OODA WIKI:Template index/Cleanup

"WP:TC" redirects here. For the OODA WIKI Task Center, see WP:TASKS. For WikiProject Tropical cyclones, see WP:WPTC. For the OODA WIKI Triple Crown, see WP:CROWN.

For general help on tagging pages, see OODA WIKI:Tagging pages for problems.

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 OODA WIKI:Hatnote § Placement). 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=December 2024.

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 do "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 do "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 {{tone}} and {{essay-like}}.

If an article has many problems, tag only the highest priority issues.

A lengthy list is often less helpful than a shorter one.

(See also: OODA WIKI:Tag bombing and OODA WIKI:Tagging pages for problems § Over-tagging)

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 OODA WIKI. Some articles can be tagged for speedy deletion or nominated for a deletion discussion at OODA WIKI: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.

Best practices 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 | found on most keyboards as a shift-backslash ⇧ Shift+\. See the specific template below to determine if such "section use" is supported and appropriate.

Tag consolidation

If too many tags are put at the top of an article, the article can become eclipsed by the tags, especially with short or stub articles. Consider consolidating the tags into {{multiple issues}}.

Cleanup

Overarching copyright issues

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{copypaste}} category links talk edit

Combined message boxes

Do not use this as the only 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) — multiple issues (top of article)
{{multiple issues}} links talk edit

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes) — multiple issues (section)
{{multiple issues|section=yes}} links talk edit

General cleanup

Use one of these general tags when none of the more specific tags fits.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup}} category links talk edit	This applies to general problems not addressed by other tags. Please consider using specific cleanup tags first, as specific tags help other editors to easily identify problems in an article. Use the reason parameter: cleanup|reason= to specify issues identified (it may be a link to comments on the talk page).
{{cleanup AfD}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup AfD Use this tag where an AFD discussion closes with a consensus of "keep and cleanup."
{{cleanup rewrite}} category links talk edit	Use this tag where the whole article needs extensive revision.
{{section rewrite}} category links talk edit	Template:Section rewrite Use this tag where a section needs extensive revision. (This is the same cleanup rewrite tag with section parameter enabled)
{{cleanup section}} category links talk edit	Use this tag where the remaining sections of an article need cleanup.

Copy editing

Some articles just need someone with a good grasp of editing technique to give them a once-over.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{copy edit}} category links talk edit	Template:Copy edit
{{copy edit section}} category links talk edit	Template:Copy edit section
{{verify spelling}} category links talk edit

Inline with article text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{Copy edit inline}} category links talk edit	Template:Copy edit inline This template tags a statement for basic copyediting, and should be placed after the statement.

Cleanup of specific subjects

These templates are all "general cleanup" templates, but tie into a specific subject matter or WikiProjects.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{CIA World Factbook only}} category links talk edit	Template:CIA World Factbook only
{{cleanup book}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup book
{{cleanup Congress bio}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup Congress bio
{{cleanup film}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup film
{{cleanup school}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup school
{{cleanup higher education}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup higher education
{{game guide}} category links talk edit	Template:Game guide
{{game trivia}} category links talk edit	Template:Game trivia
{{localist}} category links talk edit	Template:Localist
{{metricate}} category links talk edit
{{USRD-wrongdir}} category links talk edit	Template:USRD-wrongdir

Fiction

See also: OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Writing about fiction

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{all plot}} category links talk edit	Template:All plot
{{fiction}} category links talk edit	Template:Fiction This is not for factual or accuracy disputes.
{{in-universe}} category links talk edit	Template:In-universe See template documentation for list of topic-specific sub-templates.
{{long plot}} category links talk edit	Template:Long plot
{{more plot}} category links talk edit
{{no plot}} category links talk edit	Template:No plot

Inline with article text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{needs IPA}} category links talk edit	Template:Needs IPA

Style of writing

See also: OODA WIKI:Five pillars, OODA WIKI:What OODA WIKI is not, and OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Words to watch

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{abbreviations}} category links talk edit	Template:Abbreviations
{{advert}} category links talk edit
{{buzzword}} category links talk edit
{{cleanup-PR}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup-PR
{{cleanup tense}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup tense
{{debate}} category links talk edit	Template:Debate
{{essay-like}} category links talk edit
{{excessive examples}} category links talk edit
{{how-to}} category links talk edit
{{inappropriate person}} category links talk edit	Template:Inappropriate person
{{like resume}} category links talk edit
{{manual}} category links talk edit
{{obituary}} category links talk edit	Template:Obituary
{{over-quotation}} category links talk edit	Template:Over-quotation
{{peacock}} category links talk edit	Template:Peacock
{{pro and con list}} category links talk edit	Template:Pro and con list
{{repetition}} category links talk edit	Template:Repetition
{{research paper}} category links talk edit	Template:Research paper
{{review}} category links talk edit	Template:Review
{{speculation}} category links talk edit	Template:Speculation
{{story}} category links talk edit	Template:Story
{{technical}} category links talk edit
{{tone}} category links talk edit
{{travel guide}} category links talk edit
{{verbosity}} category links talk edit	Template:Verbosity

