What It Feels Like to Get—and Then Lose—Your Wikipedia Page
Getting a Wikipedia page can feel like a badge of honour. It means someone thought you were important enough to be part of the world’s biggest free encyclopedia. But what happens when that page disappears? Every day, many biographies on Wikipedia are flagged for deletion because the people they’re about aren’t considered “notable” enough. This can be a shock for those involved.
Wikipedia isn’t short on space; it has millions of articles in hundreds of languages. The problem is that volunteers who manage the site have to make sure the information is verifiable and backed by reliable sources. If there aren’t enough trustworthy sources about someone, their page can be nominated for deletion. It’s not about whether the information is true, but whether it can be verified.
Take the case of Martina Dimoska, a scientist working with NASA who was proud to find herself on Wikipedia. She saw it as a sign her journey from the Balkans to space research was inspiring others. But just a day after celebrating her new Wikipedia page, it was nominated for deletion. The debate centred on whether her achievements were supported by enough independent sources or if the page was too promotional.
Others share similar stories. Matthew Songer, an orthopaedist from Michigan, found that having a Wikipedia page helped build trust when he served as an expert witness in court. Losing it meant losing that easy reference. Maneli Mirkhan, an adviser on international affairs, also had her page deleted but saw it reappear after more media coverage about her work came out. In her case, being on Wikipedia helped the media trust her expertise—and the media coverage helped keep the page alive. It’s a tricky cycle.
Wikipedia editors are volunteers who follow strict guidelines. They don’t decide notability based on fame alone. The key is whether reliable secondary sources have covered the person in depth and independently of the subject. Simply being related to a famous person or having a social media presence isn’t enough.
There are special rules for biographies of living people. These pages have to be especially careful about privacy and harm, and unsourced or poorly sourced information, especially if it’s negative, must be removed immediately. If a biography has no reliable sources at all, it can be tagged for proposed deletion and removed after seven days if no sources are added.
Research shows there are some inequalities in how these rules are applied. Studies have found that women’s biographies tend to be nominated for deletion faster than men’s, and they are more often merged into other pages rather than kept as separate entries. Some biographies are judged “too soon” to be notable, especially for women and minorities, reflecting a bias in how notability is measured.
For those who lose their page, it can be a personal blow. Many don’t even know their page is under threat until someone tells them. A Wikipedia biography is not just a digital record; it can be a mark of credibility and recognition. Losing it can feel like losing a piece of your public identity.
At its heart, Wikipedia is built by people for people. The volunteers who create and maintain pages try to keep the site trustworthy and fair, but the process isn’t perfect. Notability is a tough and sometimes subjective standard. For those caught in the deletion debate, it’s a reminder that fame, recognition, and history are more complicated than they seem—even on the internet’s biggest stage.