I wrote this in 2008. Deletion processes have changed some. In particular, I'm more willing to go along with a WP:PROD as long as the creator is notified and the deletion log indicates that a WP:REFUND is available just for the asking. davidwr/(talk)/(contribs) 23:05, 28 April 2014 (UTC)

This is an essay. It contains the advice or opinions of one or more Wikipedia contributors. This page is not an encyclopedia article, nor is it one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines, as it has not been thoroughly vetted by the community. Some essays represent widespread norms; others only represent minority viewpoints.

When to use what kind of deletion:

Speedy deletion

Speedy deletion should only be used when:

• An article qualifies for speedy deletion AND:

• Deletion is required by another policy such as WP:Copyright or WP:Biography of living persons.
• OR Deletion is requested or required by WP:Office or an official of the Wikimedia Foundation or of the English Wikipedia, acting in his official capacity.
• OR If taken to AFD, it is reasonably obvious that it would be deleted with virtually no opposition other than the original author and no expectation that the article would be improved enough to pass AFD. See WP:SNOW.

Proposed deletion

Proposed deletion should be used only when:

• Speedy Deletion is not indicated
• AND it's very unlikely that anybody will object to the deletion, now or in the future
• AND it's not being used as an underhanded way to "sneak through" a deletion
• AND if it were to go to ariticles for deletion (AfD) just for the sake of having a discussion, there would not be any discussion of any long-lasting importance nor would there be any effort to improve the article.

Articles for deletion

Articles for deletion should be used when:

• Neither Speedy Deletion nor Proposed Deletion is indicated and the article cannot be improved enough to meet Wikipedia standards.
• OR A proposed deletion has been contested or a speedy deletion has been declined.

To put it another way, go directly to AfD when:

• It does not qualify for speedy deletion and a prod is likely to be contested.
• OR it is not mandatory to delete the material immediately AND

• a proposed deletion is likely to be contested
• OR the resulting AFD discussion would prove useful

Fix or redirect rather than tag

The preferred alternative in any deletion situation is to improve the article so it meets Wikipedia content standards. This isn't always possible or practical, which is why we have deletion.

A less-preferred alternative is to redirect the link to a closely-related article. This is not always practical as there is not always a sensible redirect target, or the presence of the redirect would itself be harmful to the project or would likely be removed under redirects for discussion.