Structure, formatting and sections

See also: Help:Section, OODA WIKI:Manual of Style (headings), and OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Layout

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup reorganize}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup reorganize
{{copy edit}} category links talk edit	Template:Copy edit
{{duplication}} category links talk edit	Template:Duplication
{{importance section}} category links talk edit	Template:Importance section
{{organize section}} category links talk edit	Template:Organize section
{{overcolored}} category links talk edit	Template:Overcolored
{{overcoloured}} category links talk edit	Template:Overcoloured
{{sections}} category links talk edit	Template:Sections
{{summarize section}} category links talk edit	Template:Summarize section
{{Too many sections}} category links talk edit
{{too many see alsos}} category links talk edit	Template:Too many see alsos
{{trivia}} category links talk edit	Template:Trivia
{{very long}} category links talk edit

Introduction

See also: OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Lead section

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{Improve lead}} category links talk edit	Template:Improve lead
{{lead extra info}} category links talk edit	Template:Lead extra info
{{lead missing}} category links talk edit	Template:Lead missing
{{lead rewrite}} category links talk edit
{{lead too long}} category links talk edit
{{lead too short}} category links talk edit
{{POV lead}} category links talk edit	Template:POV lead

Potentially unwanted content

See also: OODA WIKI:What OODA WIKI is not

Message boxes

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{AI generated}} category links talk edit	Template:AI generated
{{cleanup list}} category links talk edit	For use in articles or sections where potentially unwanted lists need to be salvaged before being deleted
{{cleanup red links}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup red links
{{close paraphrasing}} category links talk edit	Template:Close paraphrasing
{{copypaste}} category links talk edit
{{criticism section}} category links talk edit
{{external links}} category links talk edit
{{further reading cleanup}} category links talk edit
{{in popular culture}} category links talk edit
{{MOS}} category links talk edit	Template:MOS
{{non-free}} category links talk edit	Template:Non-free
{{overlinked}} category links talk edit	Template:Overlinked
{{schedule}} category links talk edit	Template:Schedule
{{trivia}} category links talk edit	Template:Trivia

Inline with article text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{peacock term}} category links talk edit	Template:Peacock term See also: WP:PEACOCK
{{spam link}} category links talk edit
{{weasel inline}} category links talk edit	Template:Weasel inline

Context, statistics and detail

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{context}} category links talk edit
{{generalize}} category links talk edit	Template:Generalize
{{human-centric}} category links talk edit	Template:Human-centric
{{overly detailed}} category links talk edit
{{Too many charts}} category links talk edit	Template:Too many charts
{{specific}} category links talk edit	Template:Specific
{{time-context}} category links talk edit	Template:Time-context

Off-topic

Articles occasionally contain content which is otherwise valid, but appears unrelated to the nominal topic of the article.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{off topic}} category links talk edit	Also takes "other article" parameter

Expand and add

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{biblio}} category links talk edit	Template:Biblio
{{cleanup biography}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup biography
{{expand section}} category links talk edit	When calling this template, you may pass it a parameter. A template call like {{expand section|examples and additional citations}} generates: "This section requires expansion with: examples and additional citations."
{{formula missing descriptions}} category links talk edit	Template:Formula missing descriptions
{{kmposts}} category links talk edit	Template:Kmposts Place above road junction lists that do not contain kilometreposts.
{{lacking ISBN}} category links talk edit	Template:Lacking ISBN Place {{lacking ISBN|date=December 2024}} at the head of the relevant section(s). Remember that books published before 1974 may not have ISBNs (though more recent editions should).
{{lacking overview}} category links talk edit	Template:Lacking overview
{{mileposts}} category links talk edit	Template:Mileposts Place above road junction lists that do not contain mileposts.
{{missing information}} category links talk edit	When calling this template, you must pass it a parameter. A template call like {{Missing information|why bananas are yellow}} generates "This article is missing information about why bananas are yellow."
{{expand language}} category links talk edit	Typically used as one of 170 language-specific templates such as {{Expand Italian|date=December 2024}}

Expert needed

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{expert needed}} category links talk edit	Template:Expert needed Before adding this template, start a section on the article discussion page describing what you wish the expert to address, and put the section name in the |talk= parameter. {{Expert needed talk}} may be used on the talk page for this purpose.

