 | 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. |
 | This page in a nutshell: WP:42 is the answer. |
Wikipedia:The answer to life, the universe, and everything (aka WP:42) is a Wittgenstein's ladder—a simplified explanation used as an imperfect teaching tool—intended for new editors and those editors for whom English is a second language. It was specifically created for use at the IRC channel #wikipedia-en-help. In pithy language, it arguably represents the notability guidelines as being somewhat stricter and somewhat more unequivocal than they really are; this has been discussed at Wikipedia talk:The answer to life, the universe, and everything (aka WT:42, the talk page for WP:42).
Some editors who approve of WP:42 urge others to act in the following ways:
- Because WP:42 is a document derived from policy and guideline, it is good to cite it during an AfD debate to lessen confusion.
- It is a great tool for new users to use to participate in deletion discussions on nearly equal standing as experienced editors, and to have deeper discussion about Wikipedia guidelines.
- Failing WP:42 is a great reason to propose deletion for an article at PROD.
- Bring it up to clear discussion on the talk pages of those policies and guidelines which determine whether a topic should have an article.