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.
 | This page in a nutshell: Noticeboards are centralised pages where editors report incidents, request administrative action, or raise matters requiring attention from administrators or the wider community. They are for reports, not general discussion. |
Noticeboards are centralised pages where editors raise issues that require attention from administrators, from specialist editors, or from the community as a whole. They are a core part of Bharatpedia's dispute resolution and administrative processes.
Noticeboards differ from ordinary talk pages in two important ways. First, they are watched — administrators and experienced editors keep noticeboards on their watchlists, so a report posted there is likely to be seen promptly. Second, they are structured — most noticeboards have a defined purpose, a defined format for reports, and a defined set of outcomes that can result.
What noticeboards are for[edit source]
Noticeboards are appropriate for:
- Incident reports — vandalism, edit warring, personal attacks, sockpuppetry, and similar conduct issues requiring administrative intervention.
- Requests for administrative action — page protection, user blocks, and other actions that only administrators can perform.
- Disputes requiring moderated input — content or conduct disputes that ordinary talk page discussion has failed to resolve.
- Specialist questions — matters within the scope of a particular noticeboard, such as sourcing, neutrality, or copyright.
Noticeboards are not appropriate for:
- General discussion of Bharatpedia policy or practice — use the village pump or centralized discussion instead.
- Content disputes that have not yet been discussed on the article talk page — try discussion first.
- Requests that have their own dedicated venue, such as articles for deletion or requested moves.
List of noticeboards[edit source]
Conduct and administration[edit source]
- Administrators' incident noticeboard — the main venue for reporting conduct issues and requesting administrative action.
- Administrators' noticeboard — for matters requiring administrator attention that are not urgent incidents.
- Edit warring noticeboard — for reports of edit warring and requests for page protection.
- Sockpuppet investigations — for reports of suspected sockpuppetry.
- Usernames for administrator attention — for reports of inappropriate usernames.
Content and sourcing[edit source]
- Reliable sources noticeboard — for questions and disputes about whether a source is reliable.
- Neutral point of view noticeboard — for reports of neutrality problems.
- No original research noticeboard — for reports of original research.
- Biographies of living persons noticeboard — for concerns about BLPs.
- Copyright problems — for reports of copyright violations.
Other specialist noticeboards[edit source]
- Dispute resolution noticeboard — for moderated discussion of disputes.
- Closure requests — for requesting that a mature discussion be formally closed.
- Requested moves — for proposing and discussing page moves.
- Village pump — for general discussion of Bharatpedia matters.
How to use a noticeboard[edit source]
When posting a report to a noticeboard:
- Read the noticeboard's instructions first. Each noticeboard has its own header explaining its scope and the format expected for reports.
- Give a concise, factual report. State what happened, when, and where, with diffs where relevant. Avoid speculation about motives.
- Notify the other parties. Most noticeboards require that editors involved in a report be notified on their talk page.
- Stay civil. Noticeboards are not a venue for venting frustration. Personal attacks and incivility on noticeboards are themselves grounds for sanction.
- Follow the discussion. Administrators and other editors may ask questions, and responses are expected.
- Do not forum-shop. If a report has been declined at one noticeboard, do not simply repost it at another in the hope of a different outcome.
Outcomes[edit source]
Depending on the noticeboard and the matter reported, the outcome of a noticeboard thread may be:
- No action — the report is declined, perhaps because the issue has resolved itself or because it does not fall within the noticeboard's scope.
- A warning — an administrator may warn an editor about their conduct.
- A block — an administrator may block an editor, either temporarily or indefinitely, usually with a stated rationale.
- Page protection — a page may be semi-protected, extended-confirmed protected, or fully protected.
- A topic ban or interaction ban — in serious cases, an editor may be restricted from editing a topic or from interacting with another editor.
- Referral — the matter may be referred to a different venue, such as arbitration or a specialised noticeboard.
- A community discussion — the noticeboard may recommend that the matter be raised at the village pump or through a request for comment.
Closure of noticeboard threads is normally performed by an uninvolved administrator, who will summarise the outcome and any action taken.
Related pages[edit source]
- Bharatpedia:Dispute resolution — the overall process within which noticeboards operate
- Bharatpedia:Administrators — who administrators are and what they do
- Bharatpedia:Centralized discussion — for broad discussions, as opposed to noticeboard reports
- Bharatpedia:Requests — formal request venues
- Category:Bharatpedia noticeboards — category listing all noticeboards