrator will delete the page.

Page blanking is acceptable in one's own [[WP:User namespace|userspace]]. However, some currently active administrative notices may not be blanked (See [[WP:BLANKING]]). For blanking of inappropriate content in ''other'' editors' userspace, see the section on [[Wikipedia:UP#On others' user pages|fixing other users' pages]] in the userpage guideline.

Occasionally, completed deletion discussions (or other discussions) may be blanked for reasons of privacy or courtesy to individuals. For policy on this, see the section on [[Wikipedia:Deletion policy#Courtesy blanking|courtesy blanking]] in Wikipedia's deletion policy.

If the substantial content of a page has been incorporated into that of another, then the first page can be blanked and replaced with a [[WP:redirect|redirect]] to the second page. For a description of this process, see [[WP:Merging|Merging]].

Repeated, unnecessary page blanking may get a user [[Wikipedia:Blocking policy|blocked]] indefinitely.

To warn users about inappropriate blanking, use {{subst|uw-blank1}}.

==See also==
*[[Wikipedia:Redirect#Redirects that replace previous articles]], a blank-and-redirect
* [[Wikipedia:Blanking userpages of blocked editors is not necessarily gravedancing]]
* [[Wikipedia:Wikipedia is not censored]]
* [[Wikipedia:Editing policy]]
* [[Wikipedia:Content removal]]
* [[Wikipedia:Stealth deletion]]
* [[Wikipedia:Vandalism#Blanking, illegitimate]]