Bharatpedia:Requests for comment

This is an information page.

It documents a Bharatpedia process, convention, or practice. It is not one of Bharatpedia's policies or guidelines, and its contents are advisory rather than mandatory. Editors should use common sense when applying it.

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Template:Dispute resolution Requests for comment (RfC) is an informal, lightweight process for requesting outside input, and dispute resolution, with respect to article content, user conduct, and Bharatpedia policy and guidelines. This page describes the process, including instructions for how and why to create a request for comment, to participate in one, and to end one.

RfC is one of several processes available within Bharatpedia's dispute resolution system. Alternative processes include third opinion, the reliable sources noticeboard, the neutral point of view noticeboard, the dispute resolution noticeboard, and, for editors' behavior, the administrator's incident noticeboard and binding arbitration.

A list of all current RfCs can be found at Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/All (BP:RFC/A). An archive of selected past RfCs and other discussions can be found at Bharatpedia:Centralized discussion/Archive.

What an RfC is

A request for comment (RfC) is a way to ask the Bharatpedia community for outside input on a dispute, policy proposal, or content question. It is used when a discussion on a talk page has stalled, when a decision affects a broad area of the encyclopedia, or when a fresh perspective from uninvolved editors would be helpful. RfCs are not votes; they are structured discussions intended to gauge consensus.

An RfC typically consists of:

• A neutrally worded question or statement presented at the top of a talk page section.
• A notice (via the {{rfc}} template) that categorizes the discussion and, in some configurations, alerts a bot to advertise it.
• A discussion period during which any editor may comment, typically lasting at least seven days and often up to thirty.
• A closure by an uninvolved editor, who summarizes the discussion and determines the consensus outcome.

When to use an RfC

An RfC is appropriate when:

• A talk page discussion has reached an impasse and additional input is needed.
• A proposed change to a policy or guideline would benefit from broad community review.
• A content dispute involves multiple editors and a centralized discussion would help resolve it.
• A user-conduct issue requires community attention (though for urgent incidents, the administrators' incident noticeboard may be more appropriate).

Before starting an RfC, editors are strongly encouraged to first attempt to resolve the matter through ordinary talk page discussion, following the principle of talking to the other parties involved.

Types of RfC

RfCs are broadly categorized by topic, which determines where they are listed and who is invited to participate:

• Content RfCs concern the wording, sourcing, or inclusion of material in an article or set of articles.
• Policy and guideline RfCs concern proposed changes to Bharatpedia's policies and guidelines.
• User-conduct RfCs concern the behavior of one or more editors. These are subject to specific conduct procedures.
• Style and naming RfCs concern the Manual of Style and article titles.

How to create an RfC

To create an RfC:

1. Start a new section on the talk page of the article, policy, or user page in question.
2. Write a concise, neutral statement of the issue and a specific question for editors to answer.
3. Add the {{rfc}} template at the top of the section, with the appropriate topic parameter. For example: {{rfc|bio}} for a biography-related content RfC, or {{rfc|policy}} for a policy proposal.
4. Sign your post with four tildes (~~~~).
5. If required by the topic category, the {{rfc}} template will automatically list the discussion at the appropriate request board and may trigger a bot to send feedback requests to editors who have signed up for that topic.

A list of current RfC topic categories and their corresponding parameters can be found at Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/Request board.

How to participate in an RfC

Any editor may participate in an open RfC, whether or not they were invited. When commenting:

• Read the initial statement and any prior discussion carefully.
• Comment in the designated section, typically below the statement, using standard talk page conventions.
• Sign your comment with four tildes.
• Avoid personal attacks and remain civil.
• Base your comments on Bharatpedia's content policies and reliable sources, not on personal opinion alone.
• If the discussion is long, use indentation to keep threads readable.

How to end an RfC

An RfC is typically closed by an uninvolved editor after a minimum of seven days, and usually no later than thirty days, though duration may vary with the complexity of the topic. The closer should:

• Assess the strength of the arguments presented, not merely count votes.
• Determine the rough consensus of the discussion.
• Summarize the outcome in a closing statement.
• Remove the {{rfc}} template from the talk page section, if appropriate.
• Update Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/All accordingly.

If no uninvolved editor volunteers to close a mature RfC, a request may be posted at Bharatpedia:Closure requests.

See also

• Bharatpedia:Dispute resolution
• Bharatpedia:Third opinion
• Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/All
• Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/Request board
• Bharatpedia:Requests for comment/User conduct
• Bharatpedia:Closure requests
• Bharatpedia:Centralized discussion
• Bharatpedia:Feedback request service