User:Ryan Norton/Moving policy

Normally, one can just move pages normally using the move function of mediawiki, which in the default skin of wikipedia can be accessed by the [Move] tab at the top of every page. One can look at Help:Renaming (moving) a page for more on this. However, sometimes an editor cannot move a page without assistance, either because the editor does not have access the move function, the editor is not registered, the destination page contains a history, or the move is controversial. In many of these cases assistance from an administrator may be required. Only administrators have the ability to move over pages with a history, as this requires deletion.

There are several kinds of moves. First, there are "Speedy moves", moves that do not need to be discussed, because they meet certain criteria (eg obvious or well-sourced misspelling), and these can generally be done as soon as possible, although it for some reason administrator assistance is required the page should be listed on Requested moves. Second, there are "Controversial Moves", moves that should be discussed by users interested in the article, and these should generally be discussed beforehand to try to reach a consensus, and when a consensus is reached the page should be moved, either normally or through requested moves. Finally, there are "Highly Controversial Moves", moves that would violate naming conventions or for other reasons should act as a type of test case, and these should be discussed beforehand also, as administrators on requested moves will not move these pages without a consensus on the issue. For highly controversial moves administrators may require a higher then normal amount of people supporting the move when determining if there is a consensus.

After a page is listed on requested moves, several things can happen. First, if the move is a "Speedy move", then it will most likely be moved quickly, maybe even the same day. "Controversial Moves" generally require at least a five day delay, and "Highly Controversial Moves" could be even longer, although it is recommended with controversial moves to discuss it before listing it on requested moves.

What to do when you want to move
Read the following table to find out what to do when you want to move something:

Double redirects
When moving a page be sure to clean up the Double redirects left behind. Note that if a page is listed on Requested moves an administrator may not do this, so it is generally the responsability of the nominator to clean up the double redirects that result from the move.

How to list a page for moving on requested moves

 * The 3 steps to listing an article for moving: Requested moves

"Listed for moving" notice
When you list a page on Articles for deletion, it is required that the nominator let people know it might be moved. The way to do this is to place above the contant of the page's talk page, where "newname" is the desired name of the page, which expands to:

It has been proposed below that : be renamed and moved to newname.

The proposed move should have been noted at Requested moves. Discussion and voting to support or oppose the move should appear somewhere on this talk page, usually under the heading "Requested move." If, after a few days, a clear consensus for the page move has been reached, please move the article and remove this notice, or request further assistance.  Maintenance Use Only: &#123;{subst:WP:RM||newname|}} 

For controversial page moves, it is recommended that the notice also be placed above the content of the article in addition to the talk page to provide extra notification for readers.

Listing a page on the requested moves page
To enter a request for a single page to be moved to a new name, add a line at the top of the section under the date line:
 *  * Talk:PageName – PageName &rarr; NewName – {reason for move} &mdash; ~ 

A handy way to do this is to write the following on an empty line:

which will include all the necessary formatting (do not forget the "subst:").

For single page moves with more than one option for the destination name:
 *  * Talk:page to be moved -- page to be moved to new page or new page two etc -- {brief reason for move} ~ 

For block moves:
 *  * Talk:page to be moved -- page to be moved 1 to target page 1 
 *  ** page to be moved n to target page n 
 *  ** ... {more requests} 
 *  ** {brief reason for move} ~ 

An example of how to request to move a block of pages:
 * Talk:The Levellers -- Levellers to Levellers (disambiguation)
 * The Levellers to Levellers
 * the word "The" should be removed from the Levellers page. -- ~

Another example of how to request to move a block of pages:
 * Talk:Third world -- First world to First World,
 * Second world to Second World and
 * Third world to Third World
 * This was a move made earlier in the year as a block move, after listing on this page because all three were blocked by edits to the target pages -- ~

Commenting on a listing for moving
When someone has listed an article for moving, anyone else may comment on the request on the talk page of the article. When expressing an opinion, please include your opinion, your reasoning, and sign with  (four consecutive tilde characters). Discussion can take the form of anything that's easy for an administrator to determine consensus. If one does not already exist, create a section on the talk page of the page you want moved for discussion. This can take any form that is reasonable for administrators to follow, but copying the following is highly recommended:

 ==Requested move==

 The reasons for move copied from the entry on the WP:RM page including the source and destination page(s)  :Add *Support, *Oppose or *Comment followed by an explanation, then sign your vote with &lt;nowiki&gt;~&lt;/nowiki&gt;

The following are the suggested shorthands for comments in the area:
 * Support
 * Oppose
 * Comment

Comments with nothing else besides Merge, Keep or another Articles for Deletion-style comment are likely to be discarded.

Decision Policy
At the end of five days or sooner if determined by an admin, if a rough consensus has been reached to move the page, the page will be moved to the requested destination. Otherwise the page remains in the same place.

Please do not remove any statements from any of the discussion on the talk page related to the requested move. If you suspect an opinion of being stated by a sockpuppet or being otherwise invalid, mark it as such with a comment, and any pertinent links, and leave it there. The admin who reviews the discussion will investigate and decide whether or not to take that opinion into account. By not removing any opinion, we ensure that there can be no arguments over who removed what and why.

Deletion guidelines for administrators expands on this and provides a little rationale.

Early Closing of requested moves
If a move that is requested can be performed by a user and does not require an admin, it is encouraged for the user to do so if the move is uncontroversial.

When the move is completed
At the end of the five days, the results of the requested move discussions are be moved off the main requested moves page onto a archive at Requested moves/Old.

Things to consider
In discussing a page move, or making a move request, please consider following Wikipedia policies and guidelines:
 * Naming conventions
 * Proper names
 * Manual of Style
 * Disambiguation
 * Neutral point of view
 * Don't disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point
 * How to hold a consensus vote
 * WikiProject Rivers
 * If a river page is to be moved, add a mention of the move under Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Rivers/Naming
 * WikiProject Numbers
 * If a number page is to be moved, add a mention of the move under Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Numbers
 * Naming conventions (names and titles)
 * If European monarchical titles or noble titles are involved, add a mention of the move under Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (names and titles)