Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy/Criteria

Speedy criteria

The category-specific criteria for speedy deletion, renaming, or merging are strictly limited to:

C1. Unpopulated categories

that have been unpopulated for at least four days. This does not apply to disambiguation categories, category redirects, featured topics categories, categories under discussion at Wikipedia:Categories for discussion (or other such discussions), or project categories that by their nature may become empty on occasion (e.g. Category:Wikipedians looking for help). Place {{empty category}} at the top of the page to prevent such categories from being deleted.

Tag category with {{db-c1}}.

C2. Renaming or merging

A. Typographic and spelling fixes.

• Correction of spelling errors and capitalization fixes. Differences between British and American spelling (e.g. Harbours → Harbors) are not considered errors; however if the convention of the relevant category tree is to use one form over the other then a rename may be appropriate under C2C below. If both spellings exist as otherwise-identical category names, they should be merged.
• Appropriate conversion of hyphens into en dashes or vice versa. (e.g. Category:Canada-Russia relations → Category:Canada–Russia relations).

B. A rename enforcing established Wikipedia naming conventions and practices.

• Expanding abbreviated country names (e.g. U.S. → United States).
• Disambiguation fixes from an unqualified name (e.g. Category:Washington → Category:Washington (state) or Category:Washington, D.C.)

C. A rename bringing a category into line with established naming conventions for that category tree, or into line with the various "x by y", "x of y", or "x in y" categorization conventions specified at Wikipedia:Category names.

• This should only be used where there is no room for doubt that the category in question is being used for the standard purpose instead of being a potential subcategory.
• This criterion should only be applied when there is no ambiguity or doubt over the existence of a category naming convention. Such a convention must be well defined and must be overwhelmingly used within the tree. If this is not the case then the category in question must be brought forward to a full Cfd nomination.
• This criterion will not apply in cases where the category tree observes distinctions in local usage (e.g. Category:Transportation in the United States and Category:Transport in the United Kingdom).

D. A rename to facilitate concordance between a particular category's name and a related article's name.

• Renaming a topic category to match its eponymous article (e.g. Category:The Beatles and The Beatles).
• This applies only if the related article's current name (and by extension, the proposed name for the category) is unambiguous, and uncontroversial—either due to longstanding stability at that particular name or immediately following a page move discussion which had explicit consensus to rename. If the page names are controversial or ambiguous in any way, then this criterion does not apply.
• This criterion also does not apply if there is any ongoing discussion about the name of the page or category, or if there has been a recent discussion concerning any of the pages which resulted in a no consensus result.

E. Author requests renaming.

• This criterion only applies if the author of a category requests or agrees to renaming within 28 days of creating the category.
• The criterion does not apply if other editors have populated or changed the category since it was created. "Other editors" includes bots, but excludes an editor working with the author on the renaming.

For C2A to C2E, tag category with {{subst:Cfr-speedy|newname}} and list on WP:CFDS. Administrators may implement C2E cases without delay.

For any categories that are not speedy candidates, use Wikipedia:Categories for discussion.