Help:Reverting pages
Subversive Technologies & Countermeasures
Contents |
[edit] Detail
Reverting in this context means undoing the work of another editor. It does not necessarily mean going back into the page history to revert to a previous version. The passage you keep adding or deleting may be as little as a few words, or in some cases, just one word.
Before exceeding the three-revert limit, please discuss the matter with other editors. If any of them come close to breaching the policy themselves, this may indicate that the page should be a protected page until disputes are resolved.
The policy is independently applied to each page; reversions are not counted cumulatively across multiple pages. For example, if an editor performs three reversions on each of two articles within 24 hours, that editor's six reversions do not constitute a violation of this policy.
This policy does not apply to self-reverts, correcting vandalism, or reversions for the purpose of maintenance (such as on the Sandbox).
This policy does apply to repeatedly moving, renaming, deleting, undeleting, or recreating a page. All of these, if done excessively, are forms of edit warring.
Reverting doesn't only mean taking a previous version from history and editing that. It means undoing the actions of another editor, and may include edits that undo a previous edit, in whole or in part, or that add something new. Use common sense.
[edit] Intent of the policy
The three-revert rule is not an entitlement, but an "electric fence"; the 3RR is intended to stop edit warring. It does not grant users an inalienable right to three reverts every 24 hours or endorse reverts as an editing technique. Persistent reversion remains strongly discouraged and is unlikely to constitute working properly with others.
If you find you have reverted a page more than even once in a day, it indicates there may be a problem and you should try dispute resolution, starting with the article's talk page.
The fact that users may be blocked for excessive reverting does not imply that they will be blocked. Admins are under no obligation to block a user for breaking the 3RR, for instance if they see that the problem has been resolved in another manner.
Some users recommend spacing out your reverts to one per day:
- The other person might see the light of reason.
- You might realize that the other person was right!
- Others can easily step in and try to help.
- A day is much easier to apply than a 24-hour period. By limiting yourself to one revert per day, you avoid the risk of accidentally reverting four times in a 24-hour period.
Please note that, given that the policy is intended to stop edit warring, not mete out punishment, reports dredging up old incidents long past their applicability/relevance to this policy...
- ...are pointless.
- ...will not be looked upon kindly.
- ...will be mocked mercilessly.
- ...will be sent in, sent back, queried, lost, found, subjected to public inquiry, lost again, and finally buried in soft peat for three months and recycled as firelighters.
[edit] Exceptions
[edit] User pages
The 3RR is generally not enforced against editors reverting changes to their own user page space, on the principle that your user space is yours (for project-related purposes).
[edit] Explain your reverts
Explaining your reverts in summary or talk pages helps other editors understand your motivation for the change and can defuse volatile situations before they arise.
3 Revert Rule from Wikipedia
