 | This is an explanatory essay about the Wikipedia:Deletion policy. This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. |
 | This page in a nutshell: An editor who makes a suggestion to "merge or delete" an article is someone who believes that Wikipedia's policies and guidelines justify deleting that article, and also believes that merging the article would be an acceptable compromise. Wikipedia should encourage such flexibility to reduce the number of disputes. |
At Wikipedia:Articles for deletion, one of many possible suggestions to deal with inappropriate content is to delete or merge. This is not to be confused with a request to "Merge and delete".
Whereas many articles can be improved through ordinary editing, deleting an article is typically appropriate where the article cannot meet the general notability guideline, where the bulk of the article violates What Wikipedia is not, or where the article is a content fork that attempts to cover the same subject as an existing article.
An editor who is willing to delete or merge is expressing a good faith belief that Wikipedia policies and guidelines provide a sound basis for deleting the article, but that they would also support or consent to a merge if it would produce a consensus. The editor should still be specific and clear on what needs merging.