View source for Wiki143:WikiProject Red Link Recovery

{{Short description|Wikimedia subject-area collaboration}}
{{WikiProject status|Defunct|parent=Wikipedia|sc1=WP:RLR}}
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'''''See [[Wikipedia:Red link]] for how-to info and links to updated todo lists.'''''

== Introduction ==
In [[Wikipedia]], [[WP:editor|editor]]s add [[WP:link|link]]s to [[WP:article|article]]s where they think a [[WP:reader|reader]] might want to know more about something. Where links are [[blue link|blue]], readers can click on them to see a more detailed article on that subject. However, when Wikipedia doesn't contain an article for a particular link, it shows up as a red link ([[like this one]]).

Red links are not always bad, as explained at [[Wikipedia:Red link]]. However, Wikipedia's [[user experience]] is better when red links are managed appropriately. '''WikiProject Red Link Recovery''' is a [[WP:project|WikiProject]] looking at all methods of reducing the number of unnecessary red links in Wikipedia.

They can exist for one of several reasons:

* Wikipedia doesn't have an article on the linked subject ...
** ... because one should exist, but nobody has started it yet.
** ... because an administrator [[WP:Viewing deleted articles|deleted the article]] and did not remove backlinks afterwards.
** ... because the subject doesn't meet Wikipedia's [[Wikipedia:notability|notability]] guidelines (though it might be part of an article with larger scope).
** ... because the link makes no sense — it may be a mistake or [[WP:vandalism|vandalism]].
* Wikipedia does have an article on the linked subject, but under a different title ...
** ... maybe the editor just typed its name incorrectly.
** ... maybe the spelling of the article name in the (red) [[hyperlink]] '''used to be''' correct, but someone "moved" '''([[Wikipedia:Moving a page|re-named]])''' the target article, without first being diligent enough about checking "[[Special:WhatLinksHere|What links here]]" and updating as appropriate. (This probably happens more often with changes to names of '''sections''', than with changes to names of '''articles.'''  An editor could easily forget that a '''section''' can be mentioned in a [[hyperlink]] [[cross-reference]] — such as the link from [[Retting]] to [[Jute#Production]]. Links to nonexistent sections are not red links, however, so long as the named article exists.) 
** ... it might be hard to find because it is stored under an unusual title and needs to be [[WP:move|moved]].
** ... perhaps alternative names need to be given to the article using [[WP:redirect|redirect]]s.

== Tools ==
* [[/Lists|List of lists of red links]] - these can often benefit from being tidied up by checking for close-matching titles.
<!-- * The [http://toolserver.org/~tb/RLE/index.php Red Link explorer] tool on the [[WP:toolserver|toolserver]] can be used to browse all red links. ([[/Red_link_explorer|Discuss]]) -->
* ''Outdated lists used prior to the above tools can be viewed at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Red Link Recovery/Old lists here]]''.

== [[Image:Nuvola apps kdmconfig.png|20px]] Participants ==
The list of past and present participants in this project can be found at [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Red Link Recovery/Participants]].

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There is also a project userbox:
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| {{suppress categories|{{User WikiProject Red Link Recovery}}}}
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== Related ==
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Missing encyclopedic articles]]
* [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Women in Red]]
* [[/Most red links|Most red links]] – Articles containing the greatest number of red links
* [[Wikipedia:Most-wanted articles]] – The most common targets of red links
* [[:Category:Wikipedia red link lists]] – Lists of red links meeting certain criteria
* [[Wikipedia:Templates with red links]] – Red links in templates are likely to represent red links in many articles.
* [[Wikipedia:Requested articles]]
* [[Wikipedia:Link rot]] – A project of similar scope, but for external links as opposed to internal links
* [[Wikipedia:TOPRED]] – The most-visited red links (no longer updated after July 2016)

== Sub-pages ==
* [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Red Link Recovery]] – The general project discussion page
* [[/RLRL]] and [[/Unlikely links]] – Discussion pages for these two tools
* [[/Stats]] – Data about numbers of red links and historical work done by project members

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[[Category:Wikipedia WikiProjects|Red Link Recovery]]
[[Category:WikiProject Red Link Recovery| ]]
[[Category:Wikipedia link cleanup]]