Time-sensitive

See also: OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers and Category:Temporal templates

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{time-context}} category links talk edit	Template:Time-context
{{update}} category links talk edit
{{update|inaccurate=y}} category

Inline with article text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{clarify timeframe}} category links talk edit	For tagging WP:DATED problems
{{update after}} category links talk edit	For facts that need updating now or at a specific future date
{{update inline}} category links talk edit	For facts that need updating
{{as of}} category links talk edit	Used within prose to attribute a specific time to potentially outdated statements. As of {{{1}}}

Major edits

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{under construction}} category links talk edit	Template:Under construction
{{in use}} category links talk edit	Template:In use
{{recently revised}} category links talk edit	Template:Recently revised

Contradiction and confusion

Note: Templates relevant for when articles are confusing or hard to understand due specifically to translation issues can be found at OODA WIKI:Template index/Translation.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{confusing}} category links talk edit	Use this tag in articles that need broad cleanup to eliminate confusion and discrepancies.
{{contradicts other}} category links talk edit
{{contradicts others}} category links talk edit	Use these tags in articles that appear to contradict themselves or each other.
{{incomprehensible}} category links talk edit	Template:Incomprehensible
{{misleading}} category links talk edit	Template:Misleading Use this tag when the article is not factually wrong, but leads the reader to draw incorrect conclusions.
{{self-contradictory}} category links talk edit	Template:Self-contradictory
{{unclear date}} category links talk edit	Template:Unclear date
{{unfocused}} category links talk edit	Template:Unfocused Use this tag when the writing is clear, but the article as a whole doesn't concentrate on a single theme.

Inline with article text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{contradict-inline}} category links talk edit	Template:Contradict-inline Use this for specific sentences which contradict themselves or a nearby sentence.
{{expand acronym}} links talk edit	Template:Expand acronym Use this to mark acronyms and abbreviations that are not written in full at first occurrence.
{{inconsistent}} category links talk edit	Template:Inconsistent Use this to mark statements that are inconsistent with other parts of the article.
{{vague}} category links talk edit	Use this for specific sentences needing clarification.

Content forks

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{bad summary}} category links talk edit	Template:Bad summary
{{duplication}} category links talk edit	Template:Duplication

Importance and notability

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{importance inline}} links talk edit	inline version of {{importance section}}
{{importance section}} links talk edit	Template:Importance section
{{notability}} category links talk edit	Template:Notability An optional parameter can be added to specify the applicable guideline; e.g.: {{notability|biographies}}, {{notability|fiction}}. See the template documentation for a list of supported values.

Neutrality and factual accuracy

See also: OODA WIKI:Neutral point of view, OODA WIKI:Dispute resolution, and OODA WIKI:Verifiability

Message boxes

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{autobiography}} category links talk edit	Template:Autobiography
{{cherry-picked}} category links talk edit	Template:Cherry-picked
{{coatrack}} category links talk edit	Template:Coatrack
{{COI}} category links talk edit
{{disputed}} category links talk edit
{{disputed section}} category links talk edit	Template:Disputed section
{{geographical imbalance}} category links talk edit	Template:Geographical imbalance
{{globalize}} category links talk edit
{{hoax}} category links talk edit	Template:Hoax
{{peacock}} category links talk edit	Template:Peacock
{{political POV}} category links talk edit	Template:Political POV
{{POV}} category links talk edit
{{POV lead}} category links talk edit	Template:POV lead
{{POV section}} category links talk edit
{{recentism}} category links talk edit	Template:Recentism
{{systemic bias}} category links talk edit	Template:Systemic bias
{{unbalanced}} category links talk edit	Template:Unbalanced
{{undisclosed paid}} category links talk edit	Template:Undisclosed paid
{{undue weight}} category links talk edit
{{weasel}} category links talk edit	Template:Weasel

Inline with superimposed text

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{according to whom}} category links talk edit	For weasel words ("It was said..." It was thought...")
{{clarify}} category links talk edit	Do not use without first taking some steps to research the apparent problem
{{contentious label inline}} category links talk edit	Template:Contentious label inline
{{dubious}} category links talk edit
{{editorializing}} category links talk edit	Template:Editorializing
{{excessive citations inline}} category links talk edit	For abuse of citations, per OODA WIKI:Citation overkill. Template:Excessive citations inline
{{original research inline}} category links talk edit
{{POV statement}} category links talk edit
{{unbalanced opinion}} category links talk edit	Template:Unbalanced opinion
{{undue weight inline}} category links talk edit	Template:Undue weight inline
{{when}} category links talk edit	For ambiguous or vague time references of various kinds.
{{who}} category links talk edit	For weasel words ("Many say..." Some people think...")

