View source for Information:Orphan

{{About|the complete how-to guide for "Orphaned articles"|the related WikiProject|BattleTechWiki:WikiProject Orphanage}}
{{Infopage|BTW:O|BTW:ORPH}}

An '''orphan''' is defined as "an article with no links from other pages in the main article namespace." These are pages can still be found by searching BattleTechWiki, but it is preferable for them to also be reachable via links from related pages. Adding links from suitable pages with similar or related information is helpful. De-orphaning articles is a vital aspect of BattleTechWiki for multiple reasons.

== What is an orphan? == 
An article or page may be considered an orphan for several reasons:

* '''Orphaned article''': An article with no incoming links meeting the '''[[#Criteria|criteria for linking]]''' below.

* '''Isolated article''': An article not reachable through a series of links starting from the Main Page.

* '''Orphaned project page''': A [[BattleTechWiki:Project namespace|project page]] with few or no links from other project pages.

* '''Orphaned image''': An image not used in any article.

Editors sometimes use "orphan" more loosely to refer to pages that lack sufficient incoming links, even if they do not meet the strict definition of an orphan.


== Why are orphaned articles a problem? == 
Orphaned articles are difficult to find because they lack links from other pages. They receive less readership and improvement and are often found only through direct search or by chance. This is particularly problematic for obscure topics. Without links, the primary ways to discover such articles are:

* Direct search using the article name.

* Browsing categories or edit histories.

* Using the [[Special:Random|Random article]] feature.

== Criteria == 
{{Anchor|C}}
The criteria for incoming links are covered by the below listings:

The following pages '''do not count''' as incoming links:

* [[BTW:DAB|Disambiguation pages]].

* Links in [[BTW:hatnote|hatnotes]] only.

* [[BattleTechWiki:Redirect|Redirects]] and [[BattleTechWiki:Soft redirect|soft redirects]], except for links to redirects.

* [[BTW:DISCUSSION|Discussion pages]].

* Pages outside the main article namespace.

The following pages '''do count''' as incoming links:

* Articles in the main namespace, except those excluded above.

* [[BattleTechWiki:Stand-alone lists|List of...]] articles.

== Suggestions for de-orphaning an article == 
{{shortcut|BTW:DE-ORPHAN}}
De-orphaning involves adding meaningful links from related articles to the orphaned page.

* Step 1: Finding an orphaned article, by checking these sources for orphaned articles:
** [[:Category:Orphaned articles]] — A list of tagged orphaned articles.
** [[Special:LonelyPages]] — A page listing orphaned articles.
* Step 2: Finding related articles, by doing one or more of the following:
** Use the "What links here" tool to identify potential links.
** Search for related terms in categories or via external search engines.
** Review related articles' "See also" sections.
* Step 3: Adding links. When adding links:
** Ensure links are relevant and contextually appropriate.
** Use edit summaries like:
<syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">Adding link to orphaned article, Wikiproject Orphanage: [[BattleTechWiki:ORPHAN|You can help!]]</syntaxhighlight>
* Step 4: Remove the orphan tag. Once sufficient links are added, remove the orphan tag and update the edit summary to reflect de-orphaning.

=== What if I can't de-orphan it? ===
Some articles may remain orphans due to limited related topics. In such cases:

* Focus on improving the article itself.
* Add categories, redirects, or tags for other editors to review later.

==== Tagging the attempt ====
If you have attempted de-orphaning a page and failed to do so, let your fellow editors know by
updating the {{Tl|Orphan}} tag with: <code>|{Orphan|att=DATEOFTHEATTEMPT}}</code>. If there are already other cleanup tags and they're within the {{Tl|Multiple issues}} template no special considerations are generally required.

There are several benefits of using the de-orphan attempt (att) parameter. It is a placemarker for those trying to do initial de-orphaning (i.e., indicates that somebody tried it and when). Also, articles where de-orphaning was tried quite some time ago may be easier now (many articles become easier to de-orphan once more articles in related areas have been filled in). You can be sure you won't end up looking at the same orphaned article twice because once it's tagged with {{Para|att|{{#time:F Y}}}} it gets removed from the category it's currently in ([[:Category:Orphaned articles]]) and gets placed into the attempted de-orphaned articles category ([[:Category:Attempted de-orphan]]). This category may be a place for those de-orphaners who want an extra challenge. Remember that only a single incoming link is required in order to completely remove the orphan tag, but any additional links will certainly help ensure the article is not isolated, so the attempted de-orphans category may also be a place to hold those articles where you feel there is potential for more incoming links.

==== Attempted de-orphan edit summary ====
You may use this edit summary:
: <syntaxhighlight lang="wikitext">Attempted to de-orphan. Wikiproject Orphanage: [[BattleTechWiki:ORPHAN|You can help!]]</syntaxhighlight>

== Avoiding orphans from the start ==
When creating a new article, it is best to prevent them from being orphans from the beginning.
Finding possible links may be time-consuming. Don't worry if you cannot make all the necessary edits on the same day, as long as you keep your plans in mind!

== Listings ==
* [[:Category:Orphaned articles]]
* [[:Category:Orphaned files]]

== Templates ==
* {{Tl|Orphan}} — cleanup template for orphaned articles
* {{Tl|Orphan image}} — cleanup template for orphaned images

== See also ==
* [[Special:LonelyPages]]
* [[Special:Unusedimages]]
* [[BattleTechWiki:WikiProject Orphanage]]
* [[BattleTechWiki:Dead-end pages]]

[[Category:Maintenance|{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:WikiProject Orphanage|*]]