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![]() | This page in a nutshell: The notability guideline suggests that there are two prongs to whether a topic merits an article: notability, and non-exclusion under What Wikipedia is not. In deletion discussions, editors can sometimes talk across each other by talking only about one prong. |
The notability guideline states:
A topic is presumed to merit an article if:
- It meets either the general notability guideline (GNG) below, or the criteria outlined in a subject-specific notability guideline (SNG); and
- It is not excluded under the What Wikipedia is not policy.
Therefore, meriting an article has two necessary conditions, or prongs: the general notability prong and the non-exclusion prong. Meeting Wikipedia's notability guidelines is not sufficient for a topic to merit an article: the topic must also not be excluded under the What Wikipedia is not policy. Similarly, not being excluded by the What Wikipedia is not policy does not mean that the topic merits an article: the topic must also meet Wikipedia's general notability guidelines.