Wikipedia:Cross-namespace redirects

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.

Shortcuts WP:XNR WP:CNR WP:CROSS

Cross-namespace redirects are redirects from one namespace to another. The term is most often applied to redirects from the main (article) namespace to the Wikipedia (project) namespace. There have been various debates over the use of cross-namespace redirects,^[1] and the issue remains moderately controversial.

Currently, the general consensus seems to be that most newly created cross-namespace redirects from the main (article) namespace to the Wikipedia (project) namespace should be deleted, that very old ones might retain their value for extra-Wikipedia links. Redirects from mainspace to Draftspace or Userspace are normally speedy deleted. Similarly redirects from Portal namespace to Draft caused by moves are deleted because we don't want to lead readers into areas where pages are under construction.

Latest relevant discussion: Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 112#RFC: On the controversy of the pseudo-namespace shortcuts, December 2013 – February 2014