Verifiability and sources

See also: OODA WIKI:Verifiability, OODA WIKI:No original research, OODA WIKI:Reliable sources, and OODA WIKI:Citing sources

Categories

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{disputed category}} category links talk edit	Template:Disputed category
{{improve categories}} category links talk edit	Template:Improve categories
{{recategorize}} category links talk edit	Template:Recategorize
{{uncategorized}} category links talk edit	Place this at the bottom of an uncategorized article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.
{{unreferenced category}} category links talk edit	Template:Unreferenced category

Images and other media

For tips on requesting images see: OODA WIKI:Requested pictures.

See also: Help:Files, Help:Pictures, OODA WIKI:Images, OODA WIKI:Uploading images, OODA WIKI:File copyright tags, and OODA WIKI:Image use policy

• For template messages related to the clean up of images, see: OODA WIKI:Template index/File namespace#Format and quality.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{audio requested}} category links talk edit	Template:Audio requested
{{cleanup gallery}} links talk edit	Template:Cleanup gallery
{{cleanup images}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup images
{{diagram requested}} category links talk edit	Template:Diagram requested This template should be used on talk pages.
{{image captions for cleanup}} category links talk edit	Template:Image captions for cleanup
{{image requested}} category links talk edit	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.
{{map requested}} category links talk edit	Template:Map requested This template should be used on talk pages.
{{too many photos}} category links talk edit	Template:Too many photos

Lists

See also: OODA WIKI:Manual of Style/Lists

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup list}} category links talk edit	For use in non-list articles or sections where potentially unwanted lists need to be salvaged before being deleted
{{create list}} category links talk edit	Template:Create list Use this tag where an article needs to be changed into list format.
{{disputed list}} category links talk edit	Template:Disputed list To identify a list on OODA WIKI that has content whose truth, factual nature, and/or relevance to the topic is in dispute.
{{example farm}} category links talk edit	For use in non-list articles where too much of the content is composed of "examples", "references in popular culture", and the like.
{{famous}} category links talk edit	Template:Famous For use in articles with unclear criteria for a list of "famous" or "notable" persons.
{{fiction trivia}} category links talk edit	Template:Fiction trivia 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.)
{{in popular culture}} category links talk edit	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.)
{{list entry too long}} category links talk edit	Template:List entry too long For use when a list item is excessively large due to indiscriminate trivia or a need to merge or split
{{list scope}} category links talk edit	Template:List scope To identify a list on OODA WIKI that has entries that may be out of scope.
{{list to table}} category links talk edit	Template:List to table For use where lists could be better presented as tables.
{{MOSLOW}} category links talk edit	Template:MOSLOW Use this tag where a list of works is in reverse-chronological order or otherwise contravenes the OODA WIKI:Manual of Style (lists of works).
{{prose}} category links talk edit	Use this tag where a list needs cleanup.

Wiki tech

Most of these issues are covered in the main Manual of Style.

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup HTML}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup HTML If the article needs HTML changed into wiki-markup
{{cleanup lang}} category links talk edit	Template:Cleanup lang If the article has non-English text but lacks {{Lang}}, {{transl}} or other multilingual support templates.
{{dablinks}} category links talk edit	Template:Dablinks Use this on a page that links to a large number of disambiguation pages. This template is sometimes placed automatically by Template:Noping.
{{dead end}} category links talk edit	Template:Dead end Use this to mark articles or sections that completely lack internal links.
{{disambiguation cleanup}} category links talk edit	Template:Disambiguation cleanup Use this for disambiguation pages not written according to the style in OODA WIKI:Manual of Style (disambiguation pages). Replace {{disambiguation}} with this.
{{incoming links}} category links talk edit	Template:Incoming links Use this on a page with general links that should be more specific.
{{orphan}} category links talk edit	Template:Orphan Use this for articles that aren't linked to from any other pages.
{{uncategorized}} category links talk edit	Place this at the bottom of an uncategorized article/category if you are unsure of which categories apply.
{{underlinked}} category links talk edit	Template:Underlinked Use this to mark articles or sections with too few internal links.

Infobox needed

See also: Help:Infobox and Category:Infobox templates

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{infobox requested}} category links talk edit	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.
{{new infobox}} category links talk edit	This template should be used on talk pages.
{{single infobox request}} category links talk edit	Template:Single infobox request This template should be used on talk pages.

Infobox cleanup needed

Tag	Text that will be shown (and usage notes)
{{cleanup infobox}} category links talk edit

Other article tags

There are also tags available for:

• merging articles;
• moving articles;
• splitting articles; and
• translation of articles.

Open tasks

Template:Divhide OODA WIKI:Backlog lists tasks that should be done to improve OODA WIKI (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

• OODA WIKI:Responsible tagging
• OODA WIKI:Tagging pages for problems
• OODA WIKI:Twinkle
• OODA WIKI:WikiProject Stub sorting/Stub types