There are two methods in use for sorting deletion debates at Articles for Deletion. One, WikiProject Deletion sorting, transcludes deletion debates into narrow, topic-specific pages. Sorting in this manner involves an editor placing a template in the debate, and adding the page to the appropriate topic list. A second process, Wikipedia:AfD categories, uses a template to add debates to broad functional categories. Though anyone may sort in this way by changing the template, the vast majority of debates are categorized by the nominator. The processes are complimentary, in that one does not supercede the other. This essay deals with sorting debates using Wikipedia:AfD categories.

The Categories

Debates are added to categories by placing the following template immediately under the heading on the debate's page.

((REMOVE THIS TEMPLATE WHEN CLOSING THIS AfD|?))

...Where "?" is the category code. The code used depends on the topic of the article being nominated, and refers to one of the following categories:

Code Category Topics
cat=M Media and music Includes Broadcast or Print Media, Magazines, Nonfiction Books, Published Music and Music Groups
cat=O Organisation, corporation, or product Includes Student groups, Nonprofit and For-profit corporations, Businesses, and Merchandise.
cat=B Biographical Includes any article about a person or family, ancestry or lineage, and individual animals.
cat=S Society topics Includes any article about Politics, Government, Philospophy, Military Issues (incl. War), Language (incl. Neologisms), Regional or Local Issues, or other Social Phenomena.
cat=W Web or Internet Includes articles dealing with Websites, Internet Infrastructure, Internet Memes, or Software used with or on the Internet.
cat=G Games or sports Includes Board and Video Games or their elements (incl. Hardware and Fictional Characters), Sports, Sports Teams, and Athletic Competitions or Events.
cat=T Science and technology Includes Scientific and Pseudoscientific Theories or Areas of Study, Astronomy, Space Exploration, Inventions, and Technological Advances.
cat=F Fiction and the arts Includes Fiction, Fictional Places, Characters, and concepts, whether in Film, Books, Television, Radio, or other mediums; Theatrical Productions, and other Performing Arts.
cat=P Places and transportation Includes schools of any type, buildings, physical locations, roads, rivers or other waterways, boats, types of vehicle, railroads, aircraft, or other means of transportation.
cat=I Indiscernible or unclassifiable topic Includes articles on topics for which no category is apparent, or articles which are not clear on what their topic actually is. Poorly translated articles may also be included here.
cat=U Debate not yet sorted Includes all articles not yet sorted into one of the other categories, as well as articles where the nominator isn't sure how to categorize the debate. These articles are reviewed and sorted by other editors.

Any input other than one of these single-letter codes (or ?) will place the debate into the unsorted category. Note also that multiple categories cannot be added without also adding multiple copies of the template. So, in order to sort a debate for an article on a former NFL quarterback, which should be B - Biographical, but could also fit G - Sports, one would add these templates:

((REMOVE THIS TEMPLATE WHEN CLOSING THIS AfD|B))
((REMOVE THIS TEMPLATE WHEN CLOSING THIS AfD|G))

This adds the debate to both categories, as well as the AFD Debates category. Adding "BG" to the same template would place the debate under "Unsorted".

Where does my debate go?

Occasionally, you may nominate an article which does not fit one of these broad categories. In most cases, you should sort the debate based on the content of the article, not on its title.

Some unusual (or not so unusual) fictional examples are listed below. Linking an article as an example of the sort of topic that a deletion debate might deal with doesn't indicate any desire for the example article to be deleted.

Example Situation Sort as... Notes
Any Disambiguation page The article disambiguates between multiple articles with the same or similar titles I - Indiscernable or Unclassifiable Topic Listing every category that might apply to any one of the terms disambiguated would defeat the purpose of categorizing the debate. So, if the DAB page disambiguates between articles falling under multiple topics, list it as I - Unclassifiable. If the listed articles all share the same topic, then use that topic - for example, the disambiguation page for Johannesberg lists four cities and a castle, all falling under P - Place.
2007 General Election in (Nation) The article is about an election - who ran, who won, controversy, etc. S - Society Articles about individual candidates would be B - Biographical.
Any Constructed or Artificial Language The article is about an artificially created language. S - Society (Language) Even if the language is artificial, the article doesn't fit F - Fiction, unless the article is about a language created in or for a work of fiction.
Dr. E. Xample (Scientist) The title of the article is a person, but the article is about a scientific theory T - Science An article that is actually about the scientist him/herself would be B - Biographical.
Neologism The article is about a term not yet in widespread use. S - Society (Language) Articles on the topic the word describes would be sorted by that topic.
An Opera House or Theater The article is about a building or location where performances of musicals or operas take place. P - Place The theater company that performs there would fall under O - Company, while the works performed there would fall under F - Fiction and the Arts (Performing Arts) for plays, or M - Music for Opera or Musicals.
Any Online Videogame A video game typically played over the internet G - Games A program such as Gamespy used to set up online games would be W - Internet.
Nonfiction Guide to TV show A book discussing a dramatic television series. M - Media (Printed Book) A news program or other nonfiction program also falls under M - Media. If the show is fiction, it would fall under F - Fiction (Television).
Primary, secondary, or other School Any school, referring to the institution or building itself P - Place The school district would also be P - Place, as it is a geographical area. A group or club from the school, or the school board itself, would be O - Organization.
Athletes Any competitor in any sport, at any level B - Bio Individuals fall under Biographical due to the potential for BLP issues to become relevant. Articles on groups of athletes, teams, mascot characters, or a particular position (as with articles such as Colts Quarterbacks), should all be sorted as G - Sports.
Podcasts Any broadcast-style downloadable or streaming podcast W - Web The podcast may be sorted by topic as well - A music podcast may go to M - Music, A podcast about a TV drama may be F - Fiction, and so forth. Usually, the default is the format, which is web based.
Music Festivals A musical concert or performance M - Music Events notable for unusual or prominent occurances - a riot, for example - might otherwise be sorted as historical events under S - Society. Concerts with some online or interactive component may also fall under W - Web and Internet.
Musicians An individual performer or composer B - Bio Again, the article is about an individual, so it should be Biographical. If the article is primarily (or exclusively) about the individuals music, then a second category of M - Music might also be appropriate.
Software Any Computer Software T - Science and Technology The trend seems to be to include software with technology. Internet-based software would fit under W - Web and Internet, while computer games would best be placed under G - Games. Software companies should generally be placed under O - Company or Organization.

A Note on Neutrality

Nominating an article for deletion can be stressful for the article's author, especially if they are unclear as to the policies that the article doesn't meet. When categorizing articles, take care to assess them from a neutral perspective, taking an objective look at the category that would best describe the topic as it is presented in the article. For example, an article about Global Warming describes a scientific theory, so it would likely go under T - Science and Technology. An article dealing with political or social aspects of global warming would probably fit S - Society as well. Sorting such an article as F - Fiction, however, would be editorializing on the subject, and would likely inflame debate. If the article takes the subject seriously, then the category should reflect this